Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-31
Another 4 Cent Judgment.

Smlth mad been damaged to the
amount of one cent and Judgment was
duly entered accordingly, together
with the costs of suit against the. de-
PENDANT, David Barnhill, both plaintiff
and defendant have long been gone
from here, but several of the jurymen
and quite "a number of the witnesses
are yet residents of this city and coun-
ty. The record. shows that the cosus
in this case were paid but fails to
show that the judgment was ever sat
isfied. w. E. Morrow, Clerk of the
District Court Clarke County, Iowa.
STRIKING AT OUR GOOD TIMES,
Qowa City Republican,
The Marshalltewn Times-Republican
is fully convinced that Havemeyer told
the truth when he declared before
congressional committee that, 'the
tariff is the mother Of trusts" It cites
the steel trust as an example of the
children of the tariff, yet it fails to
say why Carnegie, Morgan and all the
steel trust magnates, including our
own Col. G. Watson French of Daven-
port, vice-president of the Republic
Steel company, an internal part of the
lutte free trade in STEEL iron and prac-
tically all commodities. Possibly they
understand that with the tariff off, the
possibilities of independent mills
would be removed and they would
have the country entirely to them
selves. The republican doc.
trine always has been that
home competition reduces prices
while dependence upon foreign
or single home source of sup.
ply increased them. Possibly this new
school of republicanism that has
sprung up here in Iowa under the new
dispensation, has reversed all former
party contention and Endorsed what
some think is thread-worn democracy.
If SO, then the es-Republican ia
right, otherwise wrong.
The paper refers to the paper trust
and says that the trust, like the steel
combine, is child of the tariff. But
what assurance is there that the re.
moval of duty on wood pulp or paper
or both would reduce the price of pa
per? Many publishers remember
when print paper was 10 cents and
when 1t went down to 5 cents we
thought 1t was very cheap, yet good
print is on the market today at less
than half that rate. Recently a mum.
Der of publishers met In Chicago and
contracted for q. minimum of 200 car.
loads of No. 2 print from the new and
independent mills at rate that saved
this paper $58 car load from what 1t
has been paying. A dozen or more in
dependent mills are being built and
some Of them are in operation.
The steel mills of the country are
ten months behind with orders, which
may have something to do with pres.
ent prices. The rule is that when a
dozen men want the same piece of
goods, the seller is mighty indepen.
dent, and it also will be remembered
that under the tariff reform days of
eight years ago, every buyer had
half dozen offers to sell and prices
went down. At the same time a half
dozen men we're after the same Job
and wages went down and hundreds of
thousands Of men were idle.
Suppose that congress should in
stantly remove the tariff on all the
trust made goods, and prices would
suddenly go down, who would be the
loser? Every merchant, with stock
vi WOulQ MlllS 10 not llk0
to manufacture on falling markets,
and they would close down till the
level was reached. Workmen would
be idle in those lines, and they would
invade other avenues of employment
and wages would be reduced. Herein
lies the danger of tariff tinkering.
. Under natural conditions, under
competition of Independent mills, I'M
der conditions where supply comes
nearer meeting demands, prices could
be gradually reduced till basis Of
moderate profits would be the rule,
and business would not be impaired,
but forced conditions would be dan
gerous.
The amount of goods made by the
trusts is not enormous. A recent CEN
sus bulletin shows that only fraction
over IL per cent Of the total produc.
ton of American factories come from
the trusts and combinations.
Then over and above all, what as
sura1ce have We that the removal Of
the tariff would kill the trusts or make
additional competition?
The business man, the banksr, the
farmer, the laborer, the newspaper
man. are all doing we'll, and why
create discord by going out and imi.
tating the democrats of 1892?