The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-04-25

HNNA |a"HHN .IIHH HNN. M.aaNHH
purpose 10 long Rs they REPRESENT creation
At AeHtsH or saving ana hot
sAto4sA Nn1aH PRIVILEGE established BY Law
ana Sc long az they do not aaioy Immunity
FROM q Just share oG public burdens The
4eLneetal5e party has never made, ana
49m 81 those who have lawfully made for
times go make them larger. and very Gera
selnly the democratic party made up in 50
lalee part Of wage earners, can never be
Qthe wise tnam loyal to- labor organization
or stand otherwise RAN for Its usefulness,
IS mesal z economic necessity, It's rights,
tta general henedceuce
MHEl& @ueHtiom Discumaed.
go the one obvious e1ective step against
m~Qnopoiist tendencies-that Is TO say, the
repeal n theiE tarin pF~fRilegee-the prese
Al5 else that he has done on viii DO IS but
enitQas play compared with this. ! shall
not dispute ais sincerity but until he at
tempts This his sincerity IS not Of genuine
service. Here is the one remedy imme~
ulatety available and practical even III not
complete, for the evils of Industrial m0nop-
lslasl0n, the wisdom OF which may be
Moubtfui, the practical nemciency Of which
IS harQly d~eubtful-and before we take ~,
as I'M time the American people viii ave
70 take up, the question of taxation that
Hch and poor may alike bear their full
share pf public burden. we car at least res
peal the most odious and bur6ensome Of the
high. protective duties, the maintenance
I OF which intact IS the fundamental purpose
OF republican politics.
Body Of TRUST Problem.
"tf may borrow words Of a philosopher,
the trust problem IS to-day the tarim
problem touched with popular emotion.
Indeed, sound politics Is generally political
OF social economy touched with emotion.
On the economical sid the defenselesa
character OF the high protective system has
been demonstrated again ms agafn-ita
sruncia4 Wastefulness. But Americans to-
cay are not 50 much concerned with that
SIDE Of the problem. ii SIS rather the
problem fused In their profound and lust
emotion uVer the unfairness and social
Danger OF the system Of concentrated in
d%ustrial power and Wealth-produeing priv
iieEe
near the democratic party propose not a
general revision of the tarin with all OF its
ANTIQUITIES n complications and with all
Of the widespread popular belief, faulty as
/ believe it to be, of great masses Of Ameri-
can business and laboring men in the pro-
tectiye tariff, but In the first instance q re-
moyal or reduction to a revenue basis of the
duties on goods the production of which Is
to-day practically monopoiized. Instead OF
healing with the whole problem Of free
trade and protection, instead Of introduce
ing doubt into almost every business,
democratic party may well deal with the
few schedules In which through such prac-
ttcai monopoly vast fortunes have been
made by taxation upon the masses Of peO-
For that campaign public sentiment Is
ready. In that campaign every argument
in favor Of economic freedom can be read
lily made clear to the American people,. It's
essential conservatism Will readily appeal
20 the average American citizen whatever
he may scientifically think OF free trade
Such q particular assault upon the fortress
Of monopoly would succeed and promptly.
And IN its benehcent result the American
people would find, as the English people
found IN the days Of Sir Robert Peel. an
a~ll-sufacient reason later to support a cam
patgn for demolition Of the entire fortress.
Nor is this the whole Of democratic duty
ana opportunity at present. No wise man
can fail to see that the republican estab-
nshment OF q new system of colonies held
for the American republic by force Of arms
n at enormous cost Is but another phase
OF the Capitalization OF power and dis
paragement Of equal rights.
1.-THE democratic minority OF the senate
committee, on the Philippines did theme
selves and their party honor BY the bill they
proposed for free trade between the Philips
pines and the United States during our
temporary occupancy Of the ISLANDS and
declaring 1t to be our policy to occupy and
govern them only until their people should
have established a stable government, have
sut1ctently guaranteed the performance to
spain Of our treaty obligations related to
the inhabitants OF the islands, and have
assigned to the United States suitable MILF
taryt naval COaltng stations.
"Ihe American people are likely indeed
to pc to the significance OF the
problem upon a side which Is not sentiment
tai. the enormous increase in cost OF pub
lio administration since President Cleve-
lands second term Is alarming to the last
degree. And when the time comes, as come
1t by and by must. when we Americana
} be constrained to the harsh economies
OF industrial depression. al annuaI ex-
penditure Of S50,000,OOO mot counting the
cost OF the Panama canaD, as against $780,
09.SO0 but eight years ago, will not be
Army ana Navy Expenses
IAN army largely and permanently In
creased, a nav very greatly increased, a
programme OF naYa expenditures In the
future far beyond the limits yet reached, a
disparagement OF the moral glory and
material prestige OF our past, a Continuous
and strenuous preaching OF the strong
man armed as the supreme function OF
this industrial n democratic republic,
our demOralizing competition with Euro-
pean powers to make our Wasteful and un-
productive expense as great as theirs and
without their justification OF nearby and
dangerous rtvals-alI these are among the
results of our new imperial policy.
"The republican party has OF late years
amected to be the guardian Of sound hnan-
cial policy. Whether the party which made
g~reenbacks q legal tender and passed the
sherman silver law deserves that praise
even from gold republicans or gold demos
Gratis is well open to question. But IL Is
beyond question that the republican party
leaders have deliberately, II not cunningly,
refused to give the national bank-note cur
rency the sound and normal elasticity the
business OF the country requires.
"n we are to have a national bank sYs-
tenn IT should be permitted. or. perhaps,
compelled to perform its duty in the
provision OF a currency made ADEQUATE and
saved from redundancy by normal and
automatic adjustment to the natural and
sufficient demands Of business.
Look to Banks for Currency.
"Sinee the volume Of the greenbaeks "a
fixed and their issue Of necessity arbitrary
n not normal we have cone to look to
banks, national n state, for paper cur
rency. Not only should the currency have
the qualities Of absolute security and IN.
slant re~deemability into gold as the ma.
tionat standard of value, but Il should be
Issued by in every city and every
toWn Of the n For many purposes small
country banks are, In this respect, Of more
consequence than the great national banks
/ OF Chicago and New York. II the amount
Of the national bank currency do not IN.
crease as 1t Is legitInately needed and de.
crease when IL is not thus needed the very
existence OF that currency may be a traT
for business.
Under Influences now dominant In II The
republican party refused. after the discus.
sion over silver coinage was ended, to ac.
cord snch normal elasticity to bank curren.
ey. Again and again the business and In
dustry Of the country have been put into
critical danger by the rigiGity Of the cur.
rency. Again and again the secretary Of
the treasury has exercised pQWer Of bring.
ing OF refusing relief unfit to be exercised
by any one man.
Outlines Next Campaign.
"That body Of citizens has struggled
again and again with congress for such an
asset currency. and with the approval ol
the republican secretary Of the treasury,