The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-07-10

ready wealthy benehciaries of protec-
tionism for every dollar that is paid
into the treasury Behind the wall o..
high protection, which in some cases
is altogether probibitiEe, the trusts
levy enormous tribute on the people
This has amounted to not less than
ten billion dollars 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-
feSSionaI man and the labuTeT, and
! has been poured into the Golfers OF
the protected classes More than two
| thirds of the capital that derives ben
eft from pTOtectionism belongs TO the
| trusts. The Democrats viii revise the
tariff downward and in the interest of
the taxpayers, who are always forgot
/ ten by the Republican party.
There must be a revision and a
gradual reduction of the tariff by the
friends of tariff reduction for the
common good and not by the benef1c-
iaries Of its abuses who justify use of
the impOst taxing power for the chief
! purpose Of comforting privilege and
profit upon the few at the expense of
the many.
The president himself has said:
= am of the opinion that one
change in the tariff could with ad-
vantage be made forthwith Our for
ests need every protection, and one
methQ6 of protecting them would be
to put upon the free list wood pulp,
with a corresponding reduction upon
paper made from wood pulp. when
they come from any country that does
not put an export duty upon them"
What was the fruit of this recon-
mendatiOn? In the House a commit
tee was appointed to investigate the
subject This was a scheme to muddy
the water, to placate the newspapers
and to excuse non-actiOn- The Repub-
Hcan majority decided to do nothing
In fact, my cOUntrymen, as l recall
1t the only work done by the great
Ways and Means committee of the
Republican house on. the matter of the
revision or reduction of the admitted
~ UnjUStifiabIe tariff was to report
out 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 repeated 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
The president has made great pre-
tense of destroying trusts. Let him
| tell of the result. In a message de-
| Hvered to congress he said
! The department Of justice mas for
| the last four years devoted more at
| tention to the enforcement of anti
| trust legislation than anything else.
Much has been accomplished; particu-
! larry marked has been the moral eff
| feet o. the prosecutions; but it is in
| cTessingIy evident that there will be
a very insuficientIy beneficial result
/ in the way of economic change. The
successful prosecution of one device
| to evade the law Immediately devel-
| CPS another device to accomplish the
! same purpose WHAT is needed is not
| sweeping prohibition of every arrange
ment, good or bad, which may tend
| to restrict competition, but such ade-
/ quate supervision and regulation as
Will prevent any restriction of com
petition from being TO the detriment
of the public-aS well as such super
vision and regulation as will prevent
| other abuses in no way connected
with restriction or competition"
This is an admission of failure and
| one does not need 10 dwell on this
| admission further than to say that
/ the Imprisonment of those who v1O-
| lated the law would not have had a
more saIUtary effect tnan all that
| has been lone or might have been
done in this direction during his en-
| tire administration
| The Democratic party will strike
| down special privileges whether
| granted through high protective
| tariff or granted to government char
| tered corporations by permission of
! law. All trusts owe their birth and
their ability to continue existence to
one or the other of these two forms
of special privilege No private mo-
nopOly, no business appTOXimating pri-
vate monopoly in methods or in mag
nitUde, can endure without one or
| the other or both
The Recent Panic.
| Proceeding at once 10 a mention
| of the republican paTty's dealing with
/ the disturbed finances of the cOun-
| try. we are brought before that GU
! riOus legislative compound. the Vree-
/ land+Aldrich bill The republican par
4 ~ boasts of its knowledge of finance.
/ What have they given us in this law
II Will he remembered that in 1892
! 1898, under a republican administra-
/ ton d panic was anticipated. The
panic came and with republican eff
/ frontery they charged that panic TO
/ the democratic party. Now. CONTROL
! ing every branch of the government,
| they. ANONYMOUSLY seek to charge on
us every consequence growing out OF
| their own maladminiStTatiOn o. the
/ government.
/ The only sort Of legislation with
any great force Of public opinion be
/ hind it that the republican party at
/ tempted TO enact was a bill TO pre-
vent the recurrence of panics- The
] last panic was a depOsitOT's panic,
/ brought about by fear upon the part
/ of the iepOsitOr that he could not
| set back his money which had been
! let in bank. This fear was pro
/ dUCed by the fact. Mich had become