Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-04

thing. At the end of the platform,
was short paragraph which said that
the party was in favor of no more rev.
enue than was necessary for the pur-
pose of the government properly adj
ministered. l always thought that my
democratic friends, after building their
1896 platform. put in that last plank
in the hope that they might arouse
some of the latent love that might still
exist for the old party.
But that was the most expensive
thing that they ever, did 1t lost for
them the best men in the organization.
No party was ever REINFORCED by such
good men as was the republican party
by the war democrats in the sixties
and the gold democrats in 1896 We
couldn't have saved the country with
out either of these either time. Both
came for good reasons, and both have
stayed with the republican party. They
stay of their own accord.
Trusts.
Il notice that ex-President Cleve-
land has taken the stump again for
the opposition. He is undoubtedly
the strongest as we'll as the most sin.
cere man of his party. l am not sur
prised that he has declared himself in
favor of making the tariff issue the
paramount issue in future as well as
in the present campaign. Whatever
may be said of Grover Cleveland'e
craftsmanship, or his intellectually,
this can be said of his temperament:
He never changes his mind! He
1,N |
had not long since learned to admire
his staying qualities and his integrity,
| should be disposed to question his
present sincerity. Think of the eX-
President urging reliance upon the
democratic party for affirmative leg
islation of any character, and espe-
cially against industrial combinations,
which he is pleased to denominate
trusts. 1t was during Mr.. Cleveland,s
first administration that democratic
committee was appointed by demo
cratic congress to investigate and
report on trusts and recommend RENE
dial legislation therefor. This COM
mittee deliberated all summer. 1t de-
| liberated all fall. Did it make report
when congress convened, so that the
President could emphasize its recon-
mendations in his message? NO, IL
| did not. 1t reported two days before
| the final adjournment of congress
and the Inauguration of President
Harrison. The report reveals a condl-
ton quite as bad as anything now ex-
listing 1t contains this language:
"sYour committee respectfully re-
ports that the number of combinations
and trusts formed and forming in
this country is very great and affects
large portion of the industrial and
manufacturing interests of the coun-
try
| But did the committee report rem
edy? Nay, verify. This is it's language
with respect to the remedy: Your
committee s. limit this report to sub
hitting to the consideration of the
subsequent congresses the facts shown
by the testimony taken before your
committee.
did Mr.. Cleveland ever recommend
remedial legislation for trusts other
than tariff revision? If he did, it has
been forgotten.
when the. Sherman antitrust bill
was pending, Hon. William l.. Wilson
of West Virginia, member of this
very committee, declared that congress
could not deal with trusts, but that the
country must depend on state 1egis-
| lation He declared that the Sherman
act was revolutionary, and that it
would be ineffective, and then rec
commended a resort to the democratic
panacea for all ills, tariff revision. Less
than four years thereafter Mr.. Wilson
himself as chairman of the committee
on ways and means, prepared tariff
law which bears his name. His party
was then in control of the presidency
and both houses of congress. But in
stead of depending upon tariff revision
| as a remedy for trusts, he begins his
| tariff law by re-enacting the Sherman
bill, almost word for word, and with
no additional Affirmative provisions.
He does make the act apply specifi-
cally to importers, but the Sherman
act by it's general terms, includes i'm
porters, and SO, in fact. the bill con-
tains no new remedy. He declared the
Sherman act revolutionary and ineffec-
| tive when pending as republican
measure, but at the first opportunity
he Incorporates it into the most memor-
able bill which his party has passed
| in half century. When the Sherman
act is pending, he predicts that it will
/ be ineffective, but at the first opportun-
ity re-enacts it. In 1890 he declares
tariff revision to be the only effective
remedy for trusts, but in 1894, when
he writes tariff law,he seems to have
discovered his previous error and re-
enacts the Sherman law.
did President Cleveland during
either of his terms of office propose
any affirmative remedy for trusts
Nothing except revision of the tariff,
and those who studied the strong
points of his character recognize that
he never will recommend anything
else.
j During Nj. Cleveland's second adj.
ministration Nh. Breckenridge of Ken.
lucky introduced bill specifically
providing the tariff remedy for trusts
He proposed that the secretary of the
treasury should be clothed with au,
thority to place upon the free list such
goods as might pass under the control
of trusts, combinations and monopo-
lies, but Mr.. Wilson opposed this
measure as too drastic and his coun.
sells were followed and the hill was