Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-07-27

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versity Hospital, Baltimore. is report
ed as doing nicely.
collect corporation tax levied with
the incidental purpose OF securing pub
licity regarding corporation and trust
methods; then the State bank tax
| imposed for the purpose of regulating
| the issuance of currency, was and still
| is unconstitutional; then it would be
unconstitutional to enact any kind OF
workmen's insurance law that would
levy a tax for the purpose of creating
fund out of which wage-earners
would receive insurance; 1t would be
unconstitutional to use the taxing
power of the Government in any form
for the purpose of improving social
conditions and promoting economic eff
ficiency. There can be legitimate dis
cussion as to the extent to which the
principle of protection should be ap.
| piled. and, in my judgment. it should
be applied for totally different pur-
pose of improving social conditions
and promoting economic efficiency
There can be legitimate discussion as
to the extent to which the principle
of protection should be applied and
in my Judgment, it should be applied
for totally different purposes than
those for which 1t has been applied
for the last three years. But 1t is quite
impossible to declare the principle of
| protection Itself an unconstitutional
unless the Constitution is interpreted
| in a way that would at once reduce
us to impotence in dealing with nine
| tenths of the serious social and indus
! trial problems which now confront us
| IF Dr. Wilson were elected, he
would either have to repudiate the
| promises made about the tariff in the
| Democratic platform or else bring ev
cry industry in the country to crash
| which would make all the panics in
our past history seem like childs play
| in comparison.
| CAS- matter of fact, if the Democra.
| tic party came into power it would
doubtless break both pledge; it would
| not abolish all protective duties. but
| 1t would act with sufficient unwisdom
| about them to cause Nationwide dis
aster.
1.-THE same thing is true that the
Baltimore platform says of the high
cost of living. 1t states that import
| duties on the necessaries of life must
| be materially reduced Yet later on
it expresses a fervent purpose to en-.
| courage agriculture. But of course
those who drew up this platform must
know that in the average household il
is farm products which go to make
up most of the cost of living, and il
is both cowardly and insincere not to
state that the proposed reduction of
duties is aimed primarily at the far
mer.
yet, again, consider what the Bal
| timore platform says about the trusts
There is much sound and fury in the
! declaration for a drastic enforcement
of the Antitrust Law. There is loud
demand that it be enforced not merely
/ by civil but by criminal proceedings.
/ There is a purpose expressed to
amend it so that the Supreme Court
/ will no longer be able to show any
/ leniency in its construction. If this
/ portion of the platform means any
| thing, il means that the Antitrust
I Law is to be made OF such a character
/ that it would, as President Van Hise
| has shown, If literally applied, stop
! all business not merely by business
/ men but by farmers throughout the
/ United States. But farther on in the
platform comes the weasel phrase
\ for this statement also. for in con
nection with the Antitrust Law oc
ours the further statement that the
/ platform denounces any attempt to en-
! lare or magnify by indirection the
| powers OF the Federal Government
and insists that Federal remedies for
/ Interstate Commerce shall be added
/ to, and not be substituted for. State
remedies. This is in effect, merely to
1 declare that the position taken by the
Supreme Court in the Sugar Case
many years ago was correct when the
Supreme Court absolutely emascula
ted the Antitrust Law in the name
of States rights. The sound and fury
of the Baltimore declaration against
trusts is entirely in the vein of Mr.
Bryan, but the weasel sentence about
/ States rights could well have benz
suggested by the astuteness of Mr.
Bryan's fellow-Democrat, Mr.. Ryan.
There is not a dishonest trust in
/ the country that could not afford tc
support the Democratic platform rath
er than face the honest and efficient
purpose of the Progressive party, ant
there is not an honest business con
Germ in the country that would moi
/ be ruined if the promises of the Dem
] Ocratic platform Mern kent p