Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-19
THE ALDRICH SCANDAL

h n THE generations that preceded
this the attempts of persons in
n office to use their official positions
to put money into their private pockets
aroused the public to action and COW
cred the guilty parties with ignoniny
Older citizens we'll remember the Credit
Mobilier and the De Golyer scandals
and the star route postal frauds. In
these days when graft is the merest
commonplace it is to be feared that the
revelations of United States Senator
Bristow made in a speech in Kansas
last week will not result in much more
than a momentary interest.
And yet If what the Kansas insurgent
senator says of Senator Aldrich's linan-
cial interest in the framing of the
Payne-Aldrich tariff is true, it con-
stitutes one of the gravest scandals in
the history Of the government 1t is
well known that Aldrich stood guard
in the senate for the privileged classes
who benefit most from the high tariff,
but this is the first specific knowledge
that Aldrich was himself beneficiary
| and that he prostituted his great
power to enact into law a bill that
would take millions of dollars from the
pockets Of the people and put them into
his own through the direct agency of
the bill.
Briefly, Senator Bristow declared that
Aldrich, through his power in the SEN
ate, had allowed crude rubber to re-
main on the free list, but has increased
the duty on manufactured rubber from
30 to 35 per cent. After the session,
or perhaps before 1t was over, Bristow
charged, Aldrich with the Guggen-
helms and others. organized the Inter-
continental Rubber company, with a
capital of 100000. Aldrich's son. he
| said, became vice president and gen
eral manager of the new concern. The
price of rubber goods was at once in
| creased, Bristow charged, and during
the first three months the new COM
pany paid 1872 per cent on its preferred
stock
There is prima facie evidence of the
truth at least of one of Bristows S
charges. 1t is that since the formation
of the rubber trust there has been a
rapid increase in the price of manu-
factured rubber. In the past three
months there has been a raise of more
| than 20 per cent in the cost of such
goods to the consumer. The trust has
! excused its advances by saying that
the supply Of crude rubber is falling
off, but this is disputed by some au
thorities.
It is doubtless true that the automo-
bile has increased the demand for
tires largely, but not in any such pro-
portion, it is said. to the eXactions of
the trust, as to justify these raises.
Every man who rides in a motor car,
every baby that takes its nourishment
out of a bottle, every invalid that uses
a water bag, every boy that plays
baseball, every man that wears sus
penders or every woman who wears
garters, every business man who uses
rubber bands is today paying, and will
continue to pay, the price for the power
exercised by Aldrich in the framing of
the bill that bears his name.
The speech in which Senator Bristow
made his charges with much detail
was the first he has delivered since his
recent conference with Roosevelt, after
which the former president openly eX-
pressed praise for the Kansas man who
was already we'll known as the one
who exposed the postal thieves and ran
them down during Rooseyelt's incum-
bency. It is not unlikely that BristOw
revealed these things at oyster Bay.
If so, there can be no doubt that Aid
rich, whom the former president al
ways thoroughly distrusted, and whom
he refused to recognize as the manager
Of the senate, will find something inter
esting in the addresses to be delivered
when the former president emorges to
take part in political discussions
If Bristows charges are not dis
proved the senate has in its member
ship one compared with whom great
many people will regard Mr.. LOrimer
Of Illinois as a petty offender. But
while the case of Aldrich may not come
within the scope of senate investiga-
ton or punishment, it will nevertheless
stamp him as quite as great disgrace
TO that body.
Before such an example as this the
hardest defender of a high tariff will
appear puerile as the champion of
protection as the beneficent guardian
Of the American Workingman.