The daily sentinel., 1908-08-24

they trust the trusts
THE method OF procedure is sim
pie. II is case of confidence. The
voters have confidence in Republican
leaders; the leaders have confidence
in a Republican congress; a Republic
can congress has confidence in the
men who represent the trusts. and
the trusts write the tariff law and
thus secure to themselves the right
to levy tribute upon the public. So
accustomed have Republican leaders
become to allowing the protected in
terests to write the tariff sched uleS
that so eminent and honorable a man
as Senator Hoar of Massachusetts,
said. in discussing the Mckinley bill,
then before the senate:
Instead of coming before your
subcommittee for a formal hearing
on our Massachusetts industries, 1
thought the best way was to carefully
prepare a table of all the various in
dustries, perhaps some sixty or sew
enty in all, and ask Brother Aldrich
to go over them with me and ascer-
tain what the people wanted in each
case, and if there were any cases
where the committee had not already
done exactly what the petitioners de-
sired or had not infleXibly passed
upon the question, | could have a
hearing before you, but / find in ev-
cry instance the action of the COM
mittee, as Mr.. Aldrich thinks it likely
to be, is entirely satisfactory to the
interests l represent, with the eXcep-
tfon OF one or two, and the papers in
regard to those cases | have handed
to Mr.. Aldrich.
MIR. Miles, whom | have before
quoted, says in American Industries
of April of this year:
People asking a government rep
resentative for relief on another
schedule were by that representative
referred TO a New England manufac-
turer, the official agreeing to act in
accordance with the protected manu-
facturer's wishes. / did not intend
that it should be interpreted as
severely as it has been, but having
been so interpreted. | WA not con-
sent to modification of it. And this
mans W. remains the law
,,e couid not expect a jury to do
justice to the defendant if it was COM
posed entirely of the relatives of the
plaintiff; neither can we expect a
congress to do justice to the masses
if ii is composed of men who are in
sympa..y with. and obligated to, the
corporations which have for a gener-
alton been enjoying specia. privileges
There is no prospect of relief
from Republican president and con-
gress. The Democratic party, if en-
trusted with power, can and will re-
duce the tariff
1.-The Democratic platform not only
demands II reduction of the tariff.
but il plainly outlines the course to
be pursued in securing the reduction
Ii begins by proposing that articles
which come into competition with
articles controlled by trust be plac-
ed on the free list. What better place
to begin? Years ago MIR. Havemeyer.
the head of the Sugar Trust. said that
the tariff was the mother of trusts
and her children are many. Secre-
tary Taft, in his notification speech,
says that AN excessive tariff serves no
useful purpose but offers tempta-
tion to those who would monopOlize
the production and the sale of such
| articles in this country, to profit by
the excessive rate
Now suppose the manufacturers
who have been favored by legislation
do conspire against the public and
enter INTO monopoly What penalty
do the Republicans suggest? None
whatever. These men are to be con-
suited about proposed changes, and if
the next Republican tariff is made.
like former Republican tariffs, moth
ing will be done without the unani-
nous consent of the benefciaries.
what would be the effect of the
remedy proposed by the Democratic
platform? Simply this:-a law goes
into effect at some fixed date in the
tuture. and if the Democrats pass a
law, putting upon the free list articles
coming into competition with those
controlled by trust, the trust will
have until that date to dissolve. If
the trust considers the law too dras-
tic, 1t can avoid it by giving up it's
monopoly.
Secretary Taft calls this remedy
utterly destructive and in his anx-
lety to prevent it overlooks the fact
that the Democratic party has other
remedies for the trusts. If we can
succeed in dissolving existing trusts.
and in preventing the organization of
new ones. there will be no trusts
against which to use the remedy of
which he complains. There is now a
Jaw against trusts, but it mas not been.
sufficiently enforced to prevent
trusts. The Democrats demand it's
enforcement if its enforcement rids.
me country of trusts, then this policy
~hlch Mr.. Taft so much fears will be
ome perfectly harmless. If the Dem
i"'9 SEIZURE control OF both the
iouse and the Senate, they are pledg-
I'd to legislation which will make a
private monopoly impossible. If the
fepuDlicans retain control of part
u the legislative machinery of the
government and refuse to Join in the
Mort to make a private monopoly
impossible. they are not in position
o complain of tariff legislation aim
d at trusts. II they refuse to assist
IS in exterminating the principle of
rlvate monopoly, they cannot well