The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-09-06

important consular service, and intro
duclng into 1t a merit system of ap-
'potntment and promotion, and taking
1t out of politics: the Panama Canal
Legislation that fixed the type OF the
canal by which in eight years at the
.farthest our largest ships of peace and
war may pass from one ocean to the
other. comforting enormous benefit up
on the commerce Of the world, and
doubling the efficiency of our own
navy; the statehood act, which unites
Oklahoma and Indian Territory into
a great state N0f more than a million
inhabitants. and which gives to New
Mexico and Arizona. each containing
an insufficient number Of people to
become state, an opportunity to come
In as united state, or to await the
growth of the population until they
may be taken In AS two states; the
denatured alcohol bill, which, against
the most powerful influences, passed
both houses, providing for the use OF
cheap alcohol In the arts and In heat
ing and ltghting-are some the meas
Mres which stamp this congress as one
anxious to serve the true interests
of the people, and to deferred from
Sloing so by the fact that such meas
Nres may interfere with the profits Of
large corporate enterprises.
Revisien 81 the Tariff and Trusts.
One Of the contentious of the demo-
cratic party is that the protective
tariff develops trusts, and that the
most formidable weapon that could be
used against them is the revision of the
tariff. l do not propose to discuss the
schedules of the tariff. The great
majority of the American people are
in favor of maintaining the protective
system. The operation of the tariff
affects broad sections and localities,
and is deemed important to the well
fare 70 millions of workingmen and
small dealers and the country at
large. Substantial changes are attend
ed with risk to the important trade
business interests. This is what
makes legislators hesitate at revi-
sion In period of uneXampled pros
perity. Moreover. it is impracticable
by a revision of the tariff to destroy
trusts. The effect which a protective
tariff has In aid of trusts Is in the
partial exclusion or hampering of for
eign competition in articles manu-
featured by trusts. thus narrowing the
competition to be met and overcome
by illegal trust methods: but the prin-
ciple Of excluding or burdening for
eign competition with home manu-
features is the protective system. In
other words the question presented
Is wether it Is wiser to maintain the
benefits OF the protective system and
. deal with the evils of the management
of trusts by specific legislation direct
ed to those evils. or in an attempt to
curb trusts. to pull down the entire
protective system. 1t is impossible to
segregate from the business of the
country and the schedules of a tariff,
the particular articles that are the
subject of trust manufacture. The
whole schedule of duties is so compli-
Gated that an attempt Of this sort
would be certain to involve indepen-
dent enterprises pursuing only legiti-
mate methods. More than this, of all
the trusts, the most conspicuous one,
the Standard Oil trust. receives no
benefit from the protective tariff. The
trusts do not embrace al 1.-The indus
tries Of the country, and even upon
the trusts it would be most unwise to
inflict the punishment of humiliation
because the legitimate business which
they do. increases the wage fund out
of which wage-earners are paid, and
is part Of that prosperity which the
people Of the country are now en-
joying. The best and only safe way to