The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-09-10

defense OF American standards of living
and Of the American scale Of wages. The
Democratic party seeks. az Mr.. Bryan
loonstrues its platform. TO overthrow pro-
lection and to establish a revenue tariff
Instead OF rsadjuatmsnt of protective
rates and q fair arrangement Of schedules
consistent with the long established pol
10y Of the country under which our trade
has been developed and our Industrial ac-
tivitIes have attained their notable ex-
pansion. he insists on an overthrow Of
the entire system Of protection, thus
thHsatsning the dislocatiOn Of trade and
the most serious disturbance Of Industry.
He seeks not tariff revision but tariff
revolution.
When. however we consider these 9TH
sr remedies that are proposed for the
trusts. we find ourselves journeying in a
land of dreams. Again the magician Of
1896 waves his wand. at stroke diff
culties disappear and the complex prob
lens of modern business are forgotten In
the fascination of the simple panacea.
And as the free coinage Of silver at the
ratio Of l6 to 1 was to destroy the curse
OF gold, so the new-found specific OF
equal perfection is to remove the curse OF
industrial oppression. The delnsion of
1908 Is comparable only to that of twelve
years ago.
The first suggestion is that the law
should prevent a duplication Of directors
among competing corporations. But the
more important proposal is that any
manufacturing or trading corporation en-
gagged In inter ate commerce shall he re-
Quired to take out federal license be-
fore it shall be permitted to control as
much as rs per cent of the product In
which 1t deals" This proposal in its ut
ter disregard of the facts of business in
its substitution of the phantasiss of the
imagination for the realities OF life.
stamps the Democratic platform with the
fatal stamp of 1896. The commerce and
industry of this country; the interests Of
its wage-earners and of its .interdepen-
dent masses. who must rely upon the sta
bility of business. can not afford to give
license to such yagaries.
The plan proposed by the Democratic
platform to provide for guarantee OF
bank deposits Is also open to serious oh
lection. MIR. Taft promptly pointed out its
weakness, and Mr.. Bryan. despite his
skill. has been unable effectively to an
swer his criticism. The plan proposes 10
make the honest and prudent banks meet
losses for which they are in no way re-
spOnsible. Mr.. Bryan replies that all
banking restrictions operate to curtail the
freedom of the prudent because OF the
dangers arising from the abuses of 9TH
ers. But 1t is one thing to put q business
under needed restrictions operating i'm
partially and quite another to compel
banks to make good specific losses not
attributable in any way to their neglect
or default.
The business of banking and insurance
must be transacted under strict super
vision; but those institutions which Oper-
,ln,, rxyifh ~ he 10
should not suffer either from laxity of
governmental supervision with regard to
others or from imprudences with which
they have no concern.
The Republican party has been solicit
GUS of the rights Of labor. Mr.. Taft iS
clearly right when he says that mot
since the beginning of the government
has any other national administration
done so nue.. for the cause OF labor by
the enactment of remedial legislation as
has Theodore Roosevelt and the Republi-
can congresses elected to sit during his
term OF Office" He has exposed the dis
inEsnuousness Of the plank In the Demo
cratic platform that "Injunctions should
not be issued N any cases in which In
tunctiOns would not issue II no industrial
disputes were inVolved"-a anus-faced
proposal, meaning what you like The
Republican party has taken reasonable
attitude upon the injunction question
But more important to labor than any
benefits which may reside in improved
procedure in injunction cases is the op-
portunity to work. 1t profits little to a
workingman be told that he will be
given the right to trial by jury in case
he is guilty of contempt of court, If
those who promise 1t propose to enter
upon a fatuous course Of arbitrary inter
ference with trade. The prosperity of the
workingman fundamentally depends upon
wise, conserving and upbuilding policies
and demands that efforts to reform in
dustrial evils should be carefully concev-
ed and prosec ted without endangering
the stability of legitimate business enter
prise.
And it is to the Republican party under
its wise and experienced leadership that
we must look In the present exigency for
proper guidance to these ends. 1t is not
q time for nostrums or for the rule of a
party which proposes them.