The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-11-28
Tariff Revision and the Trusts.

The following extracts form an article
in the Worker on this subject, which at
present occupies place in the forefront
of political discussion, will be found to
contain plenty of food for reflection by
those who cling so tenaciouslv to their
sacred party creed:
"Some of the democrats and some Of
the republicans propose to curb the
power of the criminal trusts as they say
(they 90 not tell us which are the GRIM
inal and which the innocent trusts by
reducing the tariff on imports. This is
much as if one should propose to check
the ravages of ferocious wolf by burn
ing the bones of the wolf IS dead mother
mo one can intelligently aud sincerely
deny that the tariff has helped to foster
the trusts The republican leaders did
deny it-uuintelligently or insincerely-
until within the last year or two, when,
the tariff having served its purpose for the
great capitalists, some of the liberal re-
publicans propose 10 make new caul-
psign issue out of tariff revision. The
tariff helped to foster the trusts it is true.
But the trusts are no longer infants; they
have reached maturity. The young wolf
feeds on its mothers milk like harmless
lamb. The grown wolf tears and devours
the sheep and no longer needs to be
nursed.
1--WE have Meat Trust-fostered by
the protective tariff on meats. But that
trust no longer depends upon the tariff
for its power. Instead of being afraid of
foreign competition here, it is conquering
the markets of England and Continental
Europe. America is the largest meat
exporting country in the world. We have
the broad and fertile prairies, adapted for
cattle-raising. We have the great stock
yards and the wonderful packing houses
and cold-storage plants for preparing
meats. We in this case, means the
American capitalists, not the American
people.) Neither Russia nor Australia
nor even Argentina can compete with the
ShAtOu Stdl'S AZ lbC piOQ vi ulCdl-
tariff or no tariff Why, then, is meat
dear Because a small group of capital
lists, closely connected with the Standard
Oil Company, have secured the owner
ship of a large part of the cattle ranges
and of nearly all the great stock yards and
packing house and coldstorage plants,
and hold shares in all the railways which
transport cattle and meat The tariff has,
in past years, helped these men to get
this control of the means of production
But having got it, they no longer depend
on the tariff. When the American Meat
Trust can raise the price of meat in free
trade England, as it has done this sum-
ner, it is evident that reduction of the
tariff could have little or no effect on the
price of meat in this country.
again, we have a Coal Trust, fostered,
to some extent, we doubt, by the tariff.
But so has Great Britain Coal Trust,
though Great Britain has no tariff ON coal;
and sixty-eight thousand British coal
miners are now celebrating whether they
should strike or submit TO a reduction of
wages. Can anyone image that reduc-
ton of tariff would curb Mr. Baer's
power, or that it would have helped the
Pennsylvania miners in their fight?
'Yet, again, the Standard Oil Com
pany, not SO very long ago, made treaty
with the Russian Oil Trust, by which
they divided the world between them.
Not even the discovery of new oil fields
in Texas 'curbed' the power of this trust
though there is no tariff between Texas
and New York. Within six months after
their discovery, and in spite of the anti
trust laws of democratic Texas the Stan
dard Oil Company had complete control
of the new oil fields. This Company, as
a body, and also its leading members,
have invested large part of their surplus
i'll the stock and bonds of gas and cleo
trio companies. In nearly every city of
the United States today, whether you use
kerosene or gas or electricity to light your
house, you pay tribute to Rockefeller and
his associates. What could be more
stupid than to propose to curb this inter
national light and heat and power trust
by reducing the tariff on oil