The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-09-25
The President, the Trusts and the
4, .,- -. -l-4 Tariff.

New York Times
Mr.. Roosevelt has at last spoken on
the tariff in connection with the trusts.
He has spoken very cautiously and with
no great earnestness, as II he were tread.
ing on dangerous ground and were not
at all sure of his footing. lnoeed, with
treads as IL In path selected for him
by others, not chosen by himself. ana
pursued only because the situation
seemed to require 1t. One can almost
hear in his utterances the echo OF the
Senatorial conference, the soft voice Of
Senator Aldrich. for instance, murmur-
ing: at Is a big scrape you have got
yourself ana US in. Mr. President. with
your new policy as to the trusts. The
tariff reformers have jumped on US. You
really ought to see If you could not turn
them away little. Suppose you should
show that the reduction of the tariff
Would help the foreign trusts and hurt
only the Independent competitors with
the trusts in our country. That Is not
very strong argument but 1t would dis
tract some of the attention you have SO
unfortunately drawn to the trusts and
the Republican Party" At any rate,
this is the rather absurd line that the
President takes
He begins by a clumsy inisstatement,
"A remedy much advocated at the mo-
ment is to take OF the tariff from all
articles which are made by the trusts
We know of no serious proposition OF
such vague and sweeping measure.
Even the Presidents ardent friend, Con-
gresham Babcock. in the fervor OF his
first excitement, before he had been
called down by the politicians, did not go
so far as that. The President proceeds:
Some of those corporations do well
and others do i'll. If in any case the tar
IN is found to foster a monopoly which
does Ill, why, of course, no protectionist
would object to a modification OF the
tariff sufficient to remedy the evil. But
in very few cases does the so-called
trust really monopolize the market. Take
trolls say. something over half the pro-
ducts of a given industry. Surely in re-
arranging the schedules affecting such
a big corporation it would be necessary
to consider the interests of its smaller
competitors which control the remaining
part and which being weaker would suf-
fer most from any tariff designed 10 pun
ish all the producers. for, of course, the
tariff must be made light or heavy for
big and little producers alike.
Moreover, such corporation neces-
sarly employs very many thousands of
workmen. and the minute we proceeded
from denuncation to action it would be
necessary to consider the interests or
these workmen."
Now, what the President is fighting. II
he Is fighting anything, is the trusts that
have substantially a monopoly II
trust has that, the reduction of the tariff
would not in any way injure its Compel
itors at home. who are already at its
mercy. 1t would tend to open up foreign
competition with the offensive trust, ana
to curb it's exactions from American COZ
sumers. Its power to crush home com
petition would not be affected, and that
is what the President desires to restrain.
But its powers to bleed home consumers
would be very directly affected. The lat
ter class get small attention from the
peddlers of Republican nostrums against
the oppression of the trusts, yet they are
a pretty numerous class and deserve con-
trust. 1t has run up the prices of hides
in this country to a very high level, so
that that stanch Republican, ex-Mayor
Schieren, has just been abroad to seek
supplies for his own trade If the duty
on skins and hides were removed, does
Mr.. Roosevelt think that the competi-
tors with the beef trust would suner, or
the American industry would be ham
pered? The contrary would be the
case.
We do not like to think that the hero
OF many a hard fought political San
Juan, such as Mr.. Roosevelt is, Is con-
sciously combating man OF straw But
as a matter of cold fact, there is no such
policy before the American public as the
one against which he argues There Is a
well defined demand for the removal Of
such tariff duties as have bolstered eff
forts at monopoly and extortion. IT
would be met by putting on the free list
articles that are made at less cost In this
country than abroad. 1t would partly
be met by the removal OF the tariff on
articles that are nov exported by Amer
lean manufacturers and sold lower than
at home II the President will address
himself to propositions of this practical
sort he might not make any better cas-
than he can make now for the policy Of
his party-ha would probably make d
much worSa ope--4Dut he would present a
much mere dignilied and admirable aa-
hearance 10 his coantryuen. : .s'e !