The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-04
CONNECTICUT CHEERS
 FOR JUDGE PARKER

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 "fn order to secure the best and most | suspicious results, the permanent con- | ference proposed to be Kept open at
 The Hague deserves unqualified ap- ready for prompt action and decisions. | should command the confidence and CO., | operation Of all countries.
 So far. however as the United | question to be asked Is whether or not | the best assurance for peace does not lie in carrying out the traditional poll | icy under which 1t Is only to maintain
 an army for use and not for unneces-
 sarv display or possible aggression. | Prepare for Peace
 We hear much from time to time | and from different quarters about the
 necessity of being prepared for war. | This demand is so insistent that the | citizen Is sometimes tempted to ask
 more timely and more helpful to hu- | manity if we should consider the other | question of being prepared for peace. During the one hundred and twen- independence was achieved, we have been engaged in foreign wars during ony four of them-the remaining one
 hundred and seventeen having been found at peace with our neighbors. If arbitration had then been recognized as a policy we have eliminated those four and the disparity between the peaCGs certainly admonishes us where our in terest lies.
 have come at last started in Hamilton's son given by Hamilton for the impo- sition of this duty was: It VIII tend to render the United States independ- ent of foreign nations Tor mi1,tafy ana ana the entering wedge. Now the average rate is 53 per cent.
 s'Various arguments have been used to persuade congress to increase the
 wish to compel our people to pay more
 than the market prices of the world.
 Arguments for Protection.
 'The earliest argument was that the
 people should be willing to contribute
 toward the building up of our infant industries. As many of these indus
 tries are now old enough and large
 enough to be weaned. that argument is Later it was contended that high tariff rates should be continued or in- creased for the benefit of the working man. Was the working man invited to contribute to expense of securing our protecting tariff legislation? We cannot recall that he was All the
 money contributed for that purpose leges. And they contributed at elec- tions vast sums to control the electo- rate. They contributed with the un- be cared for by the party which re-
 They obtained the needed legisla- tion. But did they divide the profits ingman who helped to produce them3 They paid as rule no more wages
 than they were obliged to. That fact itself shows that the argument was
 help the working man. It was to se- cure this high tariff duty for their own benefit.
 Tt is true wages have been advanc- ed from time to time But the advance has not been due to desire to divide profits with the employees It has peen
 due. in my judgment, in very large
 cations. The increase of wages In protected industries has not been pro- portionally greater than those in em- ployments not affected by tariff duties. The effect of a high tariff duty has been to compel us to pay more for the things we buy than we otherwise
 would. If you vote the Republican ticket you vote to continue leglsla- tion that makes 1t more expense to live.
 If a collector from the steel trust should ask you to contribute a dollar
 a year for each member of your family would you do 1t? Yet the celebrated
 statistician, MT Edward Atkinson, as- serts that the steel interests collect an u person with the aid of the tariff statute.
 Sewing machines. moving machines, farm implements of variuos kinds. as we'll as great number ot articles every day purchased are made in this
 country and sold abroad cheaper than
 they are sold here. Some are sold
 one fifth cheaper, others one-quarter and still others one-third. after paying
 the expense of transportation across Aa hot nF nF
 third represents the amount the pur-
 chaser Is obliged to place in the manu- lecturers box over and above the fair value of the thing purchased as evi-
 denced by the price at which 1t sells
 abroad.
 Competition Cut on. He compels you to pay this amount by means of a statute which places the
 duty so high that foreign competition Is cut off.
 Tt was thought In the early history ! of the country that our people would not be subjected to great hardships by even excessive tarin duties because high prices would stimulate local com petition. It did work that way for a
 time. Indeed. the local trade was so profitable in many of our manufactures
 1t overstimulated production. That re- suited in real competition and lowered prices in those branches of industry
 although our capacity of production
 was greater than our needs. It work
 ed very well for the people, but it was not satisfactory to the manufacturers Hence. combinations were entered into in many instances, as to industries by which practically all the mills produc- ing a given article. wherever situated throughout the country, were brought
 under one control. This combination
 or trust as 1t is popularly called at once
 put up the prices for which goods | should be sold in this country as a high
 a point as could be reached without [ letting in foreign goods.
 While this is intolerable as a matter 1 of principle, the hardship would not be so great if there were only one or two
 or three instances of 1t. But as soon
 as it was found that such a combina-
 tion worked effectively those engaged
 in other industries took 1t up, turning ! in their plants for cash, bonds or stock
 far in excess of their actual vale. People Bear the Burden. 1 Upon these enormous capitallzations | the people, without knowing 1t are con- ! tributing the money to pay interest and
 dividends when they purchase the nec- l essaries of every day use. The num-
 Der of these combinations has increased to be several hundred of them. The | effect has been to increase the cost of 1 living more than one-sixth during the i last four years.
 The Republican leaders say: What of it? Has not your income in- i creased more than one-sixth during the | last four years?
 T deny that If 1t were true it would l constitute a defense to su h an fnno- | sition, one that compels us 10 pay more
 than the trust Is willing to sell the |