New-York tribune., 1910-08-16
PJNNFAG AWAY FROM THE 1851 T..

THE New York World which adopted
Senator Bristow s charges against Sena-
tor Aldricn. also adopts his ingenious
devices for shifting the grounds of the
controversy The gist of the original
charges was that Mr. Aldrich used his
influence as chairman of the Senate
| nance Committee in order to advance
the tariff duty on certain manufactured
rubber goods coming into competition
with domestic goods in the production
of which he was interested as stock
holder in the Intercontinental Rubber
Company. That The World SO under
stood the charges. to which it kept call
ing public attention. is proved by these
extracts from its editorials of July 20
aud August Q:
| July Ex-senator Aldrich makes no re-
! ply to Senator Bristow. 1t is common
enough to charge public men in general
| terms with the service of selfish inter-
| eStS It is most unusual 10 accuse
member of Congress of SO shaping tariff
! legislation as to secure for himself direct
! pecuniary profit Senator Aid
/ rich is accused by a fellow Republican
! of adding this per cent to g. tariff al
ready nearly prohibitory in order TO IA
ciliate the organization and swell the
! profits of a trust in which he and his
| son are largely interested.
| August 9-Senator Bristow's accusa-
| ton is simple. He shows that Mr. Aid
rich. who, with his son, is heavily inter-
ested in the Rubber Trust, succeeded in
| Increasing the duty on manufactures OF
rubber from 80 to 50 per cent. He adds
| interest to this disclosure by proving
that soon after the tariff went into effect
~, n
of which Mr. Aldrich's son became gen.
eral manager, and that prices were
rapidly advanced.
These extracts all gave the impression
that Mr.. Aldrich was financially inter-
cSted in a company manufacturing rub
her goods in the United States and get
ting the benefit-if there was any benefit
from an increase Of the tariff duty on
a portion of the importations of rubber
manufactures.
Since the Rhode Island Senator stated
that the Intercontinental Rubber Com
pany. in which he holds stock, was con
cerned exclusively with the production of
crude rubber in Mexico and other for
eien countries. that crude rubber came
in free under the Payne tariff law. as it
did under the Dingley tariff law. and
that his company was not engaged di
rectly or indirectly in the manufacture
Of rubber goods. "The World following
Mr. Rristows unfortunate example, has
been unwilling to admit that it had
spread q wrong impression, and lame
| iy tries to excuse itself by saving that
| if Mr.. Aldricb got no profit out of the
! increase of duty, other people benefited
namely the domestic manufacturers of
Tubber-with whom his relations are
| friendly. Having condemned Mr.. Aldrich
| for working for his own private advan-
,tage. our neighbor now holds that he
was equally guilty in working for some
| body else's advantage. The World
seems disgruntled because Republican
newspapers have not been impressed by
I Mr. Rristow's method of proving charges
! hy running away from them and substi-
/ tutinS altogether different and irrelevant
! charges. IT said yesterday:
Whatever may be his grievance
against the insurgents, Senator Aldrich
| can have no quarrel with his party'S
! obedient newspapers. Most Of them,
! through partiaiity or lack of infoTma-
] Ilpn. nave 0uIt1QIlN assumed 10dt his
defence in the matter of the scandalous
| rubber tariff is satisfactory.
If to be merely just and fair is to lack
| impartiality and information. Republican
| newspapers are not the only culpritS de-
! serving The Worlds censure The
| Philadelphia Record is as strong AN
anti-pr0tectiOniSt and anita dminiStra-
| tion newspaper as The World 1t can
not be moved by obedience or duty t.
accept Mr.. Aldrich's reply as "satisfac-
! tory" Yet il said last Saturday:
/ Fairness requires an admission that
| Senator AldriCh has made a pretty good
| defence against the Charges of Senator
Bristow. The Increase of per cent in
the duties of manufactured rubber af-
! fected only an insignificant class of
imports, he says. and the change was
! made for administrative convenience to
/ equalizc all duties on rubber goods.
! INFLOW. Senator Aldrich is not inter
ested in manufactured rubber. The In
/ tercontinental Rubber Company, of
/ which his son is president and he q
stockholder. deals only in raw gum: and
I this commodity is. and always has been.
duty free. The consolidation of COM
panies in the Intercontinental was ef-
! fected before the Payne-Aldrch tariff
! was thought of. and il did not cause a
rise of the price of raw gum: Oh the
/ contrary, il has declined from SO to 81 40
a pound. The price is fixed by the in
exorable law of supply and demand.
and the Intercontinental could not fix it
/ if it desired; for the value of the entire
( annual output OF this Trust" is only
SO. 100000, while the imports of unmanu-
! factured rubber into the United States
/ last year exceeded S170,000,000.
/ If d consistent and radical anti-pro-
/ tectionist newspaper like THE Record
admits the baselessness of the Bristow
charges. why should Republican news
papers be accused of ''partiality'' for also
pronouncing them fanciful and msup-
ported:
! THE REVOLT AGAINST CLERICAL