Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1905-05-25
WAsHrNGToN LETTER.
Rrom Our Regular Correspondent
Washington ID. C. Nav ~. 1905

WASHINGTON LETTER.
Rrom Our Regular Corresp0ndent.l
Washington ID. C. May 20, 1905.
Has President Roosevelt entered the
wedge for split in his party which win
rend it wide asunder? This IL the ques-
ton which Is being discussed wherever
politicians. or even businessmen, are
gathered together in Washington and,
Judging by the reports. in business houses
and clubs all over the country. IL one
listens for a few months to n group of
stand-patters, as they are called who
rigidly oppose any change Of tariff sched-
ules, he will be convinced that the Re
publican party il doomed to disruption
and defeat and their reasoning il not
surprising. As the servants OF the high
~ protected industries all over the eoun-
try Republicans in Congress have been
diligently opposing every move toward
lowering the tariff schedules and have
denied, with naughty indifference TO
facts, that American manufacturers were
selling their products abroad for prices
far below those charged in this country.
They have refused to listen to the people
who have read the last Democratic Cam
paign Book and who there saw a long
list Of articles with two prices opposite
each, one the price charged the foreigner
the other the price charged the American
for the same articles and with a difference
Of about so per cent. in favor of the
foreigner.
Now the American public is informed
that the claims of the Democrats are
absolutely correct; that two ships which
the Panama Canal Commission wished
to buy were priced at 81 400, 900 in this
country, while identical ships. construct
ed Of steel plates made by the American
Steel Trust, could be bought in Europe
for $3.50, 900; that the domestic price of
steel rails is $33 a ton and the foreign
price for the same rails, with freight pre-
paid To Europe IL $50 ton, and, Incl
dentally, that the cost Of therails il only
$l2 ton; that 1.-The protected hogs
have their hind feet in the trough" and
that it is high time they were taught a
lesson; that the tariff shelters monopoly
and that, in a word, the American con-
sumner is being robbed. And the in
fOFmant of the American people on
all Ia
dent Roosevelt, the leader Of the Repub-
lican party. Is it any wonder that
they ioresee their own doom for the rea-
son that they havealways been elected by
that the stand-patters see defeat ahead;
the campaign contributions of the trusts
and now that the party of which they
are members must follow its leader and
elect to Congress men who will vote for
tariff revision, their reason for being has
ceased2
1t all came about in this way. The
President discovered that the Panama
Canal Commission, was being robbed by
a combination of American trusts; that,
as the Democrats have always claimed.
the tariff has created monOpolies which
were SO bold as to try to rob the govern
ment which by its favoritism has created
them and as ungratful AS the viper which
stung the bosom that cherishedi it. When
rumOrs Of this condition of affairs first
reached the President he did not believe
them, but he began an investigation.
First he determined to get rid of Admiral
Walker, chairman of the old Commission
Compression, that If a few leaders i'm
Congress, killed the bill that gave the
President authority to reorganize the
Panama Canal Commission but the
resourceful President found a way
when he had gotten rid of Walker and
the old Commission he placed men whom
he knew in charge and told them to re-
port the facts to him. When they made
their report he found that the rumors
were true and he became angry and used
strenuOus-not strong-but strenuous.
language, referred to the trusts as hogs
who had put not alone their fore feet
into the trough, etc. and then he render.
ed his now famous decision that the
Commission should either compel the
American trusts to grant their largest
foreign discount or else buy the machi-
merry and supplies for the canal abroad.
The President is proteetionist, but he
does not believe in the perpetuation of
schedules which viii allow of extortion
and he is convinced that many of the
Dingley schedules do that.
e
The stand-patters are using every ef-
fort to defeat the intent,of the President.
They have spread unwarranted stories to
the effect that he purposes to load I'M
the commission before Congress can meet
and pass law compelling the purchase
only ofAmerlcan made goods at America
trust prices for the canal. That Is not
true. The President viii do nothing of
the kind. He has merely instructed the
Commission to make such purchases as
are necessary abroad IL the Americans
viii not make their prices right, but he
knows full well that the Americans win
make their prices right when they are