The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-02-11

Drift of Comment.
TIE LITNIBER TRUST,

The senate has ordered an inquiry
into the operations of the lumber
trust. which Senator kittridge, OF
South Dakota declares Is the
king Of all trusts In restraint OF
ltrade-remors, in its grasp on
the people and the only change
which 1t contemplates is to increase
the price of It's products at stated
and frequent intervals, without re-
gard to cost" He also said that
within the last Ave- years the price
of lumber and timber products have
arbitrarily advanced from 100 to
500 per cent"
Senator Kittridge Proposed to
protect the people from this mon
opoly by having the federal gov
ernment investigate the trust ana
suggested that there Is simple way
to help break the power OF this
rapacious trust II Republican men,
bers of congress were willing to do
! 1t, by cutting off the tariff protec-
tion. The tariff tax on lumber
ranges from 10 to b4 per cent. of its
value. and IL lumber products were
placed on the free list there would
be considerable competition from
Canada and other countries that
have surplus lumber to sell. The
ensuing competition under free lum-
Der, joined with the criminal prose-
cution of the lumber barons. for no
fine would probably have any eff
feet on them, would break up the
combination Or trust. and bring
down the price OF lumber to what
It is worth.
1t must he remembered, however
that the price OF lumber will never
again be anything like as low az
In former years. for the stock OF
standing timber In the United States
has been 80 depleted that what re.
mains will naturally be sold for a
much higher price than formerly.
II is singular that every congress
ional district but one adjacent 10
the Canadian line where the voters
would especially benefit by COM
peting lumber Is represented by a
Itepublican, who all refuse to revise
the tariff. or even allow the sub.
ject TO be considered. And In the
next congress the same political
alignment prevails with two cxcep-
Cicns. How can the settlers OF
South Dakota and other prairie
states expect to be relieved from the
exactions Of the lumber trust, IL
they continue to elect Republicans
TO represent them. who are pledged
TO continue the Republican tarifi
policy that protects the trusts?
1t will take two years, If not
more. for the department Of COM
merce and labor to investigate and
report on the lumber trus. and then,
jif the department of justice thinks
It can make a case against the
lumber barons. there will be a long
drawn out legal fight and during
all that time the people will still
be suffering from the prohibitiyc
prices the lumber trust Is charg-
ing. In week congress could pass
a bill placing lumber on the free
list and thus give, at least. par
tial relief. Every thousand feet Of
lumber imported from Canada, or
elsewhere, would relieve tho lumber
market Of part of the strain the
lumber trust now imposes upon It.
The trust rather than see It's com
petitors unrersellIng It would. natur-
Ially reduce Its prices to meet tho
competition.
But Senator Kittredge. like some
|other Republican congressman that
want certain products relieved from
the tariff tax. are unwilling to help
the Democrats force a general revi-
sion Of the tariff which would give
relief from the present tariff high
prices They believe in the Repub-
lean policy OF protecting the
trusts, but cry out about some par
ticular trust, SO an to appear to
their constituents to favor tariG re-
yHi0ng ~ \, .
But the tarlS cannot ~ revised
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