The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1904-12-02

and prove themselves sincere in
their reform views by several years
probation thereby taking the tariff
question entirely out of politics.
The failure of reelection or their
reelection by greatly reduced ma
jorities of several congressman in
strongly Republican districts, who
advocated tariff tinkering even in a
mild form, shows the sentiment of
the voters on these questions.
Representative Babcoch of Wis
consin lives in district that has
been giving Republican majority
of 5000 to $4,000. He was re-elect-
ed this tidal wave year by bu: 900
majority. This great falling off Of
his vote Can only be accounted for
on the grounds of his clammor for
tdiiiL iClOliu ius
Foss in the nth Massachusetts,
district who has been posing as a
Reciprocity, of the Democratic
kind, protectionist, was defeated.
Served him right. No man can be
Republican and not indorse the
great principle of protection to
American industries in the broadest
sense. Reciprocity as advocated
by the Democrats is snare to trap
unwary Republicans.
Republican reciprocity as defined
by our great Republican leaders, is
reciprocity on articles that do not
compete with American product S
and American labor. Any other
kind of reciprocity is Democratic
subter fuge and simply means Dem
ocratic free trade.
There is considerable clammor in
this country about the trusts and
one school of politicians advocates
destruction of the tariff in order
to destry the trusts. That would
be most expensive remedy. 1t
would be like a doctor giving a fatal
dose of arsenic to cure fever. He
would surely stop the fever but
he would kill his patient.
While the anti-tariff remedy
would seriously cripple if not des-
troy few trusts, it would, also,
destroy many indepedent industries
in the same line at the same time
and the havoc wrought would be far
more injurious than the benefits
derived would be helpful. Besides
many of the worst trusts are not
protected by the tariff in any way.
What would the managers OF the
Standard Oil Co., one of the worst
trusts in existence, say if some
modern reformer should threaten to
destroy this great trust by reduc-
tions in tariff They would only
laugh at the attempt and inform the
gentleman that their products are
unprotected.
The Anthracite Coal Co. the
same way and also others. Then
since these great trusts are inde-
pendent of)the tariff tinkerer, some
other remedy must be sought TO
control these corporations of greed.
And now since some trusts are
independent of the tariff and cannot
be reached by cut in duties and
since that kind of a remedy carries
with it great damage to independent
manufacturers, had we not better
apply other remedies first, at least,
and see if the greed and selfishness
of these fellows cannot be checked
without injuring the business of more
honorable men?
There is wrong impression ex
tant as to the amount of trust
manufactured goods. 1t is we'll
known fact that every article that is
produced by so-called trust is also
produced by independent manu-
facturers, who collectively employ
a very large amount of capital and
a great deal of labor, and constitute
a bulwark against monopoly. In
1900, according to the Census re-
port, the total number of manufact-
uring establishments in :he United
n.