The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-06-07
FEW VOTES NEEDED.
To Jar the Fabric of the Protected
Trusts and MonopoIlsts.

Secretary Root, who is undoubtedly
the ablest member OF President
Rooseyelt's cabinet. said In one of his
speeches: when you step In to
change n custom you cannot change
II by peacemeal; you have to jar
something" That fact is doubtless
the reason that the proposition OF Mr..
Root 10 change our present tariif law
TO include maximum and minimum
rates of duty has been received by
the standpatters with such oillnous
silence. Special interests tina. are
protected by the tariff want no clange
and all the monopolists ask is rest
and peace. Even just talking Of
changing the tariff disturbs them. for
II Is extremely unpleasant to have sas
light OF publicity turned upon thuir
transactions.
II Secretary Root has proposed 90
leave the present tariff duG@ ~ the
minimum tax and then add Is psr
cent. TO those duties as the maxirluEl
tax, he would have found more faY1T
with the standpatters. But TO reduce
the present duties by % per cent. ~
the minimum tax Jars upon the nerves
of those who are protected by the
tariff, who can only view the matter
from their own selfish standpoint.
But this very stubbornness OF the pro
tected trusts and monopolists, not to
accede to any change. will undoubted.
~ lead 10 their downfall
The more obnoxious a law becomes.
the more radical the demand of its
opponents for changing It. and rs the
present tariff protection to the trusts
becomes more and more apparent 20
those who are daily plundered. the
sooner the whole protective system
will be abolished. You cannot change
1t By peacemeal and have the struc>
ture hang together for even TO re-
move one OF the tariff schedules, such
as protects the steel trust, would so
far the whole fabric OF tho protective
system as to lead to It's downfall.
There are 2s congressional dis.
triCts where the steel trust has tho
balance of power, there are IL more
whore the coal trust controls. and
these and the Standard oil and other
trusts have enough influence to sway
more than half the Republican men,
bcrs Of both houses Of congress.
These monopolists with their vast
qualifications and the power Of their
money are Joined in the political
game with the Republican machine
and together manage to hold n major.
ity Of the voters. This mountain OF
monopoly and money, and the scared
consciences OF percentage Of the
voters. would seem hard to remove
from the path of the Democratic tariff
reformers, but faith In righteous
cause will remove mountains.
II only required an average change
dIstricts-three votes In 100-to have
given the Democrats the control OF
the house of representatives. How
many voters were kept in line for
the Republican ticket through the I'm
fuence OF the tariff protected trusts,
or through the controlling power OF
their money is problematlcal. but that
enough to change the result were
swayed by those mysterious agencies
Is certain.
Thus instead OF having TO change
the minds of vast number Of voters
to jar the Republican Itotection
fabric, II will be seen that bu, n slight
shift is necessary TO overcome the
Republican machine and its trust
and monopolist allies.