The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-13
ALDRICH'S EXPLANATION.

Senator Bristow of Kansas has been
making some sharp attacks upon Sen
ator Aldrich Of Rhode Island. in regard
to Aldrich's S tampering with the tariff
schedules on rubber in the interests of
a rubber trust IN which Aldrich and
his family and friends were alleged to
he interested benefciaries
For long time Senator Aldrich re-
manned silent. but now he has spoken
for himself; and he explains that there
are two rubber trusts, one in which he
is directly interested and another i'll
which he is not. His trust is the inn
porting trust 1t imports crude rubber,
chiefly from Mexico, raised there by
the Inter Continental Rubber company
IN which his interest is. and another
trust called the United States Rubber
company. The first imports rubber. The
second buys that rubber and manufac-
tures it into various articles of use,
The understanding between the two
companies appears to be complete. The
manufacturing trust takes the import
ing trust's rubber at n price fixed be-
use in this country. There is little or
no manufactured rubber imported, the
tariff being so high that it does not pay
to import manufactured rubber The
tariff under the Dingley law on manu-.
factured rubber was thirty per cent
of the value. Under the Aldrich Payne
law it is made thlrty.ive per cent.
There has never been any matter of
difference between the two trusts ex-
cept once, Aldrich says, and this sin
reference to the sale and delivery of
It's crude products, - the latter referring
to the importing company, The rcla-
tions between the two appear to be
confidential and close. By the increase
from thirty to thirty five per cent on
manufactured rubber it is reasonable to
suppose that the manufacturing trust
would pay the importing trust a little
more for It's rubber. 1t certainly could
afford to do this whether that entered
into the matter OF the increase Of FIVE
per cent in the tariff schedule or not.
The imports of crude rubber are stated
at $l00,000,000 year into this coun
try. When manufactured into various
articles Of use, this would doubtless be
worth $200000,000. 1t is clear, there
fore, that this little raise OF FIVE per
cent would net to the manufac turing
rubber company. above its former pro-
fits, $l0,000,0o0 year. Surely it
would be an ungrateful manufacture
company indeed that would refuse to
give to Mr., Aldrich IS importing com
pany little more than before for its
rubber
According to Senator Aldrich, his
company imports largely to sell to the
rubber manufacturing trust. 1t must
sell largely to that trust. Probably the
manufacturing trust must buy largely
of Mr.. Aldrich's s trust. This would work
harmoniously, one depending upon the
other, the importing company depend
ing upon the manufacturing company to
buy and the manufacturing company
depending upon tho importing company
| to import 1t is very nice, agreeable
little arrangement, but it is hard to un'
derstand how that eXculpates Senator
Ald1ch from the charges made by Sen
ator Bristow In fact. it emphasizes
the Importance and truth Of those
charges. The rotations between the
importing and the manufacturing trust
are such that what helps the latter Is
sure to help the former, and doubtless
contracts between the two are OF char
acter to make this direct and definite.
Senator Bristow will not need to go any
further than Senator Aldrich's S letter
to emphasize the truth Of the charges
he has heretofore made.
All Of which proves anew tho import
ance OF the old injunction by an astute
politician to never write letters. SEN
ator Aldrich would have done better to
have maintained his lifelong rule or
silence under fire than to have written
letter like this.