The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1910-04-01
WESTMINSTER, MD.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL |, 1910
THE STEEL TRUST AND STEEL
SHIPS.

has surrendered willingly, the one
most essential to his welfare, entering
as it does into the composition of
nearly everything he uses, il iron.
I'm this country its production il con-
trOlled by the Steer Trust, toddling
monopoly of some few hundred mill
ions, which, being overbalanced by
watered stock, naturally sought pro-
lection at the hands of a complacent
and paternal government. Its simple
request was of course granted and the
motherly wing of protective tariff
promptly shielded it from any danger
of foreign competition and gave to it
an open and unobstructed opportunity
for the robbery of the American peo-
pie. This was and il hard on us,
but the water-stock now bears divi-
dendS.
Possibly it might be well for every
man, woman and child i'm this country
to pay tribute to this monster, con-
ceived i'm greed and brought forth
auspaci0usly by poor mother Morgan,
If ii was necessary for its life, and its
well being was essential to our Coun-
try'S progress. That il not, il made
evident by the fact that last week a
contract for the construction of two
battleships of the Dreas-Nough type
was by Argentine awarded to an
American firm of ship builders i'm
competition with the leading nations
of the world. These vessels are to be
built by American workmen and all
material entering into their construc-
ton will be furnished by this country.
Our labOrers are paid higher wages
than their foreign rivals and practical
ly everything that enters into the con-
struction of these vessels will be iron
or steel. Why then should protec-
tive tariff be placed upon steel ? But
one answer can be made to this ques-
ton and that Is to enable the trust to
rob us.
We cannot escape this conclusion
for these ship builders must evidently
have been able to secure from the
trust better terms for the steel which
Ii to 90 into these foreign bottoms,
than 1T il for that which IL used for
our own home people, or for our own
government. Tt il just like buying
steel rails, when, If they are to 20 to
Canada you can get them for less
than If they are to be used i'm New
York. The same being true of any
other article produced by trust a
few years ago resident of this coun-
ty visiting his relatives i'm Germany
using on his farm, offered for sale for
less than he could buy them i'm West
minister, and needing two decided to
purchase them and ship them home
But fortunately, he found out, before
he had completed the transaction that
although he could afford to pay the
freight across the Atlantic for a Sec
Ond time. vet the tariff would make
them cost little more than he would
have to pay Doyle G. Magee. 30 he
did not buy.
Oh, this il a great old country for
the flourishing industry of robbing the
consumer by law, SO a. to enable the
rich to set richer, il they head a trust.
They sell to the foreigner for less than
to u, and pay the freight, while our
charge j. always (. 0. b., U. :. s. The
result 81 this IL that we have today no
merchant marine, AZ our merchants
cannot afford to pay the price de-
manded for vessels built here, and
they cannot bring In foreign bottoms
without being taxed. We are i'm their
greedy grasp, and as our merchants
will not or cannot pay the price they
demand, they try to bribe them by
proposed ship subsidy law which will
be only for the benefit of the corpo-
ration which furnishes the steel OF
which the vessels are built. Yet this
corporation, when necessary, can fur
nish it for less than any firm i'm the
world Why then should 1t be daily
allowed to rob u when we buy rails,
iron machinery or anything else :?
Morgan doesn't need the money and
W. do. IL ii any wonder then the hon.
ct men in the Republican party have
demanded that the tariff b. raised
and finding their party won't do lit,
have determined to elect Democrats to
Congress
There has occurred in recent times,
in view Of the trusts demands for
ship subsidy, 10 graver indictment
against their practices than the award
ing OF the contract for the construc-
ton Of these vessels to an American
firm. Tit demonstrates conclusively
that the steel trust sells cheaper
when the material IL It'd b. used by I
foreigner than when by III. we call
this legalized stealing, but they may
claim lit II only robbing Peter to pay
Paul, ~ lit il the way they dispose OF 4
their surplus stock which, being 4
philanthropists, they felt necessary To
accumulate in order to give work tn
their employees. In reply to this W.
would say, that there ar more Peters
than there are Pauls, and that Peter