The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-04
MoRNING.
pREprcrrNc A RrvoLUrroN.

7 PREDICTING A REVOLUTION.
 The real enemies of the protective tariff system are not the Democrats. strange as 1t may seem, but the greedy conscience less beneficiaries of the system. who are never satisfied. and who would crush the life out of the people and the country to satisfy their own avarlce. For example, The Hartford Courant a staunch Repub- lican newspaper, says tho Pennsylvania Steel Company, one of the largest maIu- featuring companies in the country, has a contract to deliver to the Canadian Pa cifc Railroad 5000 tons of steel rails at $21 ton. For the same rails all Ameri- can consumers have to pay the uniform price of $2S a ton. This is in effect pen atty or tax on home customers of $i on each ton of steel rails that are used on our railroads, or, on the one contract the American buyers would pay $SSo,ooO more than the Canadians do. Commenting on this transaction The Courant says:
 It is a policy that breeds revolution an l that in tune will create an indignation which will sweep the whole protective system away unless something Is done 10 keep the plundering within modcraron How long will the railroad managers st quietly by and let themselves be plucked in this fashion? It Is without shadow of Justification and what is permanently wrong is never permanently estaoiisned. Honest protectionists, who favor protec- ton for Americans. should stop this abuse If they care anything about preserving tho system
 The Courant does well to ask how long American railroad managers wall submit to such robbery. but it might cas- saying that they will submit just as loEg as the party of tariffs and trusts remains in power. and that party will stay in power till the people, including the rail- road managers, turn them out and put in Democrats who will revise the tariff and give relief to the people.
 In one of the proverbs of Solomon We are. told: "The horse-leech hath two daughters, crying, Give, give" These trust-protected steel manufacturers arc genuine daughters of the horse-leech and their demands never cease. They are as | utterly without feeling or conscience, | when 1t comes to business, as the wolf is. and are as thoroughly enemies of all who are subject to their extortions. In making contracts with Canadian cus- toners they cannot charge $2S a ton for rails, because foreign manufacturers could supply them cheaper, so they sell 1 them at S21 so as to shut out all compei- tion and yet make profit. At the same time our makers of rails are protected | by the tariff duties so that they are safe | from foreign competition, and can rob our own people of seven dollars a ton, ccr- tainly, and probably twice that, for we have seen the statement more than once that steel rails can be manufactured ln the United States for $15 or $16 ton and make fair profit.
 l The Courant may be correct in pre-. dieting revolution, but the only kind oi revolution that is likely to give reliei
 Is political one. There is dissatisfaction and protest among Republicans in some quarters, 1t is true, but there is one DO tent reason why the Republicans canno
 be depended on to give relief. and tha
 lies in the fact that these big protected concerns are liberal subscribers to tin, campaign funds of tho party which pro
 tects them. That is the reason that part. cannot be depended on to reduce tarlf
 duties, and why Democrats must do i
 if 1t is done at all, Does not The Couran see 1t?