The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-11-04

! t.
TONE BROS. Dss Moines. Iowa
Il hiilers Of fhe famous Tone Bros Spices
dice. 1t is an age of uniform develop
ment; of system; of organization. The
complete system of transportation
travel, and communication has woven
us together into a gigantic force MAX
ing for a wonderful civic improvement
an astounding commercial development,
and an enlightened and providential
political progress.
With the uniform educational ia
cilities there is more uniformity in the
abilities and capabilities of men, Like
wise with the broadening and extern
ton of system in business methods
there is consequent narrowing down
of the field of employment and bust
ness activity, and lessening of in
centive for individual initiative.
The American mind is controlled to-
day mainly by commercial, instinct.
The American people are Il money
making nation They regard politics
as the practical adiuster of Industrial
before the people today with practical
remedies for wrong conditions
81 therefore stand mequivocally for
the recognized progressive principles of
the republican party. | am in hearty
sympathy with the movement prevail
ing in this section for revision of
the tariff schedules downward.
Il believe in the principle of pro-
lection, but that protection must be
only such rate as is sufficient to pro-
tect the American manufacturer in Il
reasonable profit and the American
worllingman in the prevailing scale
of wages, and enable him to maintain
the high standard of living in which
we take pride in; America ;iHhe rate,
then, in my opinion, should, be "a rate
which will equal the difference. between
the cost of production at home and
abroad, allowing adequate protection.
A rate higher than this is 'over-pro-
tection; any additional rate higher
than is necessary to. subserve these
purposes is but the payment OF trib-
ute to the class by the Masses
Criticised Wooden Schedule.
Mr. Ellsworth criticised ,thc wooden
schedule. "This schedule is faulty by
reason of it's failure TO graduate the
tariff rates on heavy and light shrink
ing wool in the grease, thereby work
ing discrimination against the
carded wooden mill industries, and in
favor of the wooden textiles indus
try, a schedule which has been main
tanned unchanged for generation, is
as contrary to the cardinal principle
of our constitutional government as
was the British stamp act. which pre-
cpitated the american revolution. 1t
has remained there througho democratic
administrations. anchangtaiD and unre
pealed. 1t is not in my mind a justi-
ficatiOn of too high rates that men
can pay the prices eXacted for COM
modify over protected and still by rea-
son of prosperous times thrive and ac-
cumulate. 1t is not question OF
whether or not the prevailing condition
is better than some other condition
which might prevail under different
management, but it is a question of
whether or not the rate as fixed, the
law as passed. is right and just and
equal to all parties concerned" Mr.
Ellsworth would lift, the tariff out of
the whirlpool of politics and place the
work of .readjusting schedules in the
hands of commission. 81
Conservation National Question.
Zone of the great questions of pub
lie interest is that of the conserva-
ton of our. national resources. This
concerns the preservation of forests.
the reclamation of lands of the gov
ernment, and the proper treatment and
disposition of our government coal
lands, phosphate lands, oil and gas
lands, and Of the lands known as
water power cities at the points on
streams, where the water power must
be converted in order to be useful.
"At first thought conservation seems
to mean to withhold from use, to
bottle up, to lock away, and hoard up.
The true principle of conservation is
that of conserving our great natural
resources by such an economical use
as Will render the greatest good to
the greatest number. This policy
comparatively new like all great
policies of government has be-
come of vital Importance, and has
become prominent as a vital measure
before the American people because
of two conditions; first an unfortu-
nate one, and second a fortunate con-
dition.
Twenty years ago great areas of
land, millions of acres, were covered
with great standing timber. In single
townships great trees covering the
slopes and hillsides, like forest of
Lebanon would have furnished the
timber for the building of modern
King Solomon's Temple on a scale as
gigantic as twentieth century Ameri-
can institutions. In the mountain re-
gions great streams were leaping over
rock bound precipices and surging
their way through rock bound canyons
and dissipating pent up power, shf-
fieient to drive the wheels of New
England's industrial iuggernaut.
Corporations Were Busy.
During the stress of the most mar
Vicious business development that any
patton has ever known, when men and
political parties were busy with the
many problems of government, great
corporations of American business men,,
reaching out with gasping service were
depicting and denuding the forests,
and bridlin0 the water falls A few