The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1904-09-16

acting, in the matter OF sound cur
Gencyi .h ero only real way 20 Keep me
keep the Republican party in power
As Tor what our opponents say in ref
erence TO capital and labor. individual
or corporate, here again all we need by
way OF answer Is to point TO what we
have actually done. and to say that IL
continued in power we shall continue to
carry out the policy we have been pur-
suing. and to execute the laws as reso-
lutely and fearlessly in the future as
we have executed them I'm the past.
The action OF the attorney-general IN
enforcing the antitrust and interstate
commerce laws, and the action of the
last congress in enlarging the scope of
creating the department of commences
and labor. with a bureau of corporations.
have for the first time opened a chance
for the national government to deal in
diligently and adequately with the ques-
tions affecting society. whether for good
or for evil. because of the accumulation
of capital in great corporations, and be-
cause of the new relations caused there
by. The laws are now being administers
ed with entire efficiency; and as. in their
working, need is shown for amendment
or addition to them-whether better TO
secure the proper publicity, or better TO
any other direction-this need will be
met. 1t is now asserted that the COM
mon law, as developed affords COM
plete legal remedy against monopoies."
But there is no common law of the Unit
ed States. Its rules can be enforced
only by the state courts and officers. No
federal court or officer could take any
action whatever under them. 1t was this
fact. coupled with the inability of the
states to control trusts and monopolies,
which led to the passage OF the federal
statutes known as the Sherman anti
trust act and the interstate commerce
act; and 1t is only through the exercise
of the powers conferred by these acts
and by the statutes of the last congress
experimenting them. that the national
government acquires any jurisdiction
against trusts and monopolies should be
limited to the application of the common
law is equivalent to saying that the ma
tional government should take no action
whatever to regulate them.
Undoubtedly. the multiplication OF
trusts and their increase in power has
cials charged with the duty of enforc-
ing the law to take the necessary pro-
cedure." Such structure upon the failure
of the officials of the national govern
ment to do their duty in this matter is
certainly not wholly undeserved as far
as the administration preceding Presi-
dent McKinley's is concerned: but 1t has
no application at all to Republican adj
ministration. 1t is also undoubtedly true
that what Is most needed is "of1cials
having both the disposition and the cour-
age to enforce existing law" This is
precisely the need that has been met
by the consistent and steadily continued
action of the department of justice UNI
der the present administration.
So far as the rights of the individual
wage-wOrker and the individual capital
list are concerned. both as regards one
another, as regards the public, and as
regards organized capital and labor the
position of the administration has been
so clear that there is no excuse for mis-
representing It, and no ground for OPP
posing ii unless misrepresented. Within
the limits defined by the national consti-
tuition the national administration has
sought TO secure TO each man the full
enjoyment of his right TO live his life
and dispose of his property and his labor
l.. n kE.aN lou ha
no one else. 1t has shown in effective
fashion that in endeavoring TO make good
this guarantee, ii treats all men, rich or
poor whatever their creed, their color,
or their birthplace. as standing alike be-
fore the law. Under our form of gov
eminent the sphere in which the nation
is narrowly circumscribed but within
that sphere all that could be done has
been done. All thinking men are aware
of the restriction upon the power OF ac-
tion OF the national government In such
matters Being ourselves mindful OF
them. we have been scrupulously careful
on the one hand TO be moderate in our
promises, and on the other hand to keep
these promises in letter and in spirit
When we take up the great question OF
the tariff we arc at once confronted by
the doubt as to whether our opponents
do or do not mean what they say. They
say that protection is robbery, and
promise to carry themselves accordingly
liz they are given power. Yet prominent
persons among them assert that they do
not really mean this and that IL they
come into power they Will adopt our
policy as regards the tariff while others
seem anxious to prove that IL is safe
to give them partial power. because the
fore they would not be able TO do mis-
chief. The last Is certainly curious
plea to advance on behalf OF party
seeking to obtain control OF the govern
At the outset it is worth while 20 say
a word as to the attempt to identity the
.He HFara truff
duction with solution of the trust ques-
ton. This is always a sign of desire
to avoid any real effort to deal adG-
speaking on this point at Minneapolis,
on April A. 1903. 1 said:
THE question of tariff revision. speak
ing broadly, stands wholly apart from
the question of dealing with the trusts.
No change I'm tariff duties can have any
substantial effect in solving the so-called
trust problem. Certain great trusts or
great corporations are wholly unaffected
by the tariff Almost all the others that
are of any Importance have as matter
of fact numbers of smaller American
competitors: and of course change in
the tariff which would work injury 10
the large corporation would work not
merely injury but destruction to its
smaller competitors: and equally of
course such change would mean disas-
ter to all the wage-workers connected
with either the large or the small cor
porations. From the standpoint of those
Interested in the solution of the trust
problem such a change would therefore
merely mean that the trust was relieved
of the competition OF its weaker Amer
lean competitors. and thrown only into
competition with foreign competitors;
and that the first effort to meet this new
competition would be made by cutting
down wages and would therefore be pri-
marily at the cost of labor. In the case
of some of our greatest trusts such
change might confer upon them q posi-
tive benefit. Speaking broadly, 1t is evil
dent that the changes in the tariff viii
affect the trust for veal or for woe sim
ply az they affect the whole country.
The tariff affects trusts only as 1t az
fects all other interests. 1t makes all
these interests. large or small, profit
able: and its benefits can be taken from
the large only under penalty OF taking
them from the small also.
There is little for me to add to this.
1t is but ten years since the last attempt
was made by means of lowering the
tariff. to prevent some people from pros
pering too much. The attempt was en-
tirely successful. The tariff law of that
year was among the causes which In
that year and for some time afterwards
effectually prevented anybody from pros
pering too much. and labor from pros
pering at all. Undoubtedly IL would be
possible at the present time to prevent
any OF the trusts from remaining pros
porous by the simple expedient OF maxi