Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1908-03-31


conspiracies to stifie competition and
force on the people the burdens of
monopoly, such things, whatever their
form, have been outlawed ever since
justice sat on a bench. They say in
Europe that every man had to carry
a soldier on his back. Here every
man has to help carry many hundreds
of trusts; and the birth record shows
that nearly every one of them is only
ten years old or less. Who has the
making and enforcing of laws during
that period?
All this time the Democrats protest
ed on behalf of the people. They
were powerless to do more. But what |
did they know about the proper breed
of prosperity? Yet not until the past |
few years, since the last election and
his announcement that he would not
run again, has the President, or any
of his friends, shown concern about
these things. And now 1t is mostly
denunciation in general terms which
may scare but seldom hits, like shoot
ing at the flock in cunning.
! l am certain that but few fair and
disinterested men now deny that the
trusts and the unnatural distribution
of wealth of the country are chiefly
due to the enormous and unfair tariff
charges which have been in force I'M
changed for almost eleven years.
We know now what an enormous
fund the Republican committee had
twelve years ago. 1t was charged that
the troubles of the times were due
to the repeal of the Mckinley tariff
though they began under 1t and it was
replaced by one so little lower that the
} President refused to sign it Most
, of that fund came from interests
which demanded greater support from
the government. The election was
: proclaimed as mandate for higher
tariff, though the money question was
, paramount. So these interests were
, promptly invited to come and write
I their own schedules, which as every
! body knows, they proceeded to do and
with no stingy hands.
2 Ever since the civil war, when the
3 idea of high duties for the benefit of
e out, each Republican tariff had swelled
Y these benefits. The last one made
!, them higher than ever, the highest in
S the world.
g The pretext at first was aid during
z infancy and then reduction and with
L drawaI on establishment. But the
l. beneficiaries promptly capitalized the
Il good will of the government and KEEP
= demanding more and more as they al
e ways will so long as their interests
are the chief consideration and no
n those of the people who are taxed
q for their benefit.
4 Then it was promised that though
l. things produced at home might cos
g more at first, by reason of the tariff
!" tax, they would cost less as soon al
/? the industries were established RICH
d at our doors. Yet in spite of enorm
e, Gus reductions in cost of production b.
I reason of machinery and otherwise tn,
10 difference in prices at home ant
4 abroad have steadily increased; AM
d for years our people have been CON
% PEELED to pay more for American
IL goods than the makers sell them TO
n after the cost and risk of shipmen
S, across the sea.
is There was a hope that some relic
O. homes when the President and MI
10 Taft met this imposition in orderin
b. supplies for the canal, but no, the
se meekly submitted, they have neve
s. made it plain why, but we know.
IS Then there was the false pretens
10 that the tariff charges were merely
Is cover differences in wages pal
L. American workmen, but it has bee
shown beyond dispute that the take
e, are in every instance many, often yer
N many, times more than these diffel
rs ences. In some cases they are NOR
e, than the entire pay roll. II this wa
10 the idea why were not some of tn
" workmen invited when the law wa
ID drawn as well as the proprietors
r. This was pure sham like the tart
ot on wheat, etc., to fool the farmers.
Or But the great thing was to be tn
,e advantage of competition among HON
lie industries when established to reduc
n prices to the people. Competition di
1t spring up, but SO did the prices. Ha
Of not the people voted to be taxed fo