The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-08
DEFINING THE ISSUES.

I
6nine the real issues between the Two
national parties is beautifully simple
platform. lie Woull direct attention
to the fact that the tariff, the trusts
and the railroad regulation are all one
question in essence, namely, whether
the government shall be administers d
in the interest of a few favOrites or in
behalf of the whole people.
On that platform it should not be
difficult to make a winning fight in the
next presidential campaign, because
the people understand the issue, they
have had a personal and painful dem
onstratiOn of the workings of tariff
and trusts, and they are ready u sup
port the party that will make a sin
cere, determined effort to revise the
tariff and abolish trust monopoly.
As between the Democracy and the
Republican party there is no question
which is the friend of the trusts and
which the foe; nor is there any doubt
as to which favOrs tariff for the ben
eft of the trusts and monopOlists. In
deed, the identity of the Republican
party and the favorites Of the tariff
is so perfect that it is axioms tic.
Under trust control of the tariff the
cost of nearly every article which en-
tiers into living expenses has been ad-
vanced beyond all reasonable bounds.
Part of the advance has been doled
out TO labor under pressure, tho larger
part has been added TO trust dividends
on inflated stocks. Scarcely any in
and the common man depending upon
a salary or fixed income finds himself
robbed on every hand. Yet the Re
publican party stands pat for the
trusts. and will continue to favor them.
1t is urged by the Republicans that
the national administration has shown
its determination to restrain the trusts.
and that it is accomplishing more in
this direction than could be hoped for
from Democratic president and ron
gress. Such a plea is futile In the face
of the record. The beef trust was
prosecuted and some of its members
fined. The people are paying the fine,
small as it was. The paper trust WAS
forced to dissolve its Illegal combina-
ton; and the price of paper is higher
today than it has ever been, while the
members of this Illegal combination are
doing business at the old stand, IN
harmed and unafraid. Where any
trust is prosecuted it has nothing 10
fear Of simple fine. because it can
add that to its price any time and still
retain its monopoly. There is no way
to really reach a trust which. has es-
tablished a monopoly of the American
market through the tariff except by re-
vising the tariff to permit comuetition
on a reasonable basis.
The American people arc the most
patient nation on the broad footstooI
but when they reach the limit of ma
ticnce they have an unpleasant wav
of letting the fact be known. They
have been robbed by an unjust tariff
for years and stood it with equanimitv
because they were enjoying a period
of unparalleled prosperity in crops and
in industry; now the trust beneficiaries
who were enjoying more than their
share Of the national profits, have put
on the thumb-screws unendurabiy and
the people will tolerate it no longer.
Mr. Bryan's outline of a campaign
declaration comedies exactly with the
temper of the people; and on such
platform the Democratic party can
win.