Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-10-19
The Trust. and Labor.

up the fad of the Civic Association and
tried to arbitrate all disagreements be-
tween capital and labor. he made some
OF the principal labor leaders believe
that the concentration of business In
the hands of the trusts was for the
benefit of organized labor. There was
to be the trust for the masters, with
the protective tariff to enrich them,
and a combination of labor to force
up the wages Of the workingman to
keep pace with the Increased cost of
living. As long as the business BOOM.
continued the Hanna plan worked to
perfection. and both the trusts and the
labor leaders thought they had at last
reached a Utopian existence. All that
was necessary was to "stand pat" and
"let well enough alone" But the con-
sumers, who have to pay trust prices.
find the effort beyond the reach OF
their pocketbooks and have been com
PEELED to resort to economy. The Steel
Trust and other large trusts and the
railroad combines discovered their
earnings decreased and many mills
and workshops have been shut down.
Wages have been cut and strikes have
become epidemic and the inflated pros
perity bladder is punctured. The rail-
roads had advanced their rates, but
soon depressed wages. The Coal Trust
advanced prices, but the miners re-
ceived no increase. The Beef Trust
eboomed" beef, but cut wages and low
cred the price Of cattle and hogs. 9th
er trusts acted on the same hypothesis,
that they could continue to plumber the
consumers and reduce their expenses
and pay big dividends upon watefed
stock.
The trusts did not kill the goose that
laid the golden egg, but they have SO
maltreated her that the eggs dwindled
In size and value. The numerous
strikes TINT have resulted from the
wage cutting has brought about the
combination Of manufacturers for the
open shop" The manufacturers trust
must be preserved at all hazards, but
the labor combine must be disrupted.
Everyone with vestige of common
sense is demanding some kind of tariff
revision, to stop the trusts from plum
dering the consumers and especially to
hinder the trusts from selling cheaper
to foreigners than to the American PEG,
pie. A strong minority of Republicans
clamored for reciprocity and tariff re:
form, but the lenders said, Stand
pat"
President Roosevelt VAS for some
time in doubt about tariff reform; he
vacillated between revision" and a
Commission" The Protective Tariff
League threatened to defeat his nom.
nation and the trusts declared they
would put up no money for the cam.
paign. SO what could the poor man dc
] but succumb to those mighty auxil.
laries of the Republican party and
"stand pat" &
A So there Is to be no relief from pro
lection, no escape from the plunderine
trusts, no reciprocity, II president
Roosevelt and a Republican Congress,
is continued In power. Parker and
Davis! Retrenclment and Reform Ii
the only hope for the people. +
4 n *
3 No Promise of Reform.
Since the Republicans have beer
confronted with the unquestioned fig
ures that the administration Of Presi
dent Roosevelt has cost $211 10000
more thnn Nc Iinley' g and $3.50, ,OOt
more than Cleveland's they have con
& stantly been trying to explain. away
this extravaganza. But the glowing
: fact remains that before these unrea
sonable expenditures were shown up
not an effort was made for economy
No promise of reform, or retrenchment
. or economy was, made In the Republi
can platform, nor In President Roose
velt's speech Of acceptance did sucl
words occur. But public opinion ha
become SO aroused that in his letter o
acceptance the President tries to cor
rect this omission by not only mention
ing economy but defines 1t. He bold,
claims that "the expenditures hav,
been managed ina spirit OF economy.
although he does not attempt to ex
plain why the expenditures for TIL
, year ending June 80. 1904, were great
er than the annual average during th
four years of Mckinley, including til
cost of the Spanish war, -
The voters who pay most of thi
vast increase should remember tina
the surplus is being wiped out with
rapidity that will compel new taxes
the present spendthrift administrative
is continued in power. The deficit 10
the fiscal year ending June 30, 19O4
was $41,O70, COL. and already for TIL
! year, up to Sept. %. the deficit is $1S
: 1922 800, which, II continued for th
balance OF the year, In the same pre-
portion will make q deficiency OF owe
SO, 600, 600. =,
This mismanagement Of the financia
affairs Of the government cannot cor
tinue; there must be a change. Eithe
: the wasteful appropriations must b
decreased or more taxes must be In
posed. The only way with govern
ments, as with individuals, is to max
both ends meet. To borrow, by issu
Ing bonds, is only temporary make
shift, for interest must be added to OIL