Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-10-30

f, down the pillars of the temple and
ruin the industrial fabric of the coun-
| try because some are making money
| faster and with more ease than others?
| am willing to take my little share of
| increased prosperity even though
there are others who are getting much
mere.
Can Buy Canal.
1--WE took $115, 100000 in taxes dur
ing the last six months Yet at the
end Of the first quarter of the present
| fiscal year. October /, there was
and surplus in the treasury amount
ing to enough to pay for the Panama
canal should the government decide to
buy it. and all that would be necessary
should it be considered advisable to
purchase this canal across the isthmus.
would be for your citizen, Secretary
Shaw to draw a little check for $40
100000, the amount fixed by congress
as what the United States can pay for
it. And should the country decide to
go ahead and build the canal the enor-
nous cost could be paid if the present
tariff schedule is kept intact.
CSPCItSICG VS. ISiioIeISS'
Still the democrats say we ought
to make a change. They say we ought
to take out John F. Lacey and put into
his place young man, an ineXperi
enced novice, man wholly incapable
of doing good for the district for his
first two or three terms. Why, | would
rather have John f. Lacey in congress
one week, with his knowledge, good
Judgment, and fearless courage to do
right, than half dozen green men for
whole term.
Trust Problem.
But the democrats are alarmed
about the trust question. They talk
about the octopus which is about to
destroy the country and they make
dire prophecies. Now, trusts are not
new. They are old. They have chang
ed some since they began. At first
they were composed of number of
firms doing business in the same line,
which banded together and formed a
combination of capital, putting their
business into the hands of trustees
with power to carry on the affairs.
Such was the sugar trust in 1888. The
republicans noticed it and the demo-
Gratis noticed it when they were in pow
er in the fiftieth congress. Wilson,
who was chairman of the ways and
means committee. thought they ought
to do something about trusts.
Democratic Record.
They appointed a committee to in
vestigate this matter and this commit
tee, after being at work for nearly a
year, reported to the body on the last
day of the term that they had found
three trusts, the sugar trust, the STAN
dard oil trust and one other. But what
did they do? Did they recommend any
law? Did they try to pass any bill?
Not at all. They recommended that
the. whole matter be recommended to
the subsequent congress, the fifty-first,
a republican body. They did all they
could, the best they could don't
blame them. They didn't feel eompe-
tent to cope with SO large question
and they referred it to the party that
has the record of always acting and
acting to the point where the people
demand it.
Republican Work.
w Y SchlS lhlo poNSI anu We elGCl-
ed Tom Reed Speaker of the house.
The democrats said they would defeat
us by filibustering. But we said they
could not do it, and Speaker Reed said
so, and We won. We passed the Mel
Kinley bill. We brought up the Sher4
man antitrust law Congress has butt
little power to regulate trade between
states, but John Sherman of Ohio and
Edmunds of Vermont went to work to
frame a bill to regulate trusts. 1t
passed both houses The republicans
We're in favor of it and the democrats
were against it. Wilson spoke on it,
and said it would destroy the rights of
the citizens and would infringe upon
the powers of the states. His talk had,
an effect upon the democratic side of.
the house and they We're nearly
against it. The republicans were in
favor of it, and it become law. Ben
Harrison president at the time, signed
it. He got evidence and went after the
trusts, and they changed their tactics.
They Incorporated under the laws of
states and became corporations.
1--WE killed the trust by the Sher.
man antitrust law and since then new
WI DSEouH HS nGO-
dore Roosevelt, has begun action
against the beef trust and the merger
and as soon as he can get evidence he
will go against them hard. But what
have the democrats ever done? Can
you point me to a single act that they
have ever accomplished toward weed
ing out the trusts?
Jealous of Issues.
1.-TWO years ago believing that the
Sherman law was not perfect and that
ali its powers had been exhausted. the
republicans brought in an amendment
to the constitution giving congress the
power to regulate trusts. We asked
that it be brought up at once Leader
Richardson of the democratic side of
the house, objected to this, but as only
majority was needed we got it up
Then, however. a two-thirds vote was
necessary to pass it. We needed forty
votes from the democratic side. More
than forty had said they would vote for
it, But the Washington Post, the dem
ocratic organ at the national capital.