Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-04
Argues for Reform Before a
Large Audience Last Night.
ARRAIGNS THE TRUSTS
RErTERATEs CHARGE OF REPUB-
LICAN CAMPAIGN COLLECTION.
Declares for Peace and Enlarged Com
merce-Denies Advance Of Wages
With Cost of Living.

Judge Parkers speech at Hartford. Conn.
last night was devoted mainly to tarin,
trusts, wages and the cost of living. He
repeated his accusations concerning the
republican method Of campaign collection.
He said In part:
IT have a peculiar pleasure In coming TO
this state, to which 1 am bound by ties OF
the closest nature, In order to greet the
friends whom I see about me tonight and
through them the many thousands OF whose
interest in good government 1 am amply
assured
while it is like preaching to the convert
ed, find myself now speaking OF the home
ly virtues, in what may be called the nurs-
cry of industry of thrift, and of honesty In
affairs, both public and private. The re-
gard for peace, the love of truth, the sense
of Justice, the spirit of fairness and. best
of ALL persistence and patience in their ap-
plication to great problems have here
found conspicuous illustration.
More Ships and Commerce.
''You in Connecticut and your neighbors
along the New England coast realize, per-
haps, better than any other part OF our
people what foreign trade means. From
the earliest times of our history your an
cestors braved the perils of the sea to sat
isfy their desire for adventure and In obe-
dience to that law of supply and demand
which, under normal conditions, must regu-
late exchanges between the different coun-
tries of the world.
THE time has again come when We need
ships of our own, but they should be pullt
not at the cost of the government. not
from taxes drawn from all the people. but
result of the enterprise of our people
They should be designed and constructed
by the ingenuity of our engineers, operated
w and owned bv neOOle
Every landing place along these Hm1tlesS
coasts of ours ought to be nursery, how
ever rude, for the sailor. Our products
sent to other countries should be carried IN
American bottoms, and that almost in
finite demand by our people for the prod
ucts Of other countries should enable US to
bring them everything that their material
comfort, education and progress makes 1t
necessary or desirable for them to use.
For Permanent Peace.
THE Importance of international arbitra-
ton, as one of the forces which makes for
good, cannot be exaggerated. In order to
secure the best and most suspicious results
the permanent conference proposed to be
kept open at The Hague deserves unquah
fed approval. Such a tribunal. constantly
ready for prompt action and decision,
should command the confidence and Coop
Grafton Of all countries.
80 far. however, as the United States Is
concerned, the most pertinent question to
be asked Is whether or not the best assur-
ance for peace does not lie in carrying out
the traditional policy under which 1t Is only
to maintain such an army as Is actually
mcclellan army for use and not for un-
necessary display or possible aggression.
During the one hundred and twenty-one
years which have passed since independence
was achieved we have been engaged in for
eign wars during only four of them-the re-
naming one hundred and seventeen having
been found at peace with our neighbors. If
arbitration had then been recognized as q
policy we might have eliminated those four,
and the disparity between the years of
peace and the years Of war certainly adj
monishes US where our interest lies.
The Tariff Question.
Various arguments have been used to
persuade Congress to increase the duties
for the benefit of those who wish to COM
pei our people to pay more than the mar
ket prices of the world. The earliest ar
gument was that the people should be
willing to contribute toward the building
up of our infant industries. AS many Of
these Industries are now old enough and
large enough to be weaned that argu-
ment Is no longer available.
Later 1t was contended that high tariff
rates should be continued or increased
for the benefit of the workingman. Was
the workingman invited to contribute ia
the expense Of securing or protecting
tariff legislation? We cannot recall that
that purpose came from those asking for
the privileges. And they contributed al
election time vast sums to control tn
electorate They contributed with tn
understanding that their interests should
be cared for by the party which received
the money.
1T is true wages have been advanced
from time to time. But the advance has
not been due to desire to divide profits
with the employees. 1t has been due, in my
Judgment, in very large measure to the
existence of labor organizations. These
have contributed steadily toward an in
crease in the scale of wages. The increase
of wages in protected industries has not
been proportionately greater than those in
employments not affected by tariff duties.
THE effect of a high tariff duty has
been to compel us to pay more for the
things we buy than we otherwise would.
OF course. the higher the duty the more we
must pay. If you vote the republican ticket
you vote to continue legislation that makes
1t more expensive to live.
The Trusts.
TT was thought, in the early history of
the country. that our people would not be
subjected to great hardships by over excess
sive tariff duties. because high prices would
stimulate local competition. It did work
that way for a time. Indeed, the local
trade was SO profitable In many of our
manufactures that 1t overstimulated pro-
duction. That brought us to a condition
where our capacity to produce manufacture
ed articles was twice as great as home con-
sumption. That resulted in real competi-
ton and lowered prices in those branches Of
Industry where our capacity of production
was greater than our needs
TT worked very well for the people, but
1t was not satisfactory to the manufacturer
Hence. combinations were entered into in
numerous instances as to many industries
by which practically all the mills producing
a given article, wherever situated through
out the country, were brought under one
control
larly called, at once put up the prices for
which goods should be sold in this country
to as high a point as could be reached
without letting in fOraion goods