The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-08-06

ing them should be punished with an the
severity OF criminal prosecution, in or
der that methods pursued In the opera
ton OF their business shall be brought
within the law. To destroy them and
TO eliminate the wealth they represent
from the producing capital OF the coun-
try would entail enormous loss and
would throw out Of employment myriads
a result Is wholly unnecessary TO the
accomplishment Of the needed reform.
and will infiict upon the innocent far
greater punishment than upon the guilty.
The democratic platform does not pro-
post to destroy the plants of the trust
physically, but 1t proposes TO do the same
OF this country is largely dependent upon
a protective system of tariffs. The bust
ness done by many of the so called trusts
is protected with the other businesses OF
proposes to take of the tariff on all
articles coming into competition with
those produced by the so called trusts"
and to put them on the free list. II
such a course would be utterly destruct-
i've of their business. as 1t is, indeed, 1t
would not only destroy the trusts, but all
of their smaller competitors.
The ruthless and tmpracticable charac-
ter 81 the proposition grows palmer as,
Its effects upon the whole country are.
realized.
To take the course suggested by the
democratic platform in these matters is
to invoke the entire community, innocent
as II Is, In the punishment Of the guilty,
while our policy is to stamp out h spe-
cifc evil.
Doctrine Of Protection.
The republican doctrine OF protection, as
definitely by the republicans
this year and by previous conventions, Is
porsed products, whether OF the factory,
farm or mine, sufficiently great to equal
the difference between the cost of pro-
duction abroad n at home, and that
this dtffaFnnna ChnI1ld nf nnNIrCn innnI6a
the difference between the higher wages
paid In this country and the wages paid
abroad and embrace a reasonable profit
to the American production. A system
OF protection thus adopted and put in
force has led to the establishment OF q
rate of wages here that has greatly en-
boring man. 1t is the policy of the re-
publican party permanently to continue
that standard of living. In 1897 the Ding
ley tariff bill was passed, under which
we nave as already said' a period or
The consequent material development
has greatly changed the conditions under
Whien many articles described Dy the
The tariff In q number of the schedules
exceeds the difference between the cost
of production Of such article abroad and
at home, including a reasonable profit to
the American producer. The excess over
that difference serves no useful purpose,
but offers a temptation to those who
would mOnOpOllZe the prO0uCtIOn ana inc
sale of such articles in this country to
profit by the excess overrate. On the 9TH
er hand, there are other schedules In
which the tariff is not sufficiently high
to give the measure OF protection which
they should receive upon republican prin-
ciples, as to those the tariff should be re-
duced. A revision of the tariff under
taken upon this principle, which is at the
basis Of our present business system, be-
u promptly upon the incoming OF the
new administration and considered at the
special session with the preliminary In
v~estigations already begun by the appro-
pirate committee Of the House and SEN
ate, will make the disturbance of business
incident to such a change as little as
The democratic party In It's platform
has not had the courage Of its previous
convictions on the subject OF the tarir
by 1t In 1904 as a system OF the
few, but 1t does declare its intention. to
change the tariff with a view to reaching
a revenue basis and thus to depart from
into power of party with this avowed pur
pose cannot but halt the gradual recovery
of the more recent financial depression
and produce business disaster In COM
parison with which our recent panic and
depression will seem small indeed.
Question of Labor.
We come now to the question of labor.
One important phase of the qualities of
the present administration has been
oAAASNJ = oNSNAO " N"S "ooN - IN OtA
equality of opportunity and such positive
statutory protection as will place him on
a level In dealing with his employer. The
republican party hal passed an employ
ers' liability act for interstate railroads
and has established an eight-hour law for
government employees and on. government
construction. The essence Of the reform
affected by the farmer Is the abolition Of
the fellow-servant rule, and the introduce
ton of the comparative negligence theory
by which an employe Injured In the ser
right to recover because of slight negli-
gence on his part. Then there is the act pro-
viding for compensation for injury to gov
eminent employees, together with the va
rious statutes requiring safety appliances
Upon interstate m railroads for
the protection of their employees and linn
These are all instances of the efforts OF
the republican party to do justice to the
wage Garner. Doubtless a more conserVa-
tive measure for compensation of gov
future; the principle In such cases has
been recognized, and Is necessarily some
what slow course OF legislation will be
more fully embodied in definite statutes.
The interests of the employer and the
employee never differ except when 1t comes
to a division of the joint profit of labor.
and capital into dividends and wages.
This must be a constant source of peri
odical discussion between the employer
and employee as indeed are the other terms
of the employment
- AZ o'S ~ SHA PSHS E
ton in such a controversy to enable them
to maintains themselves against employers
having great capital, they may well unite,
because in union there is strength and
without 1t each individual laborer and en-
gploye would be helpless. The promotion
OF industrial peace through the instru-
mentality of the trade agreement is often
one of the results of such union when in
diligently conducted.
There is a large body OF laborers, how
ever, skilled and unskilled, who are not
nT1rQ N Znd into unions ThaIr rights he
fore the law are exactly the same as those
OF the union men, and are to be protected
with the same care and watchfulness.
Rights of Labor.
In order 10 induce their employer into a
compliance with their request for changed
terms of employment workmen have the
right to strike in q body. They have a
right to use such persuasion as they may,
provided 1t does not reach the point of
duress, to lead their reluctant co-laborers
to join them in their union against their
employer and they have a right, If they
choose, to accumulate funds to support