Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-07-24
DEMOCRATIC ISSUES.
Republicans Will Welcome II Fight
on Tariff and Trust Questions.

on Tarfn and trust aueStions.
The Democratic congressional cam
paign committee has decided to make
the tariff and the trusts the leading is
sues in the campaign this year. That
will be regarded as good news by all
Republicans.
The tariff has always been winning
issue for the Republicans save in the
campaign of 1892, when the voters u.s.
tened to the seductive sophistry of the
free traders and decided at the polls to
destroy prosperity. But they learned a
lesson as the result of that election
which they are not likely to forget.
The dark and gloomy days from 1898
to 1897, while the blight of the Wilson
law was upon the country, business
was paralyzed and labor was without
remunerative employment, demonstrate
ed that protection cannot be aban-
doned in the United States without
bringing distress upon the people. The
instant and tremendous revival of busi-
ness as result of the election of Nc
Kinley and the enactment of the Din
gley law, which restored the protective
policy, supplied ample proof of the val
ue of protection as a stimulus to in
dustry and commerce. The Democrats
cannot this year delude the people into
voting for an abandonment of the pro-
tective policy.
Nor will they be enabled to make an
effective campaign on the trust issue.
The Democratic record will not COM
pare favorably with the Republican
record in respect to trusts. The Sher-
man antitrust law, which appears to be
the only effective weapon that congress
can use against the big combinations of
capital, was framed by a Republican,
passed by Republican congress and
signed by a Republican president In
1890. For four years that law stood In
the statute books while Grover Cleve-
land was president, yet it was not
used once to restrain trust. 1t was
used by Republican attorney gen
eral against the Joint Traffic associa-
ton and the Transmissouri Freight as
sociation, which were formed to con-
troll trade among the states. 1t Is now
being used by another Republican at
torney general against the beef trust,
and it will be used against other COM
binations which are oppressive of the
people.
The Sherman law goes as far as any
statute can under the present limita-
tions of the constitution in the re-
straint of the operations of trusts. 1t
will be necessary to amend the consti-
tuition so as to give congress greater
power if more drastic legislation Is to
be enacted. Yet when a constitutional
amendment was proposed in the last
Republican congress the Democrats op-
posed it solidiy.-Clevelan Leader.
The South and the Tariff.
The south can't afford to pay the
cost of so called tariff reform. Agita-
tion of tariff reduction is going to have
depressing effect upon business. and
the south is the first to suffer and the
last to recover from the effects of bust
ness disaster. We note that quite a
number of southern congressman are
taking no part in disturbing present
conditions, among them Colonel G. w.
Taylor, one Of the strongest and safest
members Of the Alabama delegation.
He works and leaves the talking for
his less Industrious fellow servants
Sheffield (Ala) Reaper.