The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-07-28


attempting to determine whether the
entire schedule Of rates OF a railway
is xcessiye. the physical valuation 81
the road is relevant nd important
but not necessarily a controlling fac
tor.
National Control Of Corporations.
Another suggestion In respect to
subordinate and auxiliary machinery
necessary to carry out Republican
policies Is that OF the Incorporation
under National law or the licensing
by National license or enforced regis.
try OF companies engaged in inter-
state trade. The fact Is that nearly
all corporations doing commercial
business are engaged in interstte COM
merce, and II they all were required
TO take out Federal license or a
Federal charter, the burden upon the
interstate business Of the country
would become intelerable.
1T Is necessary, therefore, to de-
wise some means for classifying and
insuring Federal supervision Of such
corporations as have the power and
temptation to effect rest ints of in
terstate trade and monopolies.
Compulsory Sale OF Products.
THE proposal to compel every cor
poration to sell its commodities at the
same price the country over, allowing
for transportation, is utterly imprac-
ticable. If 1T can be shown that in
order to drive out competition, cor
poration owning a large part OF the
plant producing an article is selling
in one part of the country, where II
has competitors, at low and I'M
profitable price, and in another part
of the country, where 1t has none, at
an exhorbitant price, this is evidence
that 1t is attempting an unlawful
monopoly, and justifles conviction un-
der the antitrust law; but the pro-
posal to supervise the business of
corporations in such a way as to fix
the price Of commodities and compel
the sale at such price is as absurd and
sociahstic o plank as was ever in
serted In a Democratic political plat
form.
Proper Treatment of Trusts.
Unlawful trusts should he re-
strained With all the efficiency of in
junctive process, and the persons en-
gagged in maintaining them should be
punished with all the severity of
criminal prosecution, in order that
the methods pursued in the operation
of their business shall be brought
within the law. To destroy them
and to eliminate the wealth they rep
resent from the producing capital of
the country would entail enormous
loss, and would throw out of employ
ment myriads OF workingmen and
worklngwomen. Such a result is
wholly unnecessary to the accomplish
ment of the needed reform, and will
inflict upon the innocent far greater
than upon the guilty.
Republican Doctrine of Protection.
The Republican doctrine of pro-
lection, as definitely announced by
the Republican convention of this
year and by previous conventions, Is
that tariff shall be imposed on all
imported products, whether of the
factory, farm or mine. sufficiently
great to equal the difference between
the cost of production abroad and at
home, and that this difference should,
of course, include the difference be
tw zen the higher wages paid in this
country and the wages paid abroad
and embrace reasonable profit to
the American producer. A system of
protection thus adopted and put in
force has led to the establishment Of
a rate OF wages here that has greatly
enhanced the standard Of living OF
the laboring man. It Is the policy of
the Republican party permanently to
continue that standard of living. In
1897 the Dingley Tariff Bill was pass
ed, under which we have had, as ar
ready said, period of enormous
prosperity.
Necessity for Tariff Revision.
The consequent material develop
ment has greatly changed the condi-
tions under which many articles de-
scribed by the schedules of the tariff
are now produced. The tariff in a
number of the schedules exceeds the
difference between the cost of pro-
duction of such articls abroad and at
home, including a reasonable profit
to the American producer The eX-
cess over that difference serves no
useful purpose, but offers tempta-
ton to those who would monopolize
the production and the sale of such
articles in this country, to profit by
the excessive rate. On the other
hand, there are some other schedules
in which the tariff is not sufficiently
high to give the measure of protec-
ton which they should receive upon
Republican principles, and as TO these
the tariff should be raised. a revis-
ion of the tariff undertaken upon
this principle, which is at the basis
OF our present business system, begun
promptly upon the incoming Of the
new administration, and considered
AT a special session with the prclim-
mary Investigations already begun by
the appropriate committees of the
House and Senate, will make the dis
turbance Of business incident to such
change as little as possible.
The Farmer and Republican Party.
As the Republican platform says
the welfare Of the farmer is vital Ia
that Of the whole country One OF
the strongest hopes Of returning pros
pcrity is based on the business which
his crops are to afford. lie is vitality
interested in the restraining of eX-
cessiv> and unduly discriminating
railroad rates, in the enforcement OF
I'M. pttra fnpI luuc II, tba Hon