Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-05-24
TRUSTS AND SUBSIDIES.
Republican System Which Protects
the Few and Plumbers the Many.


Secretary Shaw, with his vague
ideas OF economies, often makes most
extraordinary statements. Through
reading the protection literature pre-
pared by the Protective Tariff league
he has registered in his partisan mind
that 1.-The government has granted eli
ther protection or aid to every indus
try which is now being prosecuted by
u people and every industry that can
appropriately be prosecuted, intcrna-
tional shipping alone excepted" That
statement was made in Il speech to the
Eastern Commercial Teachers associ-
alton, and if they We're not a lot of
chumps how they must have laughed
in their sleeves at the Shaw protection
philosophy! 1t is true the Republican
party has protected the trusts and aid
ed the manufacturers, but the people
pay the bills, and their industry is
made less remunerative by the protcc-
ton the tariff gives the trusts. The
greatly increased cost of living since
the Dingley tariff bill was enacted has
virtually decreased wages over one
third and reduced stationary incomes
by a like percentage, yet Secretary
Shaw would add to their burdens still
another tax to subsidiZe the steamship
trust.
The policy of the protectionists is to
indirectly foster with the protective
tariff or directly subsidiZe the few who
dwell in palaces at Newport out of the
hard earned money of the many who
labor and pay the taxes. The southern
planter has no protection for his cot
ton, neither has the northern farmer
for his cereals, for both must sell at
the worlds prices in open competition
with all countries that likewise have q
surplus to dispose Of. But all this
great agricultural class must pay the
increased price for what they buy
which the fostering tariff allows the
trusts and combines to charge. The
s]torekeeper, the commercial traveller
and the clerk do not find profits or sal
aries advanced in proportion to the in
creased cost Of living, for they are all
paying their share of the tariff tax to
the trusts, to whom Secretary Shaw so
joyously reminds US "the government
has granted either protection or aid"
The trust and corporation barons
would make serfs of the workmen they
employ, and only through organization
have the workingmen beer able to pro-
tect themselves and remain free men.
Republican policies and Republican
laws have given them no aid or com
fort, for under the protective system
everything they buy has increased in
a much greater ratio than the wage
they receive.
This, then, is the policy lauded by
Secretary Shaw and the Republican
politicians. To protect and subsidize
the powerful and rich by taxing the
farmer, the tradesman, the artisan and
the laborer. PROMISES have been made
by Republican conventions and politi-
clans to revise the tariff, and similar
promises are being formulated to again
fool the people, but as long as the pro-
tected interests dominate the Republic
an party there can be no real tariff re-
form, as the stand patters will never
consent to cut off the campaign con-
tributions from the protected trust
barons. Those who feel the pinch Of
high trust prices should think of these
matters when they vote next fall for
those who are to represent them.