Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-10-18
A WASHINGTON LETTER.
Crisp Notes From the Nations
Headquarters.

uSouquoi tStSs
President Castro, of Venezuela, is imi-
tating Uncle Sam as a trust-buster.
He has fined the Asphalt Trust (an
American syndicate) S5,0OO,000 for
damages; and committee of experts
is to assess other fines for damages and
injuries to the nation. 1t would be
queer if we have to use 'the big stick"
to prevent Venezuela from furnishing
her 'bad trusts"
In speaking of Southern Presidential
possibilities, Claude A. Swanson, present
Governor of Virginia, should not be over
looked. He won distinction as mem
Der of the Ways and Means Committee
of the House of Representatives in the
55th Congress, 1897, when the Dingley
tariff bill was prepared. The other
Democrats on that committee at that
time were j. w. Bailey, of Texas,
Benton Mcmillan, Joseph A. Wheeler,
of Alabama, Samuel M. Robertson, of
Louisiana, and George B. Mcclellan, of
New York.
Here's another question Of veracity,
amendacity or something Of that sort.
The Mansfield, Ohio, Daily Shield says:
"Official Prevaricator Loeb says the
Presidents taking no part in the Cleve-
land campaign, although Burton, whose
veracity is not questioned, said, in eff
feet, Roosevelt had urged him to run. T"
Either somebody has lied or nobody has
told the truth. In either case, the Ohio
Republicans will be deceived; but no
body else will
Do you know how much more on the
average it costsy you to live than it did in
1896. Bradstreet's Commercial Agency,
which keeps account of the ups and
downs of the price of commodities, has
answered the question in the last issue
of 'Bradstreet's, which says: Com
pared with the low level set on July ] =.
1886, the gain is 54.S per cent - So if
it cost you 800 month to live then, it
now cost you over $l54.SO. The pro-
tected trusts are the chief cause of high
prices and there seems to be a deter.
mination by the dominant political party
to refuse to revise the tariff which pro-
tects the trusts and prevents competi-
tion. If the Republican party wins in
the coming national election, the leaders
will declare that it is an endorsement of
the tariff policy of protecting the trusts
and there can be but little relief from
trust high prices as long as the tariff
protects them. AS large profits have
induced the trusts to manufacture more
than the people can consume, the sur
plus is sold abroad at bargain prices
Why should not the American people
participate in these bargains the trusts
sell to foreigners?
1t has become known that several in
fiuential friends of President Roosevelt
are scheming to have the Republican
National Convention held after the
Democratic Convention adjourns. The
plan is to force the Democrats to nomi-
maze first, and then in case Mr.. Bryan
Is the nominee, as will almost certainly
be the case, to exert all pressure to
make President Roosevelt the Republi-
can nominee. The nomination of Mr..
Bryan would give opportunity to the
Roosevelt boomers to use the bogey of
Organism for all it is worth to scare the
conservatives of the Republican party
into burying their opposition to Mr..
Roosevelt, and defeating the Nebraskan
for the third time.