Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-01-22

tAo oouOuuoemeut Cuat CQ0A E8n0m8
republic was born, and they either
will have the facts or the Panama
treaty will not be ratified, all the talk
of the republican leaders to the con-
trary notwithstanding. The demo-
Gratis want a canal but they want it
| with honor. ~ -.
The democrats In the House of Rep
resenta1ives tried mighty hard this
week to get the republicans to agree
to investigation Of the postofice
scandals, but they failed. The repub-
licans refuse to be investigated. They
killed resolution for the purpose Of q
calling an Investigation of the Bris-
tow charges by referring to q commit
tee by slim vote Of 107 to III. After
1t is referred TO committee it will con-
tinue to sleep in the pigeon hole of
the desk of the chairman of the COM
/ mitCee. -
Some Of the re publican leaders on
tho floor of the house are repeatedly
saying on their feet that there never
was more prosperous times in this
country than at present, and that the
working man gets all the work he
wants at remunerative wages. This
is not true. The workingman not
only is getting his wages cut by all the
big trusts and corporations in the
country, but the government itself is
cutting wages. The Boston Trans
cript, a good republican paper, of
December 81 last, has an item to the
effect that the men employed in the
Charlestown Navy Yard will have
their wages cut from $s.0 per day to
1884 per day, and that there was
sore distress over the matter and much
indignation. The beginning of hard
times is not only visible among the
laboring men of the country, but
among the better paid class of people.
That is evidenced by the falling off in
the attendance at the the theaters sll
over the country. and by the. number
Of actors who are stranded and
hunting for work. there being fully
two hundred companies disbanded In
the last thirty days. and over 2, 600
actors put out Of employment. If that
is republican prosperity than the
sooner the people get rid of it the
better for them.
Republican newspapers are not
boastihg about the fact that bitumin-
GUS coal will go back to the dutiable
list on 'Janury Is. They don't want
the tariff question agitated. Neither
do the trusts. For ten months ending
last October, during the whole of
which period the suspension of the
duty was operative, the exports of
coal from the United States were
1884, 94s tons, compared with 4. 626. :
967 for the same portion of 1902 and
with 4. 6s4. S24 tons in 1901 That is.
the export increased over $50, 600 tons
in 1908, when the duty was suspended
The importsiof cool into the United
States in the first ten months Of 1908
were 2, 1897, 631 tons,~, compared with
l, 1859, 8O1 ip the first ten months of
1902 and 1, 81, 848 tons in the CORE
spending period of 1901. All parts of
the country have received benefit of
the free coal, but the Pacific coast
has probably been most benefited.
The opportunities to bring inward
cargoes Of coal instead of sailing in
ballast has, made it possible for the
merchant vessels docking at Pacific
ports to cut grain freight rates eight
and ten cents per nushel, as compared
! with. the rates for 1909. In that way
the coming of ships which free coal
has invited has, it is calculated,
added..$s. 600, 600 to the farmers of the
Pacific Northwest, and probably as
much to the profits of the lumber
men. The welfare Of the greatest
number requires that coal remain on
the free list; the welfare of the
coal trust requires that the duty Of
81 cents per ton be replaced. ! This
is q trust Congress- and the duty goes
back on. = 81
Speaking of the coal .rnst reminds
me of the fact that on January 4, the
United States Supreme Court advanced
the case Of the Interstate Commerce
Commission va. David g. Baird, and
get the hearing for March !. This
case was>instituted at the instance Of
W. r. Hearst, and involves the right
Of the commission to compel The an
thracite coal carrying roads g reduce
contracts with . the coal oompanies..
and to enforce replies TO questtons +
is not the fault Of MI: Hearst that this
obnoxious TRUST was not broken last
4 ~ a. 80