Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1904-02-25

ticn. His candidacy viii Be Q plat
form in itself"
Two matters have occupied public
attention during epast week 70 the
exclusion Of politics-the war In the
East and the Baltimore FIRE. Both
Of these events are disastrous TO
humanity and much more far-reach-
ing in their terrible effects than is
generally supposed. The enormous
financial loss by fire viii have its
effect upon the money problem
which may result in Fastening the
hard times that are surely approach
ing, for the withdrawal Of money
from the usual channels of trade to
rebuild the city Of Baltimore chiefly
comes from the banks and trust
companies OF New York, where the
principal deposits Of the insurance
companies are used in stock market
speculation. The war between Rus
STA and Japan will increase the de-
mand for some of our products for q
time, but as the belligerents become
exhausted il will decrease their
ability to purchase and take them
years to recuperate from the loss
and waste that war entails. There
is O great differenbe between war in
Asia and war in Europe, and the
popular delusion that any war win
bring increased demand for our
cereal products and bull the market
for wheat and corn, will not be found
true of this Eastern war. No large
tract of country devoted to agricul-
ture will be devastated in this case,
and Russia can supply her army
with bread from her own fields,
while the Japanese exist principally
on rice OF which q vast store has
been laid up in preparation for the
event. Our farmers must not,
therefore. expect to make large pro-
fits from any rapid increase in the
price OF wheat, which would un-
doubtedly be the case il Europe
were the battle scene.
SIS
The notwithstanding politicalevent
of the past week outside of the death
of Senator Hanna, was the attempt OF
Secretary Shaw in a Chicago speech
to retire the tariff and trust issues
from the coming presidential cam
paign, which he declared had pass
ed out Of the realm of discussion.
Being the chief advisor of President
Roosevelt on financial and economic
affairs, what Secretary Shaw says
must be taken as the voice of the ad-
ministration. That the tariff and
trust issues are the principal topics
OF discussion in most Of the states,
and especially in Iowa, the balliwick
from which Secretary Shaw was in
jected into the national arena, does
not seem to have any effect upon the
dogmatical politician. That truss
prices are at the top notch is ignor-
ed by Secretary Shaw, vet Davis
Index figures for February, which
had been published a week before
Secretary Shaw made his declara-
ton, show that the price of commo-
dities had reached the highest point
in two decades, except in May, 1902.
That the tariff fostered the trusts
and supported those high prices OF
most OF the articles Of general con-
sumption was not considered by
Secretary Shaw. Or IL he did con-
slider it he purposely evaded the
issue, because it was impossible to
reply to the Democratic contention
and the clamor Of the people for re-
form. The much heralded legal pro-
ceedings against the beef combine
has had a most disastrous effect on
the pockets of the farmer and the
consumer, for in spite of the injunc-
ton to prevent the beef combine
from controlling the market for cat
tie and the wholesale market for
beef, the price Of cattle has declined
nearly 30 per cent. and the price OF
meat is much greater in proportion
to the price of cattle than before the
injunction was obtained.
CHARLES A. EDWARDS.