The Savannah morning news., 1904-04-24

the Theory OF Free hAiW h'N'e A"'
III Connection With the Tariff
Such n Proposition Would BE Re
ceived with the Greatest Concern
in the south. says Congressman
IfvtnEston-Senator Bacon Does
NOT Believe Hill Had Any Idea of
Abandoning Federal Regulation
of Trusts.
BY r. NJ. Larner.
Washington. April 22.-Some of the
Southern and Western Democrats are
quite severe in their criticism OF the
New York Democratic platform. While
there is a general disposition to accept
Judge Parker as an available candidate
there is a feeling of resentment
against the timid declarations on the
subject of trusts and the tariff. Some
of these critics declare that the plat
form is confusing in its treatment OF
the trust question and seeks to revive
the Cleveland theory of free raw ma
terial in connection with the tariff.
VIII Examine TariT Plank.
I will first examine the tariff
plank" said Mr.. Livingston. 1T first
declares in favor of reasonable revi-
sion Of the tariff, without defining what
would be reasonable. Then it goes on
TO favor the removal of duties from
raw materials. That means free raw
materials. if it means anything, be-
cause raw materials are specified Such
a proposition would be received with
the greatest concern by the Democrats
of the South. The South has become
a great producer of raw materials. 1t
has become interested in the tariff
more than ever. The tariff is a local
issue in the South as everywhere else.
To take the duty off raw materials
would affect the South and would ben
eft the manufacturers of the North
without giving the purchaser of the
finished product any relief. The South
is a large producer of iron ore and pig
iron. Shall the duty be taken off these?
The South produces tobacco. Shall to-
bacco come in free? The South pro-
duces millions of dollars worth of lum-
Der. Shall lumber be singled out? To
admit raw sugar free from Cuba. as
this platform proposes to do would
Louisiana. but would check the spread
of the growing of cane all over the
South and this is beginning to be-
come once more a great feature of our
agriculture. 1t would also add mil
lions to the profits of the Sugar Trust.
1t would let in hides free in competi-
tion with the hides of Texas and the
Western States.
An Even Reduction Wanted.
what the Democracy ought to stand
for is an even reduction in the tariff.
which will affect the finished product
as well as the raw material. BY this
means the farmer, miner and lumber
man will get compensation for the
lower price Of their commodities COM
PEELED by taking the duty off free raw
materials. If I were asked to suggest
tariff plank on which Judge Parker
ought TO run 1 would suggest the fol-
lowing:
"A reasonable revision of the tariff,
so as to provide an ample revenue,
distributing the burden as evenly as
possible with as little shelter as prac-
ticable to monopolies.'
What are your ideas as to what
the Albany platform means as to
trusts and monopolies?" Mr.. Livingston
was asked,
The Platform Not Clear.
THE parts are so disconnected as
to render the platform very unsatis-
factory IN this regard. There is
declaration of opposition to trusts and
yet there is a provision that corpora
tions chartered by states shall be sub
ject to regulation by the states in
which they are chartered. There are
other references which may or may
not be designed to throw the regula-
ton OF trusts on the states and take
1t out Of the hands of the Federal
government If it was the idea of
the gentlemen who drew the platform
that the Democratic party is willing
to abandon the effort to control trusts
through the acts of Congress then
they have mistaken the temper of the
country Such a policy would place
all other states at the mercy of
corporation which was chartered by
the state of New Jersey. The other
states could not tax their products
because that is not allowed by the
$ constitution. There should be in the
national platform plank which will
In the strongest way pledge the party
to the regulation of trusts, by fur
ther congressional enactment"
Representative CIayton's Views.
Representative Henry D. Clayton of
Alabama, who represents his state on
the Democratic National COMMITTEES
Il.
Livingston in his opposition to the
trust and tariff planks adopted at AL
bany.
The tariff plank" he said, is far
more a declaration in favor of free
raw material than of tariff revision
Free raw material is a cry set up by
Cleveland and the late w. L. Wilson
to favor the manufacturers of New
England and some wealthy capitalists
who had purchased coal mines in Cam
ada. In all instances it would work
against the South We are going to
have a tariff revision all along the
line If we are going to have any at
NIL. If the tariff comes off hides, it
Is going to come off shoes. If it is to
come off iron ore it is coming off
steel. The tariff reduction the De-
mocracy will declare for at ST. Louis
viii bring the duty down so that pro-
tected manufacturers will sell their
products to Americans as cheaply as
they sell in foreign markets. Free raw
material is a sham and a fraud. There
Is no such thing. The hide of steer
Is part of the finished product of
the farmer who sells it. Iron ore is
the finished product of the man who
mines ii. Raw sugar is the finished
product of the planter who boils the
syrup The men who were behind the
cry under Cleveland wanted, among
other things, to get in free of duty
iron ore from Cuba at the expense
Of the South.
"As TO the trust part of tho nlatforn,