The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-04-18
AGAINST THE PAPER TRUST.

Instead of having the courage to
meet the issue with the Paper Trust
on the question of a repeal of duties,
Speaker Cannon takes refuge in a
series of resolutions 10 require the
department of commerce 10 investi-
gate the combination and. If found
guilty, 10 prosecute il But if the
protective duties on pulp and paper
that sustain the Trust were repealed
no one would have cause to complain
of its operations. II would then be
subject to the competitive laws OF
trade. and American consumers. con-
stituting the whole body of newspa-
per publishers, would be free from its
extortions. Investigation under the
speakers resolutions may show that
the Paper Trust, like the Steel Trust
and other trade combines, is strictly
within the letter of the law and be-
yond the reach of any penalties 1t
prescribes. But the fact would still
remain that the duties on pulp and
paper are what alone enables the
Trust to despoil American consumers,
Just as the protective duties operate
in favor of like combines.
Speaker Cannons proposition to
investigate goes, of course, on the as
sumption of those who have suggest
ed il. If not the speaker himself. that
the Paper Trust is an unlawful conf
bination in trade. \ little reflection
will convince even stand patter of
the utter evasiveness of this proceed
ing. Suppose after a long and weari-
nGmnp-
strated that the Paper Trust is
lawless combination and the courts
should dissolve II? What is 10 hinder
a new organization of the Trust with
in the law? The pulp and paper
duties would still remain as the
potential agency for promoting its
continued spoliations. Does Speaker
Cannon imagine that the American
Newspaper Publishers Association
composed of the publishers OF the
leading journals, Republican and
Democratic. throughout the land.
cannot perceive the effect. if not the
arbitrary intent, of his propositions
Does he think that they can be
amused by so transparent an artifiee
while they are demanding repeal of
II is true enough that the duties on
wood pulp and printing paper are the /
lowest IN the Dingley tariff schedule |
not averaging as Speaker Cannon
says, much above | per cent on the
value But these duties, low as they +
are. serve the purpose of the Trust in /
foreign competition and
enabling it 10 screw prices up 10 the /
top notch against American con
sumers If the duties were repealed |
there would be no need of trouble
some and procrastinating investiga-
tion, as with repeal reason for in
yestigation, as with repeal reason
for Investigation, would cease The
low duties on wood pulp and printing
paper may account. however. in some
degree for the obstinancy of the
stand patters in congress in resisting
of their repeal. They
have confessed to the fear that this
would bring up a discussion of the
DalZell duties of $50 a ton on tin
plate, of $40 ton on steel building
of 1884 a ton on steel
rails, the brutal 100 per cent duty on
wooden fabrics. the lumber duties and
like tariff denominations. But the
Democrats have relieved them of this
apprehension by pledging themselves
to consider only the one question of
pulp and paper duties, and so the
stand patters are without excuse in
their evasive tactics.-Philadelp
Record