Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-01

ed the agriculturalist, because Ameri-
can farmers in the last six years have
paid mortgages on their farms to the
amount of $300000,000; and the
American farmers could today with
| his live stock alone pay the entire ma
tional debt of England and Germany,
and still have over $520,000,000 left. 1t
has not oppressed any class. because
the well being of the whole American
| people is the establishment and envy
of the world.
Combinations Not oppressors.
Cypress the people? Why should
| any organization of industry or COM
merce Cypress the people? Their pros
perity depends upon the peoples pros
| perity. The profits of every organiza-
| ton of commerce, industry and fin
| ance are drawn from the great foun-
| tain of the common prosperity of the
| people. When these organizations ar
| bitrarily raise prices for temporary
| profit, folly directs their business, and
| that folly in themselves is wrong to
| the people, and must be prevented and
| punished. But decrease in prices, i'm
proved quality, better service-these
are the wise and general policy of or
| ganized industry Why? Because
cheaper prices and better quality
means better sales; and there are
larger profits in vast sales with small
margin on each sale than there is in
few sales with greater profit on each
sale"
After giving some illustrations ex-
planning the nature and effect of the
movement toward industrial co-opera-
ton and combination, he asked:
What causes this movement? Moth
| ing but human thought and energy I'M
restrained; nothing but the advancing
intelligence of the people; the trust of
man in man; nothing, in word, but
the progress of the race.
THE very basis of the organizations
of labor and capital is merely the I'M
| fettered human brain working out for
human use the possibilities of the great
forces of nature. And he who would
| destroy those, organizations must first
| abolish their causes-destroy the tele-
graph, the telephone, the wireless
message; tear up the shining tracks
of steel over which the commerce of
the world is flying. Attempts at de-
struction, though unsuccessful, would
| be disastrous; yet that is what the OPP
position proposes. They suggest no
better method. They propose no rem
| edy for admitted evils. They de,
nounce the whole Goth century system
| of organization.
Not Blind to Evils.
'.While the republican party is in
harmony with the times we are not
blind to the evils which cling to the
great trunk which itself is sound, but
We insist that the tree shall not be
lfelled because of the evils. When
combinations of capital attempt to ar
bitrarily raise prices from motives of
mere greed or unjustly reduce wages,
merely to increase dividends they
must be prevented, punished. But ap-
lply a remedy-do not administer a
medicine of death.
The Remedy.
| "What, then, does common sense
suggest as the first step toward a rea-
sonable remedy? 1t is to test the ap-
| plicability of any existing law on the
subject, is it not? And this is the
method that the President of the Unit
ed States has pursued.
Muzzle Their Greed.
| what is the next step which practi-
cal thought suggests for preventing
| the evils of modern combination, of
capital and labor? 1t is clear that we
cannot destroy them. But we must
prevent their frauds, chain their VIC
| lence and, as the President of the Uni
ted States has said, 'muzzle their
greed just as We do with evil men, A
method must be found to supervise
their operation to give the people in
formation of their purposes and condi-
ton. President Roosevelt has recon-
mended and congress is constructing a
| department of commerce which will
finally supervise every trust that does
business throughout the nation. Is it
not better to search out with reasons
| light the weak places and the dark,
than to apply the torch of destruction
| to the whole fabric of our industry :.
Conservative progress or annihilating
reaction-vthis is the alternative before
| the American people.
Opposition Would ParaIyze Business.
THE opposition's policies would par.
alyze the business of the nation; re-
publican policies would aid the bust
ness of the nation. In our very pros
perity turks the causes of disaster,
which nothing can avert except the
sale of the surplus product of Ameri-
can capital and labor. To dispose of
that surplus of American products is
/ the task the republican party is per
forming.
Reciprocity An Aid.
Cali over the world, therefore, we
seek new markets seek to increase ex-
listing markets One market for part
of our surplus is at our door; and to
seize that market the republican party
will establish reciprocity with our
wards in Cuba.
Must Be Beginning.
| eff it is said that our reciprocity with
Cuba is not broad enough, we answer
that there must be beginning and
from its results We can extend the pol
icy if uccessful-modify it where de-
fective; abandon it if advisable. The
problem of reciprocity with the world
is as delicate as the problem of super.
vising the commercial and Industrial
developments within the republic it,
self All business is adjusted to our
system of protection. But protection
EXISTS for business mt hucjnesc for