Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-04-15

circles. They are distinctly anti
tariff revision. They tell us that
nothing can be expected of the
Republican party in the way of
tariff revision legislation in the
next Congress, and it is noticed to
the people of the country that if
they want any such thing or any
relief from the burdens of trust
rapacity, they will havs to elect
Democratic Congress and a Demo
cratic administration. The kind
of talk INDUCED in by the Presi-
dent and his cabinet ministers is a
distinct violation of all the pledges
made to the people by the Repub-
lican party. If that party can
afford to stand pat on its violated
pledges then it is up TO the people.
The President not only tells us that
his party is not going TO do any
thing it promised but one can drive
an OK team through his logic and
his consistency. In his speech on
trusts at Milwaukee, the President
said: Not only is the legislation
recently enacted effective, but i'm
my judgment it was impracticable
to attempt more" How does he
know it is effective until it has been
/ triedl Again, we all remember
that he was demanding much more
on his stumping last Fall. and when
his Attorney General was suggest
ing to Representative LittleEeld
what the President wanted done.
Littlefield prepared the antitrust
bill and got it through the House.
but II was pigeon-holed i'm the Sen
ate 10y order of the trusts and with
the consent of the President. I'm
his Milwaukee speech the President
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 advanced in good faith.
High amoung the latter place the
effort to reach the trust question
by means of the tariff. You can.
of course, put an end TO the pros
perity OF the trusts by putting an
end to the prosperity of the nation:
but the price for such action seems
high. The prosperity of. the
nation has nothing to do with the
prosperity of the trusts. The
trust have emerged from every
panic and business depression abSo-
lutely unscathed and fiourishingas
before, simply because the tariff
was still there and still doing bust
ness at the old stand. The Presi-
dent apparently has changed his
mind about being able to dO the
taxpayers of the country some good
by lowering the tariff since he re-
signed from the Free Trade Club
in New York, shortly after he was
elected to the Assembly there in
1884 on an independent, fusion and
anti-Platt ticket. He was then
speaking Strenuously for free trade
and resigned only because he
thought and said in a letter to Poult-
ney Bigelow, that he thought his
membership would stand in the
way of political promotion. In
other words, principles count for
nothing when the Office is in sightr
Again the President said in his
Milwaukee speech: I'VE should be
false to historic principles of our
government if we Disseminated,
either by legislation or administers
ton, either for or against man
because of either his wealth or his
poverty" Now. that sounds good.
and it would be all right if it were
backed by deeds;" for, as he told
us last summer, words are only
good when backed up by deeds.
But the President belongs to IA
party that has enacted tariff legis-
lation which does discriminate in
favor of a few and against the
many, and which protects monop-
olies and trusts while they prey
upon the people, and which permits
them to sell goods to foreigners at
30 to 100 per cent less than is
charged here. What, then becomes
of the Presidents fine phrases!
What do these same trusts care for
his publicity" so long as he does
not touch the tariff, which protects
them in their game of robbery
: What do they care for his toy