Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-09-04
GOV. CUMMINS, OF IOWA, RE.
PLIES TO SECRETARY SHAW.
"Those Who are Enjoying MonopoIies
are Every Day Laughing at the
Inertness of the People and Won
dering How Long the Reign Of
Inactivity Will Continue.

tors and representatives in congress from
that state.
On August 10, Governor Cummins
gave an interview to the Minneapolis
Journal in reply to the statements
credited by Walter We Imam of the
Chicago Recor( .4erald:to member OF
Mr.. Roosevelt's cabinet. 1t will be re-
membered that subsequently Mr.. Well.
man revealed that his cabinet officer was
none other than Secretary Of the Treas.
ury Shaw.
Replying to Secretary Shaw's intima-
ton that tariff revision would be impos-
sible because of the presence in the sem
ate Of the Aldrich element, Governor
Cummins said:
Recurring to the remarkable predic-
ton of the cabinet officer as to the i'm.
pc, sibility of inducing congress to make
any changes whatsoever in the tariff
schedules, am constrained to believe
that he has mistaken his viewpoint. He
seems to look upon congress as the
master OF the American people, whereas,
have been accustomed to consider con.
gress as the representative or servant of
the American people.
"The voters of the United States advise
themselves and draw their own conclu.
sions, and my observation is that, when
| they make known their wishes to those
whom they have selected to represent
them in congress, difficulties disappear
and action begins.
! "What have said of members OF con-
gress is just as true and pertinent of
every department of the government,
and you can depend on it, if the people
want duty taken off, and say so, it
will be taken off,
While insisting that the Iowa repub-
licans have not abandoned the principle
OF protection, Governor Cummins de-
clares:
''1f we find monopoly esta blished by a
ombination of manufacturers or pro-
ducers in any commodity, so that every
man who buys that article must buy
OF a single company and pay the
price that the ayarice and seltishness OF
the trust or combination may fix, then
the tariff shall not be permitted to aid
the trust or combination in maintaining
the monopoly.
ITO put it differently, we are willing
to pay for whatever we buy the Ameri-
can standard of prices, but they must
be prices fixed bv American competition
and not American prices fixed solely by
the greed OF single manufacturer and
If the capacity OF the captains OF indus.
try to organize is sufficient to stite
American competition, then we will at
least take the chance OF finding it else.
where.
"rhese declarations seem to me to be
fundamental"
Referring to Secretary Shaw's obiec-
ton to any agta ion of this question,
Governor ummins intimates that the
way to avoid agitation is for the admin
| stration to adopt the Iowa plan OF pre-.
venting the tariff from becoming a
shelter for monopolies Concerning the
panic bugaboo that Secretary Shaw holds
up to public gaze, Governor Cummins
says:
1T is the extreme OF folly to assert
that this will seriously disturb the in.
dustrial fabric or brighten the producers
OF the country. The truth is that those
who are enjoying monopolies are every
day laughing at the inertness OF the PEG.
pie and wondering how long the reign of
inactivity will continue.
IL am not unmindful of the obvious
danger OF financial shock, but the
menace is overcapitalization and not
tariff changes. We cannot always main
tain the vast volume of worthless bonds
and stocks which seem to have no limit
save the capacity OF the printing press;
but the remedy is to prohibit the issue
of the stocks and bonds. w cannot
avert this disaster by falling on our
knees and worshipping tariff schedule"
1t will be remembered that even Sec.
rotary Shaw admitted that the people
were confronted with overca equalization
to an alarming extent. He admitted that
these concerns were established partly
on wind and partly on the peoples
money. He admitted that they we're
largely water-cured, but he differed from
Governor Cummins. Secretary Shaw
intimated that it is the people's duty to
maintain the vast volume of worthless
bonds and stocks which seem to have no
limit save the capacity of the printing
press" Differing from Governor Cum
Minis, Secretary Shaw believes that we
can avert disaster by falling on our knees
and worshipping the tariff schedule. or,
in other words, by permitting in addition
to the already large number Of water
cured concerns the creation OF probably
an equally large number Of overcapita'.
lied institutions.
One statement made by Governor
Cummins deserves to be impressed upon