The Washington herald., 1907-08-20

punished for violating an order of injunc-
ton or restraint. except after a verdict
OF "A jury deciding that the violation was
committed and yet. in the same consti-
tuition a corporation commission Of an
executive and administrative character, a
body OF laymen. authorized 20 make or
ders against railroads and other corpo-
rations. is empowered. If its orders are not
obeved. 10 change itself into a court,
and after giving due process Of law by a
hearing, TO enforce its own orders by a
fine of $500 day until The order is per-
formed
Such Discrimination Impossible.
such discrimination in practical legis-
| llation cannot be maintained for a mo-
ment Courts and judicial procedure are
made for all. and must operate equally
| for and against all. The only method by
which wealthy and powerrll maIefactors
can be restrained is ny maintaining the
power Of the courts. and the minute the
power Of the court is weakened in the
supposed interest of the lowly and unfor-
tunate accused of wrongdoing, tie law
! less rich are furnished the immunity they
seek. The wealthy wrongdoers could easi-
! " escape the restraint Of the law through
the rents in its meshes Mr.. Bryan would
make for the benefit Of those with less
influence and means
In all his proposed reforms. Mr.. Bryan
| seems to give little attention 10 securing
efficiency and force IN government, so
/ that the evils he recognizes MAJ be sup
pressed. The government which his sys.
/ TEN Of remedies would tend to produce
would be nerveless. Estopped by his own
| expressed fear Of power put in the hands
Of any individual he would hnd difficulty
/ in welding 1t when most needed.
Absurdity of National Referendum.
The representative government that has
1 served us we'll for 13O years has not been.
I for Mr.. Bryan, sufficiently expressive OF
the viii OF the people Election OF Sen
ators by the people is not enough for
him. We must call upon fourteen mil
| Hon electors TO legisiate directly. Could
/ any more burdensome or inefficient
method be devised than this7 I believe
/ that q referendum under certain condi-
tions and limitations in the subdivisions
/ OF State on certain issues may be
healthful and useful, but as applied to
our national government il is entirely
/ impracticable.
! II X Is difficult for the people % use
| proper judgment in the concrete question
! Of the personality OF the representatives
4 they are TO select 10 carry on their ma
/ tional government. as Mr. BTyan's theory
/ assumes, how much more difficult for
them to give sufficient attention 20 the
/ settlement Of the many questions Of pol
/ icy and procedure IN complicated statutes
which the people have always been Will
! ing TO leave 10 the decision Of their rep
/ Iresentatives, skilled in the science Of leg
/ isbtion, whose general views on the
main political issues OF the day are well
/ understood. Think Of the possibility OF
/ securing vote OF fourteen million Of
electors on the 4.000 items OF a tariff bin.
/ The opportunity 10 retire 4 representative
who fails TO be truly representative is
/ ali that the people wish and need 20 en-
I force their will.
! Certainly It is difficult for an impartial
/ observer 10 find anything in the actual
government or Mt Roosevelt that har-
monies with what would be the govern
/ ment under Mr.. Bryan II he could carry
out his theories Mr.. Roosevelt Is doing
everything in his power 20 avoid the con
diti0n which AR Bryan's theories when
]
Takes Up Tariff Question.
! / come nov 20 the question Of the tariff,
/ its revision. and its relation to the unlav-
/ ful trusts The Dingley tariff was adopt
1 cd Immediately after the election OF Mr.
/ Mckinley. Since that time we have pass
ed through the Spanish war and have
I had a decade OF prosperity. and an IN
! crease and expansion Of trade unexam-
/ pied in the history Of this or any other
country. The Republican principle Of the
protective tariff is, as I understand it,
that through the customs revenue law
/ a tariff should be collected on all import
/ ed products that compete with American
/ products which VIII at least equal a diff
1 ference in the cost Of production in this
/ country and abroad, and that proper al
! lowance should be made in this differ
ence for the reasonable profits to the
/ American manufacturer.
The claim of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES it has
/ been abundantly justified in the past-is
/ that protection secures a high rate OF
wages and that the encouragement Il
gives to the home industry operating un-
der the influence of an energetic competi-
/ ton between American manufacturers in
duces such Improvement in the methods
! Of manufacture and such economies as
/ 10 reduce greatly the price for the bene-
1 1T Of the American public and makes it
/ possible 70 reduce the tariff without de-
/ priving the manufacturer Of needed pro-
/ lection and a good profit.
/ The present business system of the
/ country rests on the protective tariff. and
any attempt 20 change il to a free trade
basis viii certainly lead only 10 disaster.
Ii is the duty OF the Republican
| party, however, ia see to IL that the
/ tariff on imported articles does not
exceed substantially the reasonably
/ permanent differeutiaI between the
cost of production in the foreign
countries and that in the United
States, and, therefore, when changes
take place in the conditions of pre-
duCtiOn likely to produce very
large reduction I'm the cost of pro-
ductiOn in the United states, IL il
time that schedules he re-examIned
and IL excessive that they be re-
duced, so as TO bring them within
the justification for the rule by
| which the amount of tariff to be inn
posed under the protective system
is properly determined.
Temptations to Monopoly.
Whenever the tariff imposed Is largely
in excess Of the differential between the
cost Of production in the two countries.
then there is formed at once a great
| temptation to monopolize the business of
producing the particular product, and TO
take advantage Of profit in the excessive
tariff This denies to the people alto
gether the economies Of production that
competition. under a protectivs tariff.
should develop.