The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-03-14
UCTIoN NO REMEDY.
a.opNla 90 the Tari9 CertaIn
en9 pf Relief from Trust
Oppression


I'm Pf ent Roosevelt's message
there wei mark to the effect that
the taiH no femed onpress
sion 81 iii trusts Ans en
lie prote gains 81
coal tI becomes too forcibie to be
ignored longer, What IS the FIRST thing
congress does? Suspends both the an-
thracite nd soft coal duties for one
year--tH is the effect of the rebate
plan.
Whens n the early part of last SUM
mer, the b trust began forcing its
prices pEard, placing a fictitious
value on. its product and robbing con-
sumers right ana left for the benefit of
the few, what was the first remedy
suggested? The removal of the tariff
on meat And the threat of such ac-
ton being forced by popular protest
did more than anything else to bring
the packers to their senses says the
Utica Observer.
If tariff reduction is not a. remedy
at least in part-for trust oppression,
tariff reduction would not be the
means Of curbing the extortions now
practiced By SO many of these big
combinations, why is it that every sug-
gestion Of reduction raises a howl
of protest from the protected indus
tries and sends their Representatives in.
congress into a panic of fear? Regula-
tion, restriction, curb on high-handed
eXtortion are what the trusts partic-
ularly dread. IL removal or reddction
of the tariff on trust produced articles
does not have this effect, why are the
trusts SO agitated every time such a
proceedi1 is suggested2
Congress started in on the present
session th the intention of
following Senator Hannas suggestion
to "staHl pat" on tile tariff question
The declaration that tai II reduction
would bring no relief from. oppression.
was bluff" which the suffering Of
the people in the coal famine has
called z The holIowness. of the whole
attitude of congress has been exposed.
The permanent character Of the bar
gain between the protectionists in
congre. and the capitalists who have
SO effectively organized for the res
tentiQn 0t aResent scale of tariffs
could 2tot gave been more perfeCtl5
revealed than it has been IN theiis
cussion of the coal situation Through
out the whole controversy there has
not. been heard from the protectionist
side of the house a single expression of
genuine sympathy with the victims of
tariff oppression or of honest intention
to reconstruct the tariff on a more
equitable basis. The only purpose dis
coverable in the reluctant consent of
the majority to make this slight con
cession to the millions Of American
consumers was to give them something
to keep them quiet for the time, and
to make that something as little as
possible. All of the protectionist talk
in open session, in committee and in
the lobby was to the effect that these
trifing remissions of duties would, for
the present, relieve the tariff system
from attack, and would permit the
other outrages of the system to remain
without modification. In fact this
anxiety to protect the rest of the sys-
TEN against successful assault appears
to have been more potent in fastening
action upon the coal tariff than desire
to do justice to the sufferers from the
famine of fuel.
It was a case of losing a little to
save much. But it was enough todem-
onstrate the principle that tariff reduc-
ion is means of relief from trust OPP
preston.