Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1903-01-08
REFORM IS POSTPONED
Administration Will Leave the
Trusts Undisturbed.
LUKEWARM PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

Document Is n Victory For the Do
NOthinEs-The BarOns Do Not Fear
Trust Controlled [ ugress Tariff
Will Continue to Protect the Trusts
and Rob the People.
The fight in the ranks of the Repub-
lican party on the trust and tariff is
sues has resulted in the triumph of the
Hanna faction. Let well enough
alone" or do as little as possible, is to
be the programme in congress and not
a vigorous reform OF abuses which was
promised before election.
1t had been fondly hoped that Presi-
dent Roosevelt would add the weight
of his great office to the side of the
people and + & reform. But to the
great regret of all who believe in
equal rights to all and special priv
ileges to none" the lukewarm recon-
mendations in the presidents message
are a victory for the do nothings.
Strange to say, there is no specific rec
Ommendation III the whole message for
a law to prevent the eXtOrtions Of the
trusts or the subsidies granted them
by the protective tariff. 1t is not the
production of the strenuous Roosevelt,
but the glittering generalities Of the
anxious politician, intent on pleasing
al. factions and especially the strOn-
gest.
If Mr.. Morgan or Mr.. Rockefeller
had been president and had written the
message OF decided upon its contents,
it could not have been more conserva-
tive and the intention made more evil
dent that no legislation Of consequence
will be attempted by congress. The
financial kings Of Wall street, through
their senatorial and congressional al
lies, appear to have by the force of
numbers deluded the president into the
belief that there is great danger Of dis
turbing the business Of the country if
any reform is even attempted. The
presidential chariot has been hitchcd to
the Juggernaut of Wall street. which
ruthlessly ignores the cries Of distress
Of those under their feet. The presi-
Dental recommendation for a tariff
commission has for weeks been the
demand of the principal Wall street
organ, it being well known that the
procrastinating workings of such Il
body would hinder rather than accel-
crate reform. In fact. President Roose-
welt emphasizes this when he says.
"The unhurried and unbiased report Of
this commission would show what
changes should be made in the various
schedules"
"Unhurry" is just what Wall street
and the trusts desire. Furthermore.
the president has been led to believe
that reforming the tariff by removing
the protection that allows the trusts to
sell their products cheaper to foreign
ers than to our people would be Who'll
ly Ineffective" Thus the beef trust.
the coal trust, the steel trust and the
hundred other trusts, as far as the tar
if is concerned. are to have free rein
to continue their eXactioEs. But Pres
ident Roosevelt recommends that the
duty OH anthracite coal he repealed.
though he acknowledges that such an
amendment would only be of service in
such Il crisis as was produced by th3|
coal strike. He does not recommend
that bituminOus coal should also. be
free, though that would be Of greater
benefit in regulating the price of fuel
at all times. |
Regarding the power of congress to |
regulate the trusts the president is evil
IDENTIFY in an uncertain mind and makes
no specific recommendations or sugges-
tions. He, however, acknowledges that
it may be necessary to amend Tie con
stitutiOn to give more power to con-
gress.
1t is safe to say that the present con
gress will pass no legislation that will
injuriously affects the trusts or relieve
the people from the exorbitantly high
prices of the necessaries of life that the
protective tariff now allows the trusts
to impose. An attempt will be made in
the next congress to amend the anti
trust law, and some change or addition
may be accomplished in view of the ap-
preaching presidential election. but that
any legislation that will regulate the
trusts in the public interest or prevent
them from extorting all the present
laws will allow is hardly possible I'M
less the whole power of the administra-
ton should by some miracle be thrown
OH the side of the people, and this Pres
ident Roosevelt evidently does not in
tend to countenance.
Thus the issues are joined between
the Democrats and the party in power.
and the final battle will be fought in
the national campaign Of 1904. Who
can doubt the result? On the one side
will be the great mass of consumers
who find their incomes ~sQuandered to
fill the pockets of the trust magnates:
on the other side is the Republican ma
chine. with its Wall street allies. The
machine is discredited in some states
by the voters Of the party it repre-
and would be discarded by the
voters everywhere if the contributions
and official patronage were not SO large
" used to maintain il. Yet in spite of
1 lukewarm president and a trust ON
rolled congress reform is certain, and