The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1903-08-06
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
m POLITICS 81 Il aa !
~ == THE DAY y
c.opI, p.,t R.format,o,.

| serve the corporations anu mOnOpOliSe
there is no place for man who de-
sires to serve the people. In its early
history the Republican was reform
party and contained many excellent
men. Unfortunately for the country
and for itself, it levied high tariff
duties on imported goods. as war
| measure to raise revenue. Without
intending it-for the country was then
prosperous, under low duties. as never
before or since. and was as strongly in
favor of free trade as was England
many manufacturing Industries were
protected and enabled to obtain high,
very high, prices for their products.
Manufacturers made exorbitant prof
its. They said 1t would be harsh and
cruel to take off these protective
duties, all at once, after the war.
They claimed that 1t would ruin their
Industries IL they were suddenly left
without government aid. They were
unable, they said, to ''stand on their
own bottoms" again, as they had done
before the war and as farming had
always done.
The upshot of the matter was that,
after a struggle in which the Repub-
lican party attempted to greatly re
duce the tariff and the manufacturers
profits, the manufacturers won out,
and from that day to this they have
had control of the Republican party.
and have. by virtue Of their contribu-
tions to its campaign funds, dictated
its legislative measures. President
Lincoln saw the attempt of the manu-
facturers, who had grown wealthy
from war tariff profits, to gain control
Of the party and to perpetuate their
protection and profits, and he did his
best to save his party and his coun-
try from such an unholy alliance with
greedy corporations. 1t was then that
he said:
Yes. we may all congratulate our
selves that this cruel war is nearing
Its close. It has cost a vast amount
Of treasure and blood. 1t has indeed
been q trying hour for the republic
But 1 see a crisis approaching which
unnerves me and causes me to trem-
ble for the safety of my country. As
a result Of the war, corporations have
been enthroned, m era Of corruption
will follow in high places. and the
money power will seek to prolong its
reign by working on the prejudices OF
the people until all wealth is aggre-
gated in the hands Of few and the
republic is destroyed. l feel at this
moment more anxiety for the safety
of my country than ever before, even
in the midst Of war"
All that Lincoln foresaw, and more
too. is now a reality. Numerous Re
publicans, after Lincoln's> death, at
tempted to reduce tariff duties and to
break the close connection between
the government and corporations. with
the Republican part? as the connect
ing link. Grant. GARFIELD Lodge. Sher-
man, Allison. Arthur and other lead
ing Republicans advocated lower
duties. but could not stem the tide of
corporation greed. At last they gave
up hope, forgot their free trade ideas,
and bowed to the protected corpora
ton powers that be. All are now
'stand patters," even to our President,
who began his political life as free
trader.
So completely is the Republican par
ty now dominated by The protected
corporations that. during the last ten
years, no leading Republican has
dared to challenge their power, though
numerous outbreaks have occurred on
the part of minor or irresponsible Re-
publicans. 1t is rank heresy for any
Republican to entertain any old-fash-
ioned ideas about the rights of the
common people, II such rights conflict
in any way with the welfare of cor
porations. To-day any Republican,
like Governor Cummins, who ex-
presses opinions that the tariff system
IL not just right. is either read out of
the party or suppressed. The common
people have no place or standing in
the Republican party between election
days. Any Republican who rises to
champion their interests Is Immediate
ly set upon by leading Republicans
and denounced as a Democrat, So
cialist and an anarchist.
Just now the Governor Of Wiscon-
sin, Robert NJ. LaFollette, is making
trouble for himself and for his party
by doing some plain speaking about
the rule Of trusts and railroads. In
his speech at Chautauqua, on July 1S,
he said:
To-day great aggregations of cor
porate wealth buy immunity from
taxation in our legislatures and throw
the burden which they should bear
upon the individual taxpayer Of every
and State. Betrayed by
his representative. the individual tax
payer is overtaxed for the benefit of
the corporation.
Taxation without representation is
as much crime against just and
equal government In 1893 as 1t was in
1776 Government by corporation is
as destructive of the liberties of the
people of this country as the exercise
Of the same power by foreign mon
arch.
Let us see If the time be not ripe
for a new declaration Of American in
dependence. We are building up colos- |
sal fortunes. granting unlimited power
to corporate organizations, and con-
and massing together bust !
ness interests as never before in
history of the world, J.
the people are losing control Of their
own government. Its foundations are |
being sapped and its integrity destroy
ed. The gravest danger menacing re-
publican institutions to-day is the over
balancing control of city, State and |
legislatures by the wealth |
and power of public service corpora
Il would not be misunderstood as
charging general individual corrup-
Hon. There are thousands of honest.
fearless men in public life throughout !
this country. Every executive want !,