Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-08-04

the Interests have framed the tariff
bills now in conference
No doubt interests" have de-
termined the character of the
schedules. but they are not by any
means the specific class of interests
against which the fiighty alarm press
is trying to embitter the public.
The impression intended to be con-
veyed is that the trusts. monopolies
and predatory corporations, have,
through their tools, hirelings and as
snciates in congress, written tariff
bill which, If enacted into law,
would still further enrich their Golfers
at the expense of the ultimate con-
sumers.
Now this is downright demagogic
prevarication. if nothing worse. I'm
questionably, there are swollen,
grasping business enterprises that
through lobbying and the good will
of the congressman from their district
seek to maintain high rate of duty
on their goods. But in this they are
not acting differently than hundreds
of other industries the country over
that are far removed from being
trusts and monopolies, and that yet
desire a strong measure of protection.
Nor are the motives of the senator
or representative who seeks the ad
vancement of some big enterprise es-
sentially different from those of con-
gressmen who are boosting a smaller
industry on their native heath at the
expense of the rest of the country.
In other words the interest" that
so largely write at the tariff and de-
feat the demand for downward revi-
sion ma, be designated, purely and
simply. as home or local interests.
And such a tendency is not symptmoic
of any baleful grasp that bulwarked
capital has upon the representatives
of the people; 1t is merely indictive
of sectional human selfishness as 1T
has existed in every day and age.
1t has become the fashion to rail
against the New England congressman
for standing solidly for the high
protection of their home manufactur-
ing Interests. Yet will any citizen
of Wisconsin,, possessing small de-
gree of common sense, assert thst II
we had in our state the same vast
industries Of New
England had our 'insurgent congress
men we would not stand by them
against the rest of the countryT
Why did those radical downward
DoIliver, Cummins and
Bristow, vote against free hides
Because the Interests of their Sec
tion, of their constituents, demanded
that hides be protected. Why did
Senator LA Toilette only last Saturday
tell the president that our paper mills
cannot exist at rate less than 80
ton on print paper, when other down
ward reYisionists clamor for 81 rate
at the very least? Because the paper
industry is local home interest
that demands protection.
Why. again, does the whole Wis
consin representation stand for free
hides? Because a Wisconsin in
terest, the tanning industry. would
profit by free hides. Why do Demo
cratic congressman vote against
certain free raw materials, one of
their platform principles? Because
they think it will help their home
section. -
And thus one might 60 on in
definitely. The tariff duties are kept
up not by the trusts and monopolies,
but by the desire of congressman to
protect the industries that give en-
ployment and bring wealth to their
states, whether they are still one-horse
concerns or manufacturing levi
athians. And we have yet to hear
perceptible peep from the constituents
of such congressman for such pamper-
ing of the home baIliwick. The roar
is always against the other fellows.
Until we have tariff, comm ission
until trading and log-Iolling can be
to a degree from tariff
making. the local interests will
have the upper hand. But let us place
the blame where it lies. and not on
this yellow press DOGGY of a trust
congress. Free Press.