Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-04-09
TAX AND TRUST RIDDEN
People Everywhere Complaining
of Tariff Exactions.
REPUBLICAN DONATING POLICY.

Why the Present Tarin Rates Were
Made Higher Than Those of the
Mckinley BiII-Party Promises Bro
ken at the Behests of Trusts and
MOnOpOIIes.
When you hear a Republican saying
there is no need TO reform the tariff.
ask him why the rates in the Dingley
bill, the present tariff law, were made
so much higher than the Mckinley law,
which was higher than other previous
tariffs. The fact that the rates are
higher now than ever before would
seem to demand reform.
1t was admitted by Senator DOlliver
of Iowa in speech in the senate that
the rates were purposely increased to
allow for reductions that were TO be
made in reciprocity treaties with for
elgn countries. Mr.. Kasson was Sc
lected by President Mckinley to nego-
tate reciprocity treaties, and he did so
with France, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Ar
gentina and the British and Danish
West Indies.
But the Republican leaders in the
United States senate refused to allow
these treaties to be ratified. and the
Dingley law rates have continued to
be paid by the people of the United
States without the small concessions
that the reciprocity treaties would have
made on some articles. And yet the
Republican national platform of 1900
contained these words:
RECIPROCITY and protection are twin
measures of Republican policy and go
hand in hand" The Iowa state plat
form of 1901 said, I'VE indorse the
policy of reciprocity as the natural
complement of protection and urge its
development as necessary to the
realization of our highest commercial
possibilities" And that tariff plank
closed with this important declaration:
Eve favor any modification of the
tariff schedules that may be required
to prevent their affording n shelter to
monopoly"
Nearly every state Republican plat
form has declared for reciprocity, and
some of them declared for such modifi-
cations of the tariff schedules as may
seem to be required The Idaho Re-
publican platform of 1900 declared out
spokenly for tariff revision and con-
that any political party has declared
for. 1t says, I'VE favor a revision of
the tariff without unreasonable delay
which will place upon the free list
every article and product controlled by
any monopoly and such other articles
and products as are beyond the need
of protection"
In spite of these declarations and
promises made by the Republicans,
President Roosevelt and the leaders in
congress have determined to not even
consider, the tariff or attempt to modi-
fy those schedules that give the trusts
| their monopoly of the market for many
of the necessaries of life. The Re
publicans refuse to ratify the reciproc-
ity treaties of their own making and
they refuse to reduce the Dingley
rates, although they purposely placed
those rates much higher than the pro-
tected trusts asked, so that when the
trusts and combines would still be
amply protected. But the trusts con-
trolled the Republican leaders and
have been strong enough to keep the
law intact, and the protectionists de-
clare it must not be touched.
Thus are we tariff taxed and trust
ridden. Ask your Republican neigh
Dor how he likes this do nothing pro-
gramme of his party, and if he thinks
his prosperity is enhanced by it.