Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-10-20
Senator Beveridge Exposes a
Few Tricks of the Trade
THE MASTER OF DEALS


who knows whereof he speaks, tells
the readers Of the Saturday Evening
Post a few Of the tricks Of the tariff
making trade. Mr.. Beveridge is a
thorough believer In honest protec-
ton, though If what he tells us be
true it will be hard for him to show
that any tariff bill can be honest.
How the 100000 Of consumers are
divided among the various predatory
interests and led out like lambs to the
slaughter he describes as follows:
Take the last tariff session as an
example of all others, but the very
last example, thanks to the inteli-
gence Of the American people and the
demand Of the average American pro-
ducer. Let us say there are four or
five enormous interests that have ex-
ercised dominant influence in building
our tariffs, influences that have been
seen in both great parties-for exam
pie, our old friend Of the Wilson-Gor-
man tariff, the American Sugar Re-
fining company. known as the sugar
trust, or the American Wooden COM
pany. known as the wool trust; the
American Tobacco company, known
as the tobacco trust, or the New Eng
cotton trust, or the International and
Northern Paper companies, known as
the paper trust, or the Weyerhaeuser
lumber enterprises, known as the lum-
Der trust, and it's associate concerns.
Every well. Let us say that there
are five senator's who do not want the
sugar schedule touched, ten who do
not want the wool schedule touched,
ten more who want the cotton sched-
ule increased, ten more who think that
the internal revenue laws affecting to-
bacco should not be altered, and so on.
Perhaps these various groups of SEN
atorS do not greatly care about any
schedules other than the one which
they are supporting, though it is a
fact that there is a curious sympathy
among all of them.
But no matter. A combination is
formed among all of them. at the head
of which is a skilled and practiced leg
1slative leader, very captain Of deals.
a master "lOg roller" Let us say that
this combination represents forty
votes. You perceive that it is very
powerful array Of votes when cast as
a unit, as they always are cast.
1.-The responsible head of this combi-
nation. the master of deals, goes to
the two senator's from another state
who are asking for some just and rea-
sonable and absolutely honest protec-
ton for certain industries in their
state-or. rather, they go to the master
Of deals, for the master of deals in
command of the combination is so
powerful that he seldom has to go
to anybody. Sometimes he must go
to an unusually stubborn senator, and
when he must 60 he does go.
1T may well be-often is-that these
two senators do not approve Of the
purposes of this powerful combina-
ton; it may be that they abhor the
schedules that this combination was
formed to maintain or put through,
and just precisely this was the case in
many instances in the last tariff ses-
sion. No matter" the master of deals
says to these two senators; you can
not have your just and honest request
put into this law unless you agree to
vote with our combination; otherwise
we will beat you on what you want
The two senators may rave all they
please, but they are helpless unless
they are willing to stand out for what
is right regardless of any conse-
Quences."
But here come in the selfishness
and immortality of the otherwise hon
est interests in their state, for whom
these senators are asking moderate
and honest Observation-Disclosures that
would be only too glad to be freed
from the thraldom in which the log
rolling methods of tariff making hold
them, for these latter interests, al
though they also disapprove of the
extortions that the combination is ask
ing the senators from their state to
help put through, nevertheless say to
their senators: Well, it is too bad;
but, after all. we have got to have this
rate if we are to go on with our bust
ness. So, though it is wrong, you,
our senators, had better vote for these
and other extortionate rates in order
to protect the industries of your own
state.
I'm the end these senators do just
that thing. So the outcome Of the
whole business is that a majority of
votes are secured for an entire tariff
scheme based on these trades, deals
and log rollings in the senate and npoc
the coercions and threats to those
whom it draws into its net"
Mr.. Beveridge may yet learn that
so long as special privileges are hand
ed out by the legislature it will be i'm
possible to confine them to what he