The Washington herald., 1907-12-08


raiser Of that country. is visiting in Wash
ington' and talked yesterday at some
length to Washington Herald reporter
Of mis- country, its progress. and pros
poets. Mr.. Ralston is a cousin of Mr..
Jackson II. Ralston, Of this city
Tasmania Is an island province of Great
Britain. about go miles from Australia
republic under a monarchy and a mem
Der Of the Australian federation of states.
II Is an agricultural country cattle and
sheep raising being one of the chief
means Of livelihood Of its 10000 popula-
ton.
Mr.. Ralston said that in his opinion It
was mistake for his country to Join the
confederated states. It was done under
the notion that it would greatly benefit
Tasmania by bringing manufactures 10
the island. whereas the federation had in
terfered with the tariff laws, had brought
no factories 10 speak of. and had made
Of the island a selling ground for out
siders. Mr.. Ralston went on to describe
Tasmania in general way.
The little republic is governed after the
fashion of other British provinces. IT
has a governor general. appointed by the
crown of England. II has local self-gov-
ornment based upon universal manhood
and womanhood suffrage. Mr. RaIston
thought that there should be a qualifca-
uon TO the suffrage. but that it would not
come for many years. if ever Tasmania
mas representation in the federation. the
parliament of which meets in Australia.
Socialism Strong in Island.
f-r
Tramways and most other public services
are owned and operated by private own
ership. Mr.. Ralston said the operation of
the RAILROADS, telegraphs. and cables had
worked out satisfactorily in the main. He
said that the party of Socialists was
very strong there. and that the chief DO
ltical disturbance at the present time
came from the advocacy OF centraIizing
everything in the government. He said
the Socialists carried the matter 10
the extreme of advocating government
houses. with government furniture. for
the people to live in.
Tasmania has its labor troubles and its
light with corporate greed. as well as
the rest Of the world, though not more
than halt OF the laboring men OF Tas-
mama, he said. were members of unions
With socialism out Of the way. he
thought the political affairs Of his conn
try would be about perfect.
Tasmania, according TO Mr.. Ralstcn. is
expensively governed. 1t has n debt of
S,0O0.000. which he thinks a good deal for
a population OF 10000 persons. men.
women, and children. He said the worst
OF 1t all is that the sale of public land
has gone on until there is no longer 4
public domain and the proceeds of the
sale of these lands has been spent carry
ing on the government He does not see
how the island is to pull out financially.
Visitors View of America.
To Mr.. Ralston. the United States is a
land Of ever increasing wonder lie is
what politicians in this country would
call rank free trader" He has made
some interesting observations while here.
and spoke as follows upon the financial
and political outlook of America:
attending lecture. in which the dnan-
cial unrest and its causes. to some ex
tent. were depicted. and the detrimental
effects of the big trusts in crushina, ont
smaller industries were PORTRAYED. sev
eral things occurred TO my mind as 70
the contributing influences Of this state
of matters. and also the political causes
at work
As to the monOpolized trusts crush
ing out the smaller ones, II may be asked
if this course of things is legitimate? For
an answer one has to turn to the general
laws that govern finance, and the results
OF natural law consequent to the pro-
gressive and Industrial development Of na-
tons. ! look upon the people of the
United States as the most inventive and
energetic inhabitants of our planet. These
inventive discoveries have been largely
the result Of the last half century of our
progressive development in industrial
progress by the different nations. and the
impetus given by the States 10 this worlds
progress by their inventive faculties have
been more or less quickly followed by 9TH
er peoples. These inventions. in the shape
Of machinery and the harnessing of ma
tures powers, principally the electrical
One-these labor-saving appliances-have
not only opened new fields OF industry,
but have been the means Of producing
power. overtaking. in a large measure
the consuming power OF the world. and. IL
Il was not for the cost OF distributing
by the intermediate parties, which is at
present out of proportion TO the producing
cost, produce and manufactured articles
of all sorts would be much cheaper
Effect on Agriculture.
Take the inventive improvements in
agricultural machinery and implements in
the shape of the multiple furrowed plows
improved reaper. binding and threshing
machinery. enabling large tracts of coun-
try TO be brought under agricultural pro-
ductiOn, cheapening these products as
much as 30 per cent of what they were
half century ago. and as the plant re-
Quired for working those large areas OF
AGRICULTURAL land represent so to sneak a
monopoly Of capital. is this not a con-
vincing instance OF the bigger industries
crushing out the smaller ones?
THE lecturer referred to the benefits
derived by the few at the expense of the
many. This is in perfect accord with nat
ural law in the origin Of species, under
which the favored few. through a more
modified organism which adapted them TO
succeed in the struggle for existence over
the many and thus propagate their spe-
cies. may seem and is TO a certain extent
a harsh law. by which we have to abide:
still. 1t is also an advantageous law. this
survival of the fttest. in that the direct
benefit OF the few is for the ultimate and
indirect benefit of the many and the
progress of the whole animal kingdom
The same laws pervade the industrial and
financial kingdoms. with the consequences
that we must adapt ourselves thereto. 1t
is no ground for the destruction of mo-
nopoly because corruption may abound
therein. but is ground for regulating their
work and development.
Opinions on the Tariff.
another point that struck me was your
tariff outlook. The States are the coun-
try Of protection, and If what our pro-
tectiOnist friends say in the British colo
nies in Australia is correct-that protec-