The Democratic advocate., 1907-07-26
TARIFF MAKES TRUSTS.
Don't Mind Attacks AS Long AS
Government Protects Them.

Government Protects Them.
WASHINGTON, July 21.-The infor
nation, through Senator Hopkins, fror
Oyster Bay that there is to be no revision
of the tariff until after another Presidential
election is not new. Procrastination as t.
tariff revision is feature policy of the Re
publican party, in which the Administra
tion participates. This procrastination i
what enables Republicans in Congress
whose constituents desire revision to co
operate with the ''stand -patters'' in theil
plans to make perpetual the graft which
certain favored industries enjoy.
''Revision of the tariff by its friends, ~
''revision at the proper time ''revisior
not yet, but perhaps are the easy roads
to diversion, and the diversion is so.
called "trustbusting.' The adoption Of
the "trustbusting'' policy is coincident
with the abandonment of tariff revision,
and the public is not expected to discern
the inconsistency of standing pat on
that which creates and sustains trusts and
a policy of ''trustbusting.' AS a military
man, Mr.. Roosevelt would not supply his
enemy with plethoric commissary de-
partment preliminary to an attack. AS a
"trustbuster," he co-operates in preserving
that which makes the trusts "unbustible'
before he goes through the public demon
stration of trying to ''bust them"
The price which is paid by the public
for witnessing the spectacular performance
of ''trustbusting'' is fostering affection
for the mother of trusts. The controlling
influences in Mr.. Roosevelt's party con.
sented to railroad rate legislation, with
certain notifications expected to render it
harmless, and to the semblance of enforce
ment of antitrust laws already on the
statute books, in consideration of an un-
derstanding that there should be no tariff
agitation during his present term of Office
The standpatters are content even to fur
nish ''victim" when necessary, provided
the victim is not to be hurt except in its
feelings, or perhaps to a limited extent in
its pocketbook.
The "trustbusting'' policy of the Roose-
yelt administration is merely policy for
the preservation of the trust making sys-
TEN for which the Republican party has
stood sponsor from its birth. The trust
incubator is kept in operation while the
"kill- cry is raised to distract atten-
ton from the source of the evil and to
make political capital.
The price that is being paid for the
preservation Of high protective tariff and
the payment yet to be made might appall
the public if there were a pause to reason
it all out so as to comprehend just what is
being done. If it is necessary to disturb
legitimate business, to impair our credit
abroad, to encourage the growth of social
ism and to establish centralization even to
revolution of our form of government
this is not deemed by the standpatters as
too high price to pay for the privilege of
standing pat on the tariff, nor by Mr..
Roosevelt as too great a price for political
capital to his personal advantage.
The ''trusthusting'' program was orig
inally adopted for the purpose of distracting
attention from and avoiding discussion of
the tariff. 1t has been found to have
certain advantages in practical politics and
it is being made the most of, to political
ends. Under the Republican policy of
protection for the privileged classes of the
fat frying variety who contribute money to
keep the party in power, the trust monster
is feed and fattened in the stall on tariff
favors, while he is brought into the public
arena to be attacked in sham battle by
Mr.. Roosevelt for spectacular purposes
only. A decrepit and non contributing
trust may suffer in the combat, because
his day is passed and he is not equal to
the demands of the hour; but this is
mere incident. 1t is one of the tragedies
of the wilds to which Mr.. Roosevelt has
become accustomed in his study of wolves
and other wild beasts whose leaders, when
no longer useful, are set upon and de-
voured that the pack may not be hampered
in its predatory career The trust monster
is we'll fed by the hand that makes feint
to fight him, and he submits indolently, if
ungraciously, to the daily performance for
the edifcation Of the public, which does
not as a mass stop to think that if the
monster were not so we'll fed and provided
for he would not be able to take his spec
tacular punishment so comfortably.
The trust gets we'll paid for whatever
pounding he must submit to and as long
as his supply of tariff favors is not cut Oft
he can endure such Inconvenience as may
result from his being made to perform in
the public arena with Mr.. Roosevelt for
political purposes. If it were really in
tended that he should be killed, the first
essay might be by way of starvation But,
instead, he is fed and cared for as IA
vored american industry" and it is only
when marched before the public for po-
litical holiday that he is trust monster
for whose blood the public clamors. Like
the stage villain who is killed each night
amid the wild applause of the hero loving
galleries, he sips champagne after the
traoedy and finds in this refreshment an
easy resurrection.
The s'standpatters' in Congress have
been Mr.. Roosevelt's s most effective assist
ants in arranging the trustbusting program
according to their own ideas of what ii
should be. When there was loud de-
mand for tariff revision which it seemed
Mr.. Roosevelt and the Republican Con
gress could not ignore the ''standpatters
cried out loudly in their distress.
SIT was manifest soon after the terrible
tragedy which made Mr.. Roosevelt Presi
dent that there was a popular demand TO
tariff revision-a demand recognized b.
President Mckinley in his last utterance-
even in an overwhelmingly Republican
Congress large majority of the member
ship was in favor of tariff revision. TIL
people were clamorous, and many impor
tant business interests were active in thel
- Al. Io,,lI ha Aana 4