Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-04-21

nave come 10 country OF hlSn prOleC-
ton, as high as is that of any other
country in the world; but because of the
great extent of this country and the
fact that there is absolute freedom of
trade between its States (many Of
which are as large as most of the Euro
pean ceuntriesl and because Of a sue
cessioA of good crops, times here are
fa.ay good. In fact they are eonsid-
cred very prosperous by the trusts.
These immigrants have arrived here too
ate TO participate in our prosperity.
They may, however be useful to the
trusts. as stike-breakers, for there are,
just now, hundreds of thousands of
men out on strike for higher wages.
The President on Trusts.
In his speech on trusts at Milwaukee
President Roosevelt said:
Not only is the legislation recently
enacted effective. but in my Judgment
it was impracticable TO attempt more"
He was demanding much more when
on his stumping tour last fall, and
when his Attorney General was sug
costing to Congressman Littlefeld
what the President wanted done. Lit
tlefield prepared the antitrust bill and
got it through the House. 1t was
pigeonholed in the Senate by order of
the trusts and with the expressed con-
sent of the President.
In his Milwaukee speech the Presl-
dent spoke sarcastically of alleged
remedies" that seek to destroy the
disease by killing the patient" He
then added: "Others are so obviously
futile that it is somewhat difficult TO
treat them seriously or as being adj
vanced in good faith High among the
latter l place the effort to reach the
trust question by means of the tariff.
You can, of course. put an end to the
prosperity of the trusts by putting an
end to the prosperity of the Ration;
but the price for such action seems
high"
Apparently President Roosevelt has
changed his mind since he resigned
from the Free Trade Club in New
York, shortly after he was elected to
the Assembly there in 1884 on an in
dependent, fusion and anti-Platt tick
ct He was then speaking strenuously
for free trade, and resigned only be-
cause he thought and said in a letter
to Poultney Bigelow that he thought
that his membership would stand in
the way of political promotion. He
said: Il am Republican first; free
trader afterwards" Now he appears
to be a Republican first, last and al
ways, and has forgotten that he ever
was free trader. Politics certainly
produces some strange results on eco
nomic ideas.
Again the President said in his Mil
waukee speech:
eve should be false to the historic
principles of our government if we
Disseminated. either by legislation or
administration, either for or against a
man because of either his wealth or
his property"
This sounds all right and would be
all right If it were backed up by
deeds;' for, as he told us last summer,
words are good only when backed
up by deeds." But as the President
belongs to party that has enacted
tariff legislation which does discrimin-
ate in favor of few and against the
many and which protects mOnopolies
and trusts while they prey upon the
people, and which permits them to sell
coods to foreigners at 80 to 100 per
cent less than is charged here, what
becomes OF the Presidents Gle
sounding phrases What do these
same trusts care for his publicity as
long as be does not touch the tariff
which protects them in their plumber
ing business? What do they care for
his 10Y bureau and its sham re-
straints. if they can keep their tariff
privileges ?-B. w. II.