Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-05-31
SENATE and TRUSTS
Combines find A SAFE HARBOR
IN SENATE.
Campaign Pledges of Last Year Are
Flung to the Winds. Republican
Senators who Would keep Faith
with the People Are Called InSur-
gents.

Who will say that the public mis-.
givings and predictions in regard to
the Senate on one hand, and on the
other the confidence of the Trusts
in this citadel of their power, have
not been more than realized? Be-
fore the Payne bill was passed Sem
ator Aldrich and his Committee Of
Finance were busily manipulating
their edition of the tariff at the die
tation of the Trusts. Hardly was his
bill launched in debate until he told
the Western Republican Senators.
with sneer, that the party was not
pledged to reduce the tariff, and his
distinguished stand-pat colleague on
the committee, Senator Lodge, declar-
ed in answer to their demand for re-
lief of American consumers from tar
iff burdens that the consumers We're
for a moment. In harmony with
these benevolent declarations nearly
every schedule of duties has been
manipulated with view of securing
more spoil for monopoly. The latest
and most daring of these iniquit:es
is the cunning article for increasing
the duty on structural steel from the
existing exOrbitant rate Of $40 a ton
to at least $14 ton. With the adop-
tiOn of this duty the Steel Trust will
be more secure than ever in despoil-
ing every house builder in this great
land.
Such is the redemption of the
pledges of the Republican party and
it's candidate for president in last
years campaign. In their despair
the sincere Republican friends of
tariff reform are turning from the
Senate safe harbOr of the Trusts to
the committee of conference be-
tween the two houses. They hope
that the committee will be able to
abate the most glaring iniquities Of
the Aldrich bill and present a sat
isfactory tariff to the country. Con-
sidering the probable construction of
that committee and the Senate be-
hind it, this hope reveals large
share of optimism. But indications
are not wanting that the day of judg-
ment for the tariff mongers in both
republican and democratic parties is
not far Off
During the last presidential cam
paign the democrats almost univer-
sally expressed their disbelief in the
republican professions in behalf of
tariff reform. Their common sense
dictated to them that no faith was
to be reposed in the professions of
the friends" of the Dingley tariff,
who for years had proclaimed it as
a most perfect measure of legisla-
tive wisdom, upon which no profane
hand should be laid 1t is not that
they doubted the sincerity of the
republican candidate and the good
will of many republican members of
both houses of congress. Nor do they
doubt the honest purpose of Pres!-
dent Taft and these republicans men,
bers of congress now.
But the democrats of the country
were not so credulOuS as to believe
that a substantial reduction Of Ding
ley duties in the interest Of Ameri-
can consumers could be obtained III
ba 70 nI, fhov had riOnt1V
come to regard as the safe harbor Of
every tariff-nourished Truts that is
now preying upon the people. They
had too often seen the power OF the
protected interests over the Senate,
before the Trusts yet were formed, in
the manipulation of the schedules OF
duties on sugar, iron and steel, glass,
earthenware, wool and woolens, lum-
ber, hides and other imports. When
the Trusts were bred by the tariff
they could not but apprehend that
these giant combinations would be
more potential in their influence over
the Senate than when they We're not
vet fully organized for spoil. What
much enhanced popular suspicion OF
the Senate were the demure profes-
sions of Senator Aldrich, Senator
Lodge and other eminent stand-pat-
ters. That was enough in itself tC
stagger faith in the good intention Of
the senate majority concerning gen
uine revision of the tariff.