The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-06-20

fruits of California. the hides oe -
ranges. the cotton and WOODEN and
silk and shoe mills of New England.
the iroa and steel of Pennsylvania.
these will be cared for. The great.
rich states of Middle West and South
will be ground between the upper and
neither millstones. a. Nelson Of Min.
nesota declared on the senate floor.
The combination Of the small
states Of Far East and FAY, West.
formed and directed by the cold. cal
eIlating genius of Aldrich. Is the pow
err behind this tariff revision. Sena-
tors representing only seven millions
of peonle furnish the power with
which this colossal boss. from the
smallest and the most corrupt state.
makes tariff for our population OF
ninety millions.
Yet even with this devoted array
at his back. Aldrich dared not too
openly avow his intention OF grinding
the eighty-three millions between the
millstones of the seven millions. The
New England cotton and wooden mills
were TO have their protection-and
therefore their profit-power-increas-
ed. II was unsafe to do this openly
and frankly. So Aldrich reported
bill in which, he said. there was no
change in their schedules. II was
true as to the figures. But Senator
Dolliver sat up few nights with some
experts. and found that without chang
ing a figure Aldrich had, by silently
rewriting the definition of cotton
cloth. increased the duties throughout.
Aldrich and his followers denied II:
but Dolliver proved IT, And then he
proved. that Aldrich and his lieuten-
ants did not do It: they called In the
skilled agents of the manufacturers
and let them fix up the details. SO that
the provision would be sure to serve
the purpose.
That is typical OF tariff-making un-
der Aldrich. lockers. snakes. indirec-
lions. concealed meanings, definitions
which seem TO mean one thing and
really mean another. jugglings OF
phrase. concealment of a grain OF pur.
these are the sure systems with which
the business senator plays his game.
Regarding the charges that Rhode
Island legislatures have at times been
openly and frankly purchased out
right. Mr.. Welliver quotes Col A. X.
Mcclure. Of Philadelphia. who alleged
that in making the sugar schedule
of the tariff bill Aldrich gave the Su-
gar Trus; the benefit Of one mill add.
ed duty on refined sugar. which en-
abled the trust to draw drown about
three million dollars additional profits
per year by the cheerful process OF
taking that much more from the peo-
pie by adding II to the price Of sugar.
Not many months ago. in . burst
Of confidence. Senator Aldrich ex-
pressed mild surprise that he
should be considered q Standard Oil
man. when in fact. as he explained.
his business affiliations were such a
to identify him with quite another r.
nancial group. He said that In truth
he had never had any business rela-
tons with the Standard Oil people.
and ought to be regarded rather a. OF
the RYAN crowd He said he had but
the slightest acquaintance with John
d. Rockefeller the elder. had met him
only three times. and was done much
injustice by the efforts to discredit
him as Standard Oil statesman.
Handling tariff or any other
great measure is to Aldrich what map
ping out a campaign would be to .
board OF strategy. He works. works.
works. playing interest against inter.
est. making deals and concessions and
compromises. till he 10 sure Of votes
enough on al essential propositions.
He slaves off the tests till he has
made a combination with which To
meet each one. He knows. for In
stance. that with the dominant party
pledged to revise the tariff. bill must
be passed. With that 20 start On. no
must organize one force to protect his
steel schedule. another to defend sug-
ar. another to carry through his tex
tile duties, and SO On through the list.
Some of the men who are with him
on the steel rates, he discovers. Win
desert when II comes to sugar. Some
who are with him on steel and wooden
VIII go over TO the enemy when IL
comes to cotton.
SO his army is q shifting and
changing force. but he has resources
from which he almost invariably com
mands the necessary majority. He
never unc0vers all his forces save In
time Of need. II is always possible for
him to 60 over to the democratic side
OF the chamber and muster q handful
of the political opposition to pull
through q proposition in which he 10
deeply interested. So. IL he finds HIM
self unable to pass his textile sched-
ules with republican votes. he viii
draft few democrats who have cot
ton mills In their states: or II sugar
Is doubtful. the sugar senators Of the
South and West and Middle West win
have to furnish the recruits to make