The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-07
TEE PROVINcETOwN GRAFTON.
COnfused by "Nly Policy pa grim Father
Makes q Suggestion TO the President.

AXE o suggestion 20 the President.
To THE EDIToR or TEE suN-Str: IL II
permissible to suggest to the President that
his forthcoming grafton at Provtncetown
In honor OF the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock
shall advise Congress TO inject into the trusts
A. an an%tiseptic a small dose OF tariR reduc-
ton and competition from abroad by articles
similar 10 trust made ~articles7 II might
work well II administered 10 the tobacco and
powder trusts.
I do not know the rates laid by the DinRley
tarif on imported articles produced by for
eigners similar to those produced by the
two trusts which are now giving the Attorney
General so much annoyance. but they must
be quite large. and II they were removed alto
Rether or even reduced 10 a revenue basis
the conse luences to the two trusts should be
much foreign competition and inconvenience
The last Is what the Administrator wishes
the tobacco and powder trusts TO encounter.
Removal Of the DinRley tarifr rates 40 a
punitive measure against those two trusts
could not. az IL seems TO me. inJure weaker
tobscconists and powder makers who are In
nocent OF monopoly. and for the conclusive
reason that, according TO the Department
Of Justice. none such exists in our country.
All are In the combination to restrain trade.
which nevertheless seems TO be fiourishing.
Our country does not wish TO give to foreign
tobacco and foreign eunpowder an advantage
over Its domestic tobacco and gunpowder;
but yet the pesky trusts that prevent the do
mestic competition between domestic tobac-
conists and powdermakers that would. on
protectionist theories. reduce domestic prices
we're II not for the trusts. cannot be put up
with much longer.
Any one curious In the matter can, read
in the Senate debates on the Sherman anti
trust bill that the author based his most
effective arguments against trusts on the
premise that although a protective tann
transfers money from the pockets Of con-
sumers TO the pockets OF producers. and
thus not all OF the rise in prices goes into the
Treasury, a Dingley tariff tax will. II not
interfered with by wicked trusts. reduce
prices by domestic competition despite the
tarin wall that excludes foreign competition.
That theory Of the working OF a Dingiey
tarln and trusts Ia very perplexing when
we are asked TO concede that our country has
fiourished enormously under such a tarin
and such trusts during all these later years.
which have seen such vigorous denunciation
NJ the tariT and the trusts by Bryan and of
the trusts Ly Roosevelt. Both insist that
our trade fas been restrained during all
these years. and Is now restrained. but vet
they insist II has marched forward. and h
now marching forward as never before to
the bloodless conquest OF all the continents.
What a paradox It is
II we reduce the Dingley rates and stop the
surplus then. says the President. the general
prosperity OF the country will be interfered
with: and vet the DinRley tarin is a mammoth
breeder OF the trusts that Congress IL ex-
pending vast sums Of money to exterminate
by law suits. The tariff Ia working good
and evil, the President insists. or II there IL
any evil such as trusts the evil should be
endured: nevertheless everything must be
upset to get rid Of the trusts.
! hope l am not guilty OF l6se majestic by
making the suggestion. but | do think that
as our President has used the beach at James
town to condemn virulently corporations.
railways and the rich. he ought as an Offset
to use Plymouth Rock this week as l have
already, briefly outlined.
| do not. / must confess. quite see how IL is
to be done. but our President Is a master OF
that subtle finesse which can In the same
sentence or para graph support a PROPOSE
ton and pull Il down. ! am confident he can
uphold the Dingley tariff by one end Of his
sentences or paragraphs and yet at the other
end make holes In that tariff which will let
in enough Of foreign products TO bafie the
trusts more erectually than will court in
functions and setting up Federal Judges as
vendors Of tobacco and gunpowder.
indeed. IL does seem to me that our Presi-
dent must speedily emerge from Sycamore
Hill with a new plan to bust " the obnoxious
trusts. or his rival. Bryan. will get ahead on
that issue.
10 will he very upsetting and, for many
Pilgrims very sad, II the country shall. by
and by. decide to let Roosevelt and Bryan
pool their issues and either one OF them be
the radical candidate for President. a. they
two shall agree. Then the remainder OF
the voters not going along with those two
may put up a candidate after their own
heart. PILGRIM FATHER.
NEW YORK. August o.