The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1908-03-28
FOR TRUSTS ONLY
MONOPOLIES ALONE BENEFIT By
HIGH TARIFF.
Gx-Gcv. Douglas OF Massachusetts
. Shows How RepubIican-Made Laws
Have Injured the Country
Democrats Offer Remedy.

The fundamental idea Of democracy
is equality OF opportunity. Jefferson,
who was the greatest advocate democ-
racy cvcr had. and who was the found
er Of the Democratic party, was the
man who secured the abolition Of the
old laws of entail and primOgeniture
in Virginia. He also secured h abo-
litiOn of a religious establishment in
that state. and caused the adoption Of
the first ten amendments to the Con-
stitutiOn of the United States. He
hated special privileges, and fought
always for equal rights.
A man who approaches nea to JEFF
ferson is William l.. Douglas, late gov
ernor of Massachusetts. Jefferson
was a member OF the great middle
class of society: so is Gov. Douglas.
For years he has stood for cheaper
raw materials Tor the manufacturing
industries. for higher wages and for
a reduction in Che cost of living for
w~orkingmen: aud to that end has ad-
vocated lower turiff duties as a means
OF protecting It's multitude against the
eXaCtiOnS of trusts, generated and pro
tected by laws passed by the Repuh-
lican leaders.
Now. Gov. Douglas is a manufac-
turer of shoes, his factories being the
largest of the kind in the United
States-a fact which has compelled
him to investigate the yearly increaS-
ing cost of raW and partly manufac-
turcd materials, and the cause OF the
increase in prices.
In one of his speeches delivered
when he was running for governor
he gave to the people the evidence he
had discovered OF the way the tariff
protects the trusts thus:
The most successful. powerful and
injurious trusts are those that, hav-
ing a tariff monopoly in our home mar
ket. have secured possession OF the
sources Of production OF raw mate
,rials, and supplies, such as iron, steel.
coal, oil, sugar beet, lumber, lead,
leather. salt. bOrax, etc. BY restrict
ing the output and controlling the
prices Of these raw products, these
trusts are able to hold both manufac-
turers and consumers at their mercy.
Careful estimates Of the tariff
profits of n of these trusts, the
United States Steel Corporation, indi-
cate that they amounted to $162, 000,-
600 for the years 1902 and 1903-the
total net profits being s242, 900, 000,-
300. These estimates were based on
the differences between the export
and home prices Of steel products and
goods, the differences being multiplied
by the quantity of each kind of
product sold, as given in the annual
report of this company for the year
ending December 81, 1903. This $162,-
000. 900 is clear tariff profit. That is,
had there been no duties on these
steel products. and had they been sold
here at the same prices for which they
were sold abroad. they would have
cost our consumers S162, 000, 900 less
than they did. AS nearly all Of these
are unfinished products, it is evident
that American manufacturers, TO
whom steel is a raw material, have
to pay nearly $50, zoo, 900 a year more
for these materials than is paid by
their foreign competitors, even though
both buy steel Of our steel trust. This,
in itself, is a great handicap upon our
manufacturers, especially when at
tempting to sell goods in foreign mar
kets. 1t is this discrimination in
favor of foreign manufacturers max
ing it much cheaper to produce out
side than inside OF our tariff wall. that
is mainly responsible for the exodus
of American capital into foreign coun-
tries. Scores Of branch mills and
factories, operated by Americans, have
during the past few years been 10
Gated abroad in order to escape from
the protection that near dearer raw
materials and higher cost of produc-
ton. Had there been no unnecessary
duties on raw materials, the great
amount Of business transacted in
these American-owned foreign mills
would now be done in this country, to
the great advantage Of our own work,
ingmen.
AS Utt"een hepuDllcan protection
that protects only trusts at home,
and Independent manufacturers when
abroad, and Democratic protection
that would not drive industries to
foreign shores and would give equal
opportunities TO all and special priv
ileges to none it should be easy for
our voters to choose. The so-called
blessings of protection should GER
tainly not be confined to trusts and
foreigners