The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-28

declaring that prosperity under the Dngley
law was temporary and passing away. 1t
will be time enough to discuss the necessity
for revision when there is pointed out spee
officially sonic place where injurious results
are flowing from existing legislation. Hasty
and inconsiderate tnkering with tariff sched-
ules may bring about more disaster than
could be relieved by the highest accuracy Of
revision.
uses OF Reciprocity.
Incidental to this subject Is the question
of wider market We cannot go on forever
adding to the volume Of our production and
vet fail to gain new aud wider markets. The
problem of the day is the question OF new
markets for American production II the
republicans OF the country follow In the
footsteps of Mckinley and adjust their leSls-
lation to his suggestions they will not go
far wrong.
Reciprocity must not be used to destroy
home industries. Reciprocity must not pc
made use OF to lessen the wages. OF the Amer
lean laborers or to curtail. the scope OF thelr
employment But reciprocity may be usea
to omen the markets of other countries to the
productions of our country and thereby anu
in that way make Impossible to give more
wages and more hours of labor to the Amerl-
CON workman. And especially is II vitality
dustries and our great possibilities or agH-
cultural production shall through the medium
of lust reciprocity open the door OF foreign
trade to the American producer Keeping
constantly in mind the fundamental prlnci-
pies of protection ITSELF reciprocity, the
handmade of protection. can be made o1 tne
highest value to the American people.
--.. The Subject of Trusts.
Our democratic friends are keenly alive to
n subject which is one Of the most interest
ing Of all the phenomena Of the daytime
rapid and enormous development OF complna-
tions of capital and labor which are usually
deuominated trusts. No democrat IN power
or out of power, so far as l know, IN any
national way. has interfered with the opera
ton of trusts
To-day there is every appearance of con-
'fict to death between the government OF the
United States upon the one hand" ana certain
recognized Injurious trusts on the other hana
and the republican administration, through
the courts of the country and by the lnstfu-
mentality of the law as invoked by the
attorney general Of the United States. Is pro-
ceeding to unmask the trust as 1t exists ana
to drive it out of its business of monopoly.
The writ of injunction is being issued to re-
strain the greed of combinations and ef1ectlVe
measures are being taken to dissolve certain
Of these injurious combinations
The injurious and dangerous combination,
that which will not be tolerated in the united
States Is the combination that first reduces
the number Of laborers, curtails their wages
and enhances the price of the article to be
consumed When this takes place. organlza-
tons engaged in that business Will De Wlpeu
of the face of the earth either by law or by
the more sure and certain process OF COM
petition. -.
The foundation of the war against trusts
$50
known as the Sherman antitrust law. That
law was on the statute books during the en-
tire administration of Grover Cleveland with
out single effort on the part OF Mr.. CleVe-
land or his administration to enforce it,
and not only so, but stood there anathe-
matized as valueess by his distinguished at
torney general. Yet under its operation
number of great combinations have been dis
solved and driven out of business. Thus 1t
will be seen that the democratic howl about
trusts is as barren of truth as any OF the
other battlecries which they have sent up
What is there to commend the democratic
party to the confidence Of the people of the
country? What is there to justify our people
in again trusting that organization with
power? At what point along it's devious path
way has it done any act or forborne doing
any act that would justify public confidence
Its history for the past forty years has been
history of series Of unmitgated political
plumbers. To-day it stands without eand.-
date, without a platform and without rea-
sonable hope of the future. The energies Of
the party in so far as there is such a thing
are devoted to the effort to shake off the ole
man of the sea" that rode them to disaster ii
= two presidential years. but the -"old man
does not let go very easily. He is holding or
with wonderful tenacity and while that is go
ing on, where stands the democratic party
in congress-pre enlinently a party of obstrue-
ton and opposition? These mighty questions
that have come before congress growing out
Of the Spanish war. the questions that have
come incidental to the acquisition Of the
islands of the Pacific are suggestions of the
democratic party, not of: stAtesmanship, but
suggestions of oppositions They stand in the
house Of representatives to-day as they have
stood in the. senate for the last six weeks
without any suggestion Of policy, without any
proposition looking to the settlement of these