The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1908-01-24
REPUBLICAN TARIFF POLICY
WELL DESCRIBED.
NJ. e. ingalls, Points Out Reason for
the Great Accumulation Of Wealth
In a Few Hands-Necd Of I'M
mediate Change.


proper reduction OF the tariff where II
seryC> to foster monopoly. and pub
licity for corporate affairs. He said
in part;
I'VE hear much to-day from the Re
publican leaders about the large cor
pOrations and trusts and predatory
wealth. and they call for their destruc-
ton las though that would bring
safety TO the republicl, when the fact
is, II is like cutting down the weeds
instead OF digging them up by the
roots. To my mind the great source
and cause Of these large corporations,
and this great accumulation of wealth
in few hands. Is due to our system of
taxation; more especially the tariff.
That is the great breeder of trusts
and fortunes. A tariff which enables
men to combine and keep out compe-
titlon, and then feed upon the public,
increasing their profits from year 10
year, This is the source and origin
of nearly all these great combinations.
When this government first started,
and until few years since, the theory
OF the tariff was that 1t should be so
| laid as to produce revenue, with tax
alton as an incident. This has been
changed In the last few years, so that
to-day your tariff Is made for protec.
! tion, and the revenue is only an Incl.
| dent. Thus is the doctrine OF the
| fathers reversed, and reversed for
no ~
| these great corporations to protect
| themselves and form alliances and
| combinations which will keep out
| competition; and sell cheaper to for
| Cigners than TO our own people TO
| drive out the small manufacturers.
| and produce exactly the condition of af.
| fairs that we have to-day. Docs any
| enc think that n law can be wise or
| good which will enable one man to
take s30oO00.O00 or 500 900 900 ont of
| manufacturing business by combina.
| ton, formed solely for the purpose OF
| driving out all the smaller manufac.
| turcrs and forming one gigantic mo-
| nopoly? y Was there ever tariff law
made in the last 90 years that was not
| dictated by the sugar trust? The
! president OF that trust. who was one
! Of the ablest men In the country, prop
erly and rightly stated at Washington
| that the tariff was the mother of
! trusts. No one knew better than he
whereof he spoke We do not wish to
| break down, to destroy Our mission
| Is TO build up, but We want,to build up
for the benefit OF the many and not
for the few. Our Republican oppo-
| ncnts say we must not touch the tariff
| this election, and that when 1t Is
amended 1t should be by the people
who are its friends; that is, ! suppose,
those who are sharing the profits of
| the lcgali2ed robbery This Is a nice
doctrine, which If applied to every.
| thing in the world would produce some
astonishing results The swindler who
was cheating you might say he should
not be interfcred with at present, and
that the laws to protect you from such
swindlinG should be made in the future
by his friends We think 1t well, II
this Is an evil, as claimed, that It
should be eradicated now, and that the
| provisions for its eradication should
not be made by those who are sharing
in the plumber. Let us have an honest
deal; let the change be made at once,
and let It be made by the people So,
my fellow-Democrats, would have
our party make this one OF the leading
issues OF the coming campaign.
Next, would endeavor to control
the trusts, and by trusts mean any
combination OF men or individuals for
purposes of business, whether under
the name OF trust. corporation or a
company. There is really no difference.
! am not In favor of destroying them,
as some Of the statesmen Of the day
demand.
THE first way of controlling these
is by amending the tariff as / have al.
ready stated, This will do away with
the government protection In their
formation, and In the conduct of their
business.
Then, instead of destroying those
that are left, let us control them and
make them our servants and sub
servicnt TO law instead OF independ-
cnt and defylng 1t. Let us provide that
any aggregation of capital. whether q
trust or corporation or a company. by
whatever name they call themselves,
intending to do an interstate business.
should apply for license to do bust.
ness to the commissioner of corpora
tons of the national government. and
In such application they must state
where and when Incorporated. the
amount of their capital, how II was
paid for, who are its stockholders and
officers, and, in fact, complete his.
tory OF the formation of the company
and its financial condition. Then, II
approved, they should be given per.
mission to do business, but only with
they understanding that they make up
statement Of their condition at least
twice year, and that they submit all
their books and accounts for examina
ton by commissioners aDnointed nv