Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-10-16

struggle without cost to the taxpayers
or without appeal to the monopolistic
corporations? And, if so. is there left
any excuse for the shallow carping OF
newspaper critics against the men who
lecture at Chautauquas or write maya
zine articles for their own support
while they are pleading the public
| cause?
Elihu Root as a Candidate.
| Many of the newspapers are full of
the magnificence of Elihu Roots enter
tainment in Mexico They discern in
his visit there new bond of intimacy
| between Mexico and the United States.
Indeed, every time a cabinet officer Of
this administration goes TO any foreign
country he is supposed to have ce-
mented few new bonds. Mr.. Root,
however, seems to have been an eX-
pert on bonds of a different sort. For
some time the public service commits
sion of New York has been engaged
in investigating the affairs Of the Met
ropolitan Traction company, a concern
which, with the richest territory in the
world TO draw from. has been allowed
/ to go into the hands of receiver. The
| Indications are that millions have been
seized by the promoters of the various
details which ended in the creation of
the monopoly that now holds the trans
portation system of Greater New York
outside of Brooklyn in its grasp
And the attorney who advised them
at every stage of their consolidation
and stockjobbing game was Elihu
Root. Mr.. Roosevelt's secretary of
state. who is now travelling in Mexico
as the finest examplar of American pa
triotism ard statecraft which this I'D
miniStration can offer TO our south
western neighbors.
Opening Wedge For Tariff Reform.
Some weeks ago / commented upon
the action of the American Newspaper
Publishers association in demanding
the immediate repeal of the duty upon
paper, wood. pulp or any of the mate
rails entering into the manufacture OF
paper Since then have learned from
correspondence that there VIII he much
rivalry among both Democratic anG
| Republican congressman at the mex
session of congress to see which one
will be able to first present bill Civ
ing effect to the desires of the news
paper community. Furthermore. / have
found that Republican newspapers il
their editorial columns are pleading
guilty to the apparent Inconsistency
Of demanding free trade Immediately
n substances needed for their owl
business while accepting the PROPOSE
ton that as a whole the tariff should
not be touched until after the mex
presidential election. | note that {
Republican newspaper in Ohio has this
to say:
We confess that Mr.. Abbot has the Re
publican newspaper men who voted fol
that resolution in New York on the hip
1t was left to a Canadian news
paper publisher to call attention to the
fact that paper was as high in Canada
under a purely revenue tariff as in the
United States under a high protective
tariff and that the Canadian paper MAX
ers. If there is a conspiracy, are in the
conspiracy with the American paper max
ers
1t is probable that the internationa
conspiracy is fact. But, mark, if TIT
Canadian paper makers are kept gu
of the United States by q tariff, how
easy it is for them to say to the Amer
lean paper makers: You keep out o
our territory and we will make gu
rates equal to yours. If you invad
our territory and we must cut rates
the object lesson to your people viii
make trouble for you when the matte
of tariff comes to be discussed" Thi
: is obviously the policy which would b
adopted in the present methods o
business combination. But, more thai
that. if paper and pulp in Canada AM
the provinces are as dear as in tn
United States, why is all the infiuenc
, and power of the paper trust being en-
l ployed to prevent the reduction of tn
+ tariff?