The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-07-09

by judges In connection with labor /
even within the last few years."
1t Is important to note that the Act |
Of Juno 20. 1885, was passed at the first |
session of the first congress that met |
under the first Democratic administra- |
ton after the civil war and there labor /
received its first recognition from the |
government. One Republican admin |
twenty-four years and not one act was |
passed in the interest of labor or in |
acknowledgment Of its right to fair |
and equal treatment. The Republicans
enacted a tariff which enhanced the |
price Of products that labor had made |
and capital owned, and they pretended
to do this with a view of securing for |
labor higher wages. What they gave,
however, was to the capitalist and they
trusted him to divide. That the in
creased profits of protected employers
have made them able to pay the labor
ing man higher wages no one can
doubt, but 1t remains for the saving
grace of Almighty God so to touch
their hearts as to make them willing to
pay the higher wages. Among the con-
tributions that went to make up the
monument that this great man, Grover
Cleveland, builded in the respect and
affection of his countrymen, few are
more striking than his almost instant
recognition, as evidenced by this Act
of 1886. of the sane and just demands
Under him Democracy blazed the way
and now remains the unf1inching
champion Of every sound reform in this
direction. Immunity from law we
promise nobody; immunity from OPP
preston, from its very infancy the
Democratic party has been dedicated
to establish and secure.
The Tariff.
The president and his party declare
that prediction revision of the tariff
would be unwise.
This assertion has been repeated in
advance of every election since the
enactment of the Dingley law and sure
ly the country will not again be de-
ceived by Republican promises to re-
wise the tariff after the election. Their
appeal to the people is this-give us
| another chance to make you a promise
and the promise will be made.
| What does protectionism mean? Un-
der the Republican policy OF protection,
| the people, the consumers, while pay
| ing little over $500. 000. 900 per year in
to the treasury through import duties
on foreign goods. pay between $780,
enhanced price of home produced
goods. Our domestic manufactures ex-
| coed our total imports by ten to one
| and they are nearly all protected. 1t
| is safe to say that the people pay at
| least $500 to the already wealthy bene-
I
| lar that is paid into the treasury. Be
| hind the wall OF high protection, which
1 in some cases Is altogether prohibitive,
1 the trusts levy enormous tribute on the
| people. This has amounted to not less
| than $4,000, 000. 900 in the last decade,
not counting the amount paid to sup
port the government. This money has
| come from the pockets of the farmer,
| the mechanic. the merchant, the pro-
| fessional man and the laborer, and has
1 l. t-~& u
| tected classes. More than two-thirds
of the capital that derives benefit from
| protectionism belongs to the trusts.
The Democrats will revise the tariff
downward and in the interest OF the
| tax payers, who are always forgotten
| by the Republican party.
There must be q revision and grad
ua1 reduction of the tariff by the friends
| OF tariff reduction for the common good
| and not by the benef1ciaries of it's
taxing power for the chief purpose of
comforting privileges and profit upon
| the few at the expense Of the many.
The president himself has said:
II am Of the opinion that one change
| in the tariff could with advantage be
| made forthwith Our forests need ev-
| cry protection and one method of pro-
| tecting them would be to put upon the
| free list wood pulp, with a correspond
ing reduction upon paper made from
l
| country that does not put an export
| duty upon them"
| What was the fruit of this recommen-
| dalton? In the house a committee was
| appointed to investigate the subject.
| This was a scheme to muddy the wa
| tiers, to piacate the newspapers and to
| excuse nonaction. The Republican ma
| jority decided to do nothing. In fact,
my countrymen, as I recall it the only
| work done by the great ways and
/
house in the matter of the revision or
| reduction of the admittedly unjustifi-
| able tariff was to report out a bill to
| put upon the free list tea sweepings
| and tea dust. This is the sum total of
the result of all the ante-election tariff
| revision promises made and repealed
| in several campaigns.
| Trusts.
It is the shortest of steps from the
| tariff to the trusts. Let it be denied
If they care to deny it, that the tariff
| is the real mother of the trusts.
The president has made a great pre-
| tense of destroying trusts. Let him tell
| of the result In a message delivered
| to congress he said:
| The department of justice has for the
| last four years devoted more attention
| to the enforcement of antitrust legis-
| lation than anything els. Much has
| been accomplished; particularly marked
has been the moral effect of the prose-
cutions; but it is increasingly evident
| that there will be a very insufficiently
| beneficial result in the way of econo-
| mic charge. The successful prOsecu-
| ton of one device to evade the law i'm
| mediately develops another device to
| accomplish the same purpose. What is
| needed is not sweeping prohibition of
| every arrangement, good or bad, which
| may tend to restrict competition, but
/ such adequate supervision and regula-
| ton as will prevent any restriction of
| competition and will prevent other
| abuses in no way connected with re-
| striction or competition"
| This is an admission of failure and
| one does not need to dwell on this adj
mission further than to say that the
| Of hc xrin tod fbo