The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-10

country With the President
Washington has one view about the sit
uation as charged by the President and
the country has another view and as
usual the country is right. 1t is the
country that the President wanted to
reach, and it was the country's attention
that he sought to call to the fact that
their interest was threatened in Wash
ington by the people whose interest it was
to defeat the tariff bill. The President
was successful, as evidenced by the thou
sands of letters daily received at the
White House appauding the stand that he
has taken upon the proposition. The ul-
innate consumer has neither the time nor
the money to come to Washington to
lobby for his interest. He must rely upon
the President and the tariff makers to
protect him. lie cannot come here and
dine and entertain those who are finally
to vote upon the measure which is of such
vital interest to him, and when the other
fellow does So there is an unfair advan-
tage taken of him. Therefore, when the
President denounces such methods he
wins the gratitude OF the great masses
who read the newspapers back home, and
In spite of all the 'grandstand play" in
dulged in by those who have been hit, and
their frantic endeayors to divert the pub
lie mind into side issues, the country thor
oughly comprehends the whole situation
anu COHliiltHuS tllt ltHlutilt.
McReynold's New Plan
Right now there is good deal of gos-
sip over the plan suggested by Attorney
General McReynolds to curb the tobacco
trust by levying a graduated internal rev.
enue tax upon the manufactured products
of tobacco The administration has not
decided to back the plan suggested by the
Attorney General, but has merely taken il
under consideration as a suggestion. And
it might develop such opposition in the
democratic ranks as to further complicate
the tariff situation which would be most
undesirab BILE.
For this reason it is doubtful if the Me-
Reynolds plan will ever become a part
of the tariff bill 1t is, at best. merely a
temporary plan for the immediate relief
of the Independent producers.
Mr.. McReynolds, however, Will not stop
even if this plan is not adopted in his ef-
forts to find some solution to both the to-
bacco situation and the conditions with
reference to the Standard Oil company.
The Attorney General is very emphatic in
his disapproval of the results of both these
celebrated cases. He declares the DEGREES
in both "a miscarriage of Justice and
adds that ''if there is any proper just and
right way to correct the wrong done in
those cases. propose to do it,
You cannot destroy monopoly" said
the Attorney General, ''by simply making
pro rata distribution of the stock of said
monopoly among the original holders of
that stock. One cannot be in competition
with ones self. The plan in the tobacco
case upon which the decree of the court
was founded was merely subterfuge,
and no good can come of it-no good has
come of it.
1.-The Standard OIL was greatly similar.
Simply a division of holdings and swap
ping of dollars from one pocket to the
other"
The Attorney General has not made up
his mind whether or not he can reopen the
tobacco case but he is probing into the
matter with view of effectng some
remedy. The same is true of the Stand
ard OIL For months special attorneys for
the department of justice have been in
vestigating Standard Oil with the idea in
view of bringing contempt proceedings
against them. If McReynolds can find the
way to reach them, both Tobacco and Oil
are in for fight. and those who are on
the inside declare that he will find the