Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-05-09
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Tariff Revision.

Tariff Revision.
Speaker Cannon has been smoked
out of his tariff hole and forced to
give n reason why the tariff should not
be revised. He declared in private
letter to a trust pottery manufacturer
protected from competition by the tar
iff, that, 'the desire for change
which exists In the common mind will
drive the Republican party. If contin-
ued In power, to a tariff revision" He
said he did not want it, but it would
have to come "in the not distant flu.
ture." This letter having been pub
lished, compelled Mr.. Cannon to make
a further statement of his position. He
starts off by saying that the amend
ment of a single schedule, or a few
schedules, is entirely impractlcable.'
In his judgment, nothing can be done
except by a complete revision of the
tariff" That, he says, would halt pro.
duction, consumption and commerce for
ut least twelve MONTHS" and the re-
suit would probably not be an i'm
provement on existing law" For the
general interest of the whole country"
he thinks the revision toward which
"the common mind" in its desire for
change is driving the Republican party,
should be postponed as long as posi-
ble."
This disagreement OF the uncommon
mind of Speaker Cannon with that OF
the common people is nothing new with
Republican politicians. Their affllia-
tion with the corporations, trusts and
combines obllterates any sympathy for
the plundered people. But tariff reyis-
ion and other reforms will come, not
through the aid of the unwilling Re-
publican Speaker Of the House OF Rep
resentatives or his party associates,
but through the ardent reform efforts
Of a new Congress, born of the desires
of the Democracy and aided by indie
pendent voters, who are sick and tired
Of the plundering of the trusts and the
corruption and grating of the Repub-
llcan party.
The attitude of the Republican poll
ticlan toward the protective tariff is
like the heather before his idol; 1t Is a
fetish to worship and too sacred to be
touched. But when the time of stress
and political trouble comes and the tar
If idol has shown itself to be but a
brazen Image and Its high priests have
exalted 1t to plumber the people, then
the voters will have none Of 1t and
will cast 1t down and break 1t.
The Republican contention that to
revise the tariff, by reducing the rates
on hides, or coal, would destroy do
nestle industry Is too absurd for ar
gument Would 1t ruin the crops or
cause the rain to cease or the sun to
be darkened? The Beef Trust would
lose trlfie of Its enormous profits, but
no one believes the farmer or cattle
grower would lose cent. Even the
abnormally high price for hides now
being paid has not Increased the price
Of cattle, for cattle are now selling
cheaper than for many years before, al
though the tariff protected Beef Trust
is getting high price for beef.
Take the iron and steel sched-
ules and abolish the tariff rates on the
products of the Steel Trust and that
giant corporation would still control
the market for Its products, for the
cost of transportation over seas would
be protection enough and only inordi-
nate profits would be reduced. There
is hardly a schedule of the tariff that
does not shelter some trust, or combine,
that in all fairness to long-suffering
people does not require revision. The
Republicans refuse to NEEDLE with 1t,
30 this duty must be intrusted to the
Democrats, who are pledged to a rea-
sonable reform that will prevent the
trusts selling cheaper abroad than
here, and while producing enough rev.
enue to run the government will re-
duce the cost of living to something
more in reason than now.
Useless to Denounce Corporations.
Don't waste your time denouncing
corporations. A corporation can only
act through Its president and board Of
directors. To attack corporation is
but waste Of breath, but the officials
and directors are the ones that are
subject to the penalties of tile law and
to the great moral force of public opln-
ion. The Coal Trust Is soulless, but
the directors of the railroads and coal
companies who are illegally combined
to plumber the public and prey on the
miners, can be reached by the law and
eventually will be. Although trust
magnates' skins are thick, yet they are
amenable to public contempt, which is
wonderfully sharp weapon.
President Roosevelt speaks Of good
and bad trusts but the trusts and
corporations are only what their man
ayers make them and the honest or
dishonest directors, or managers,
should be praised or blamed.
How powerful public opinion is. on
those corporation officials who have
sinned Is shown by the self Punishment
of Rockefeller to avoid appearing as a
witness and the fitting of the insur-
ance grafters. The corporation can
not be punished. IL you fine Ii, the
money comes out of the pockets of the
shareholders, SO that matchmaking
corporations issso much vanity. That
Is where the efforts of President Roose-
welt against the trusts have failed of
The administration
has utterly failed In all its antitrust
contests. Every trust, combine or cor
poration is still monopoly, as far as
1t can be, and continues to plumber the
people rs much as the business saga-
city of the managers considers desir-
able. Will the voters, who are the Vic
tins Of trust and corporation rapacity,
endorse the feeble efforts of the admin.
istratlon at .trust-bustIng3 A true re-
former, with MI the great power Of the
government at his command, should
have been able to put the bodies of
some trust magnates at hozard in the
courts. But not trust magnate has
been convicted.
Public opinion with Its moral force