The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-10-09

ana as " remedy Tor all evils IL demanus
The removal of all protective tarifs. The
trust being an admitted evil. must neces-
sarily. from a Democratic standpoint, he
occasioned by protection, and the rem.
edy must, of course, be the removal OF
protection.
The best way to determine the wisdom
of remedy is to make application there
of to specific instances II there Is n mo-
nopoly Of any kind in the United states
IL probably Is the Standard Oil company,
and yet its success has been IN no man
ner dependent upon the tariff. Protec-
tion, then, is not the cause of this mo-
hopoly. and II not the cause of all mo-
nopolies then Its removal would not cure
all monopolies.
cent advance in prices. Crude petroleum,
on the free. list. went from G5 cents per
barre, !n-November, 1891 to si;so per
100 per cent. The wholesale. price Of
standard Rio coffee advanced from u
cents In August. 1898. to over = cents In
pan ten advanced from 1slk cents in Au-
gust 1901 to 20 cents in August 1907 an
advance of 40 per cent; raw SILK adj
yanced GO per cent, between January,
New. York advanced 95 per cont from
October, 1893. to October. 1900; ssal hemp,
from Mexico. advanced 25O per cent. from
yanced i4o per cent. from March. 1897. to
March, 1900. All of these are OF the free
list, and many others might be added.
Npltncf are cOnIlneU 10 countries
that pursue the protective. policy. Only
thirty days ago. at a trades union con.
gress In London. resolutions were passed
dcprecating the growth of gigantic cap
italistic trusts, with their enormous pow
er of controlling production" In more
vigorous language and suggesting more
drastic and revolutionary remedies than |
have seen anywhere on this side of the
Atlantic. ,.
The next industry of importance which
the people generally claim to be trust
is sugar refining. And here again we are
urged to remove the tariff that we may
have increased competition
The rate on refined sugar is sl9' per
hundred-practically two cents pound.
pound. In view of the fact that the. Unit
ed States produces only q limited por-
ton of its sugar the tariff increases the
price to the consumer. It is therefore Il
ment to the beet sugar industry which
affords the only competition with which
the sugar refineries are confronted. These
refiners pay to the government, in round
numbers fifty million dollars per an
mum duty on imported sugar. IF the tar
if was removed the result would be pri-
marily saving to the sugar rehners OF
that amount per annum. which they could
keep and still give the people sugar at
present prices, or they could reduce the
price of sugar cent per pound and
in that event the sites on which beet
sugar factories now stand would be
worth more as farm lands than as sugar
plants, and the refners would have no
competition, actual or prospective. |
doubt the wisdom of following advice
when the blow recommended will be sure
10 fall with rlinOus effect upon compet-
itOrs of alleged monopoles.
We are frequently threatened with over
production. and against this we must al
ways protect by increasing our markets
as far as possible. But other countries
also have Overproduction. and from this
source our industries are sure TO be
crushed unless protected. Does any one
suppose any iron industry in the United
States could have survived an inundaton
from Europe occasoned by recent bust
ness stagnation in some localities on the
continent but for the tariff? The RepliI-'
lican party watches primarily that the
1t is probable that during the last year
or two free trade in iron would have
cheapened the product to the American
consumer, but million and half people,
fed and clothed directly by wages paid
by the various iron and steel manufac-
tories. would have been again begging
bread. Unreasonable prices are always
Objectionable. but prices unreasonaby
low are more objectionable and fraught
with greater hardships. primarily to the
wage-earner and secondly. to all those
than prices unreasonably high. DO you
remember that President Harrison said
again and again for the issue in 1892 was
high prices; There is such a thing. gen.
the public did not heed the warning and
We had four years of low prices. Do
you want to try this experiment again SO
soon as the supply equals the de-
mand. and the marked threat of a change
of economic policy always has had the
effect to check demand more rapidly than
anything else. Today consumers actually
bid against each other.
The Free Silver Cure.
The Democratic party has another rem,
edy besides revision of the tariff, and
that is. ''rhe free and unlimited coin
age of silver at the ratio of l6 to l with
gold without the aid or consent of any
other nation whatever am OF the
i've. il possible, than removal of the
tariff. | also think the remedy would he
more permanent. for 1t would certainly
crush. out that restless American enter
prise which is the real seat of the dis
ease. ! do not think any country on
silver basis was ever troubled with trusts;
yet am not prepared to recommend II.
Sometimes the remedy is worse than the
disease.
Another remedy is a constitutional
amendment which will give congress au-
thority to deal with trusts. combna tons
and monopolies. wherever located, re-
gardless of state lines. Indeed. Repub-
licans in congress voted for such a meas
ure once, but it failed to pass. And why?
1t takes a two-thrds vote in both houses
to pass measure for IA constitutional
amendment, and the Republican party
was not that strong. When the roll was
called one lone Democrat voted with the
Republicans.
Natural Remedies.
Now, a suggestion with reference to
natural and evolutionary remedies.
suppose more objection has been made
and more antitrust sentiment created
by reason of the United States Steel COR
poration. than any other one concern, !
confess It's organization staggered me- l
happened to be at the time the governor
could originate some law that would
protect two and one-half millions of the
best men and women IN the world But
was unable to formulate one satisfac-
pealed to my Democratic friends through
out the state in something like a hundred
campaign speeches. ] had no difficulty In
finding, plenty of these brethren who
could formulate an antitrust resolution,
so | asked them to formulate an anti
trust law. | promised il they would sub
init one to recommend ii to the legisla-
ture of my state. But none was pre-
sented.
Since then | have Investigated some
what, and | have discovered a few facts
which are quite consolation at least to
me. One is that the United States Steel
the iron ore dug in this country during
the year 1901. II produced 30 per cent.
of the pig iron. 66.3 per cent of the steel
ngots and castings, SOL per cent. of the
tural shapes, plates ETC. and wire, and
DOS per cent of the wire nails. rhlS pro-
portion Is less than it was a year ago,
In this connection | might add that this
makes public many and perhaps all the
important details of its business, includ-
Ing gross and net profits, Its receipts for
the year ending June 80, 1902, derived
a. n steel