The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-08-25
coNUNDRuM OF ACCEPTANCE
What the Sage of Esopus Really Be-
Iieves Remains a Mystery.

What Judge Parker would do or at
tempt TO do if he were to be elected
president, is little less an unknown
qauntity than it was before his speech
of acceptance was given to the world.
He would recognize the gold standard,
and he repeats that he would regard
it as firmly and irrevocably estab-
liShed," but this was known before he
added the second word. He thinks he
tariff, but he is not sufficiently sure
of this to intimate what degree of re-
duction he would have upon any one
item, nor does he indicate one item
on which he would have the tariff duty
changed in any way.
And the few explicit statements he
does make. emphasize the wisdom he
manifests in what he fails to say
When he redeclares his belief that the
gold standard is firmly and irrevoca-
bly, established" for instance, he shows
that he is ignorant of fact that ex-
lists in the minds of most voters at this
stage of proceedings. Almost every
body else by this time knows that the
gold standard lacks good deal of
being irrevocably established, and
even he would probably be convinced
of it if once he were called upon to
deal with it,
So also he suggests that he would
fix time TO haul down the flag in the
Philippines. but he gives no hint of the
hn
On most things that he touches he
leaves the reader to infer almost any
thing Chat he would like to infer, espe-
cially if the reader is seeking an ex-
cuse for casting vote against the
administration, but explicit statements
in his speech of acceptance are al
most as rare as in the silence that has
prevailed for so long at Esopus
In another explicit statement that
he makes he shows his wisdom in
avoiding such things as much as pos
sible. For instance, he says that the
! tariff furnishes the trusts a market in
the necessities of eighty millions of
people, practically excluding competi-
ton" On the same day that this
speech was delivered came the an
nouncement that an independent con-
Germ had taken away from the trust an
order for 1000 tons of STEEL plates.
The record shows that while what
is known as the steel trust began bus
mess with the control of about eighty
per cent. of the total output, in two
years this had been reduced to fifty
| per cent. or less, due solely to compe-
tition here at home under this same
protective tariff. The salt trust under
took to do business on the assumption
expressed by this presidential candi-
date and competition soon forced it
to reorganize and pursue its business
on the assumption that it would have
the liveliest sort-and even ruinous-
competition if it attempted to main
tain extortionate prices About two
years ago the prune trust had the same
experience. On window glass the
duty always has been high. 1t is SO
now; it was so in the Wilson-Gorman
bill and under the Mckinley law and
so on. yet the combination known as
| the WluuOW grass trust has not DeoD
free from competition for years, and
this competition has been of the keen.
est sort. Trust after trust has failed
because it attempted to do business on
an assumption similar to the one offer,
ed as craftsmanship from this man at
Esopus. Every one of them that has
attempted this has either failed OF
ization on different basis If this
man is fit to be candidate for anything
he knows this. Even casual attention
to what has been going on in the courts
of the land would have revealed this
vital fact.