The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-11-04

ene country that our people hs |
pe subjected to such hafosiiF hi-b |
s' sn excessive tariff duties oecaus st,tio,
piices would stimulate local eohlpSsss5i9s15 /
49, u,u work that way for lliiie ,.a,,.. |
- ~ ioeal trade was so protltaois t - /
our manufactures It overs, .s,,.,az |
production Tbat resulted In real eompe-
i1on and lowered prices III -, |
branches of industry although eapae sas
vi production was greater than our ue9 ,ss.
II worked very well for the peopie. ~ |
- was not satisfactory TO the 800 |
turer Hence, combinations Refe -
INTO In many instances as 70 -. - -
ny which practically all the NM $3.50
uueing given article. whereFei -,
throughout the country, were brought uii-
uer one control 4, l.
This combination or trusts as 1t is
popularity called. at once put up tile piises
Tor which goods should be solo IN TINS
contry at as high a point as eouia De
reached without letting in foreign soous'
While this is intolerable as a mater
OF principle, the hardship Would MOI pc
so great if there were only one u W.
or three instances of It. but as SUN 40
1t was found that such combination
worked effectively those engaged IN other
Industries took it up, turning IN their
plants for cash. bonds or stock lar IN
excess of their actual value.
People Are Paying Dividends.
Upon these enormous capitalizations
the people, without knowing 1t, are con-
tributing the money to pay interest," anu
dividends when they purchase the neees-
saries of every day use.
The number of these concerns nave
increased from time to time until tnere
are now said to be several hundred OF
| them. The effect has been to incresae
the cost of living more than one-sixth
during the last four years.
The republican leaders say, what Oh
1t? Has not your income Increased more
than one-sixth during the last -FOUR
yearsY'
Il deny that. If this were true 1t would
constitute a defense to such an impfo-
| PORTION, one that compels you 10 pay 10
home manufacturer more than he Is
willing to sell the same thing for abroad
| But 1t Is not true. The average income
OF the day laborer, the mechanic, the
| farmer, the clerk and the bookkeeper mas
not increased one-sixth during the last
four years. Some incomes have been IN
creased, but they are the exception not
the rule, and they do not belong TO the
| classes | have enumerated
1T is time steps were taken In this di-
| rection-steps that would tend to give
| equality of opportunity-steps that Will
| rot cut down our manufactured products
but will enlarge them-steps which will
| mean not less work but more
I'VE must give up the idea of making
cur people pay dividends on mills that are
closed and going to decay-on stock is
sued without value behind It. We must
go out into the world and fight for greater
markets for our manufactured products
Steps in that direction must come in
he to, e.
maintain a balance of trade in our favor
The increase in our population will after
time practically oyertake the product
Of our farms.
Must Be Conservative.
I'VE should begin now to prepare fol-
that day at the same time accomplishing
the right thing and the wise thing FOL
the present generation. Whatever steps
are taken in that direction of course mus
| be taken conservatively. Every sound
thinking man realizes that radica
| changes cannot be made in existing con
ditions-that changes that should taxi
! Place must be carefully made.
The trainers of the democratic plat
form realized the conditions and the ne
cessity. it was provided, therefore, in tbs
! platform that there should be a gradua
reduction Of the tariff, thus enabling bust
ness interests to adjust themselves tt
such changes as must be made
Our oppor ents have the effrontry t,
claim that they alone have shown an.
Gesire to oppose these trusts. Their CLAIM
is as false as it is fragrant
80 far from this being the fact, tn
record shows that time and again tn
| representatives of the democratic part
have begun prosecutions under the SO
called Sherman act. Attorney Genera
olney began and Attorney General Har
mon continued to the end the first sue
cessful prosecutions under the law. AT
torney General Harmon asked for appro
priations TO enforce that act He re
ported to congress that witnesses agains
the trusts should be exempted from liza
biity so that they could not interpos
the plea of privilege but was not heed
ed by a republican congress. He askei
for an appropriation to carry on the worl
in both a special and a general respect
but a republican congress would not al
low 1t.
Forced Hands of Republicans.
IAN indignant clamor that was not t.
Re denied the last forced the hand
of the republican party both In the mat
ter of legislation and appropriation. Tn
statute creating the department of la
Tor and commerce was passed. and ap
preparations OF half million was made
The great ~ part of the moneys appro
priated lie idle in the public treasury
but the legislation served it's purpose.
Born as it was of a union betwee
the trusts and the republican party. tn
parallel in legislation. in scandalous fea
lures does not exist on our statute book
today.
1T puts into the hands of the Presiden
end of the republican party the mean
OF continuing its hold on the reins O
government without limit as to time
through the possession of secrets of tn
trusts, which under the terms of tn
legislation itself he may or may not max
Iublic or private as he directs
1--WE know full well how opportunit
for the use Of that legislation has bee
awaited of in this campaign No statut
could have been better devised for tn
successful financing of the present cleo
ton of the candidate of the republca
party or for its indefinite perpetuatio
in power.
Department of Commerce.
eve do not want a department of com
merce and labor whose secretary shal
go out from it every four years, afte
he has filled his brain and his notebook
with the secrets of all the corporation
and trusts who depend upon the gov
eminent for business or favors In orde
not to serve the people, but to rails
money to corrupt them. Nor do GU
people want a department to send it
statisticians at the expense of the gov
eminent into the service of a great polit
ical committee in order to put forth doc
tored statistics.
1--WE want a department of commerce
and labor which will furnish our mer
chants, farmers, manufacturers an