The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-30


was a genuine partnership and that
all Of us were partners and that there
was NO ranking Of junior and senior
partners that nobody had any pref
tsrencr u*vr a ny body else in the at
Management but that all We're upon one
: footing ard were 10 share alike. Bat
. e very interesting thing has come to
light That Is not In fact the way
the government has been Administered
in our time, but something very dn-
ferent IL has been In the hands Of
self constituted trustees and the part
nors have seldom been allowed Te"i
goV-erning voice fn It's administration.
We ha a surpassed that we were con"
Quoting the national business along
the lines laid down by Jefferson. bu'
we ind that as a matter Of fact we
have been conducting IL along the
lines laid down by Hamilton. HHmll-
ton believed that the common run ~
yuen had little qualification for such
business that IL could be really com
pretended and wisely directed only by
those who led IN commercial and In
dustrial enterprises and owned the
chief bodies Il property IN the coun'
try Aud in our time the leaders Of
he Republican party have CONSCIOUSLY
or uuconac lousy adopted his notion
At anv-rate whether they have adopt
"A practice which exactly 3tted = for
they have. called into consultation in
e,rer7 vital matter only those who had
the biggest material stake IN 'ne
economic development OF the country
Thas,. men financed party campaigns
and were alwsyg on the inside when
party policy WAS 10 be determined
Tarih schedules, the foreign policy OF
vi he country. the chief expenditures OF
& , va F,An
they suggested while the rank and file
of rs Jared IS we might and were hap
Nv II We had any small share in the
prosperity which they orEa p1Af4i fHt-
themselves They were the trustees
ws were their wards and took part III
the common l}re as they planned ana
directed What went on In the tTus-
tee meetings we were very seldom al
lowed 10 learn--learned indeed ohiy
bv trpertinent inquiry only by con
ereessioral Investigations or trials IN
Conrt. which the trustees complained
sadly, tnterfered with the regular
course Of business.
we have not yet got TO the end OF
the inquiry but we have found out
enough now TO make II certain that
we shall change the whole method
and spirit Of conducting our govern
; meut. We shall insist upon being &c
tual partners again, upon knowing
how our own business is being con-
! Quoted and In whose interest, upon
maintaining a system of law -wnlch
will put all classes upon an equality
: OF privilege. 1t Is big enterprise
4 gbut II becomes more and more easy
az we comprehend Just what II In
wolves We were confused for II little
n-nue. but now we know what We are
about
Probably nobody has been deceived
- by the trustees, under this method OF
management Which is to end on the
1 fourth Of March next, more than th'
@ farmer. 1t is hard to see where hi;
Q partnership was recognized ut all. ]
r in true that low tariff duties were es'
q tablahed On many products OF the
= farm but nobody has IA our urn'
n seriously feared that the farmers @
y .,thcr. countries would successful.
compete IN The food markets OF th'
United States with our own farmer
at home. II is notorious that Amer !
= On has been the granary of the world
n We have sold food to oher nation
not bought IL from them. The tarit
q on products of the soil was not need
Y ed by the farmer and did him II
g / good, and in the meantime IN
q | thines which ne needed every day I
o produce his crops had very hehV
: tariff duties laid upon them. an
II their prices were made Btr<E~>An
sitter,
=. The defenders Of our high protet
tive tariff have often laughted Yer
70 condescendingly at those who mad
"a | themselves champions Of the cor
"a sumner" and have maintained with
e., very straight face that no such pei
! sons as consumers could be plcke
-, out from the general body of OF
,n ! PEOPLE. We were all producers tins
~ said &-4f course IKE ara !a-ane W.
= or another. and since we We're a
~ producers a tariff intended TO prote'
'' producers was for the benefit Of a
of us But IL they really want to ~
= Il great body OF consumers / common
,'' them TO look upon the farmers OF n
''e United States and see II they do n
~ MI the description. They are PR
- ducers indeed. Indispensable to eNei
~ one Of our lives but they are not u
u" producers who are protected, ar
;" they have always been consumers vi
/ on great scale, paying no small pa
10 of the enormous price which u
country has paid for i}s proteetN
- tariff.
0. Mr.. Roosevelt has proclaimed hin
20 self Il convert TO the protective pole
III II say a convert because he at or
,,,e time very frankly aV'owed q d'uere'
- opinion and has said tilAA Ntit' u
IS admitted that no doubt, some duu'
49, were too high and ought 10 be lower
"a cd on the whole the policy pursue
~ by Rapublican administrations IA
eg been the right one: and he though
the prize money which had been r.
. Ice!veA under that system by the maj
as lufacturer-s OF the country WAS lcglt
az mate booty. The analogy ia a very II
ne teresting one Prize money iS ger
@ orally acquired by capture and not 7
he any process Of earning, but Mr.. Roos'
he Welt is always frank and says Una
at This only objection tn the system
no that 600 much OF the prize money r.
re mains in the hands OF the officers an
nd TOO lille ef IL is distributed 10 tf
s. crew His own object he avows 10 :
to see to 1t that more OF IN" PRIV
as money gets into the pay envelopes {
IT, those whom the free hooters enplo
, The interesting point l wish % ran
IA nov is who supplies the plumber
y, From whom is the prize money taken
rs suspect that Il vast proportion OF
stf comes our Of tho pockets OF tf
lg farmer. unwilllngly enough no doun
er tnt inevitably. for ! see in fim th'
I'd great helpless class the unheneiile
consumed
~ This great inequity involves a gre'
rhan3e upon US and an enormous az
- advantage 10 the nation for the farm
10 or surely is one ~ the Fundamental
al original partners Of every government