The St. Louis Republic., 1904-05-16


lated for campaign purposes by his party Sen
ator GalliuCcr Of New Hampshire discou7ses
upon the trusts and the tariff from the stand pat
viewpoint. Democrats. IT would seem. should he
grateful for the wide circulation given 10 this
speech since it exposes vivdly the fallary Of that
argument which maintains that revision is not
remedy. Says Mr.. Gallinger
There will he no attempt deny that
under hut not because of. the tariff
in operation great industrial concerns
commonly known trusts. have been
h.t up during the past few years. II
will be denied. Mr.. President. that ont
of the hundreds and thousands of such
consultations some fea may
have been constructed upon very unfair
hasis NAV been operated with qnes-
ticnabIe intent with results benehcent t.
neither producers consumers of ti>
manufactured by those conrerns- II
matters not that the same state Of affairs
exactly exists i'm fTee-trade England anu
in other countries OF Europe: our Demo
cratic friends insist that our trusts are
due TO the tariff. 1t matters not that our
greatest those producing that
upon which no duty is imposed our Dem
ocratic friends sll insist that the trusts
tariff
Mr. Gallingcr thus makes admission coupled
with an assertion. The admission amounts 10 this:
That the trusts have grown up under the Dingley
bill and that few have been constructed upon an
unfair basis and have operated TO the injury Of pro-
ducers and consumers: while the principal assertion
il that greatest trusts those producing that
upon which no duty is imposed The argument IS
characteristic and he offers it expressly in support
of the pat position against the plea for re-
vision.
In admitting that even few of the trusts nay
derive benefit unfairly from the tariff schedules
and this seems TO be the purport of his language
Mr.. Gallinger admits the facts upon which the re-
vision principle is based Revision the alter
alton OF those schedules which patiently work inequi-
ties which are to rob the people unnecessarily
for the sheer net profit Of privileged monopoly Re
vision does not mean instant destruction Of the
protection principle. 1t is an adjustable remedy
which applies only to those in which injustice
is admitted.
II revision is an adjustable remedy, as it obvious
ly is. and President Roosevelt and the other ma
chine leaders who discussed tariff alterations two
years ago admitted 1t TO be. then what objection
there be applying it in those where the
need admittedly exists: Indeed. even if the cases
are as few Mr. Gallincer asserts. what is the log
ical the practical objection to removing the cause
of the damaging inequity: ~
To admit that the tariff results njurlously in
single instance is sufficient to establish the princi
pie of revision upon basis Of fact. The logic Is
clear: If schedule :, seen to be 'bad" 1t ought 20
III
lection. II II exceeds the intention Of its maken-
assuming the sake of argument that intention to
have been honest-why not make the easy change!
There is answer in reason
But the real Republican objection is apparent
The machine knows that the inequities are not con-
fined to a mere few instances but extend through
out the whole range Of the schedules. 1t could not
stop at few alterations. Mr.. 0allingers assertion
here becomes interesting: TO the effect that but few
Of the trusts are protected and that our greatest
trusts those producing that upon which duty
is imposed.
Revisoniss meet this assertion with proof that
all the great trusts receive direct protection in
Of the protection principle. But that PROPOSE
ton aside. the country has for itself that the
greatest directly fOstered and assisted in
the robbing process What Of the Anthracite Trust
which the President described as not PRO
tected-? What OF the Standard OH Trust? There is
a prohibtive duty against the only oil. Russian.
which could compete with il and duties upon petro-
Ieum by products. The Steel Trust. the Beef Trust
Farm Implement Trust and dozen others are
noted. admitted and even sef-confcssed tariff rob
bers. For the great trusts there is defense ex-
cept the speciors offered by Mr.. Roosevelt ia
his trust-tariff message and by the professional
stand-pat advocates the floor of Congress.
-s1s--
THE SPIRIT OF pROGRESS