Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-09-18
The Coal Strike Not a Matter of
Politics.

According to Senator Jones, chair
man of the Democratic National Com
mittee, the trust question is the great
issue before the people With the
trust, according to him, goes the tariff.
The Democratic idea of trust smashing
is tariff smashing, says Philadelphia
Inquirer.
''The high price of beef and the con-
duct of this coal business" he says,
'have gone long way in convincing
the people that the course of the Re-
publican Party is against public in
terests.n
The course of the Republican Party
has brought the country at large the
greatest prosperity known in it's his
tory, and this has been produced by
meeting and overcoming the Demo-
cratic policies of free silver and free
trade. The party of Bryan and Jones
and of Candidate Pattison, for that
matter, no longer talks glibly about
free silver, but it returns to the attack
on the protective system because of
the combination of capital into vast
business enterprises, some of which
are in every way to the advantage of
the public, some of which are not, but
all of which the Democracy persists in
grouping under the general head Of
the trusts. 1t would smash them all,
and in order to do the smashing it
would first smash the tariff
Undoubtedly the Beef Trust is one
that ought to be fought tooth and nail,
for it has given us specimen of what
it can accomplish by raising the price
of meats. According to Democratic
opinion it can be conquered by remoy-
ing the duty on beef and other articles
of food in which it deals. This is an
instance Of what Mr.. Jones would call
protected trust" President Roose-
welt has plans for dealing with such
concerns which would place them
under a certain governmental supervi.
sion, and if such as the beef combina-
ton can be reached by tariff revision,
the Republican Congress would not
hesitate to take such a step. 1t is not
general revision of the tariff that is
required, for such step would mean
vast upheaval of all business and would
lead to panic and confusion and to
bankruptcy, as it did in President
Cleveland's time, but revision of GER
tain schedules were needed is very
different thing from general smash.
The Republican Party can be trusted
to make all necessary changes.
But why does Chairman Jones talk
Of the coal strike as if it were due en-
tirely to the Republican administration
Of the country? Here he bellies the
Democratic assertion that the "tariff
is the mother of trusts" for anthracite
coal is not protected commodity.
The Dingley bill has nothing to do
with it whatever. Not a miner laid
down his pick on account of it. Not
an operator has refused to arbitrate be-
cause it is on the statute books. In no
conceivable way can the coal strike be
linked with Republican administration
either National or State.
1t is not in any way connected with
politics, and if Senator Jones says that
it is, then he is referred to the fact that
President Baer, of the Reading, who is
holding the mine owners firmly against
arbitration, is Democrat of the most
pronounced sort.
And he is furthermore advised that
the men of prominence who have
sought to bring about an agreement
or compromise are Republicans.
Quay, Penrose, Stone, Elkin, Widener
are all Republicans.
What Democrat has done anything
to get the mines started again?
1t is absurd to try to make political
question out of the strike The miners
had grievances, and their petitions
were denied by the operators. A strike
followed. That is all there is to the
matter. The general prosperity of
Pennsylvania and of the United States
outside this strike will not be put in
jeopardy by visiting the responsibility
for the strike upon the Republican
Party.