The Washington herald., 1913-03-16

has gone into the literature OF our poll
tics.
THE courage OF President Cleveland
captivated my boyish imagination.
Washington seemed far away and was
wrapped in romance. Young fellows.
meaning to be lawyers, hope some day
tr live in that city, to be part OF the
government. and to accomplish mighty
things. They study public questions and
read about their heroes in the newspapers
And their studies go further than Is often
believed. President Cleveland settled my
tariff convictions. He was beaten In 1855
but his moral victory was honorable and
revolutionary. I have come to Washing
ton since then: am here in the situation
I once read about, and my opinions on
the tariff are unchanged
Tells of His Battles with Schwab.
Mr.. Schwab's iron and steel works" 1
said. ARE located in your district?''
Yes. and so is Mr.. Schwab a good
part of the time. He has been my most
active enemy politically. I had scarcely
got in the House of Representatives when
Mr.. Schwab's workmen went on a strike.
They wanted better conditions. A COM
mittee of them came to see me. heard
their story. and then concluded that they
were right. A rumor started in South
Bethlehem that the strikers meant to call
on the President, the Secretary of War,
and the Secretary of the Navy and tell
them that inferior work was being done
for the government. Mr.. Schwab nat
urally was excited. He notified the mer-
chants Of South Bethlehem that If he
didn't win the strike he would shut down
his works. He loaded them on a railway
train and brought them to Washington.
didn't change my opinion. however as
to the merits of the case. The strike was
settled and the men went back to work.
Their conditions were improved and the
cost fell on Mr.. Schwab. I suppose l shall
have trouble with him so long as we both
live in the same Congressional district.
VIII the tariff bill which you will help
to write during the special session of Con-
gress next month be enacted into law?'
There is no doubt of it. The Senate
and House will agree on bill and
President Wilson will sign it. While the
bills We sent to Mr.. Taft, only to be
vetoed, were not sacred and their rates
were not immutable they will. as
whole. be followed in the new measure
we shall prepare. The rates in the
Payne law will be reduced. We went to
the country on that proposition and won.
II we do not cut the present tariff, the
people will say we were playing politics
when we made the promise.
What He Says About Trusts.
I'VE do not mean to stop the smoke
going UP the chimneys. nor are we going
to put out the fires at the furnaces. but
We have said the tariff is too high and
We are going to reduce it. I would
rather reduce and be defeated, than not
reduce and carry the next Congress.
The people may change their minds be-
fore another election. 1t is up to them
But they instructed us to cut and the
cut shall be made"
What do you think about the trusts?'
IT am hopeful that future decisions
of our courts will show that the Sherman
law is adequate to restore competition.
Recent decisions point that way. II the
we shall amend 1t. At the time 1t was
passed the people wanted competition.
The spirit OF the country is the same
to-day. Nothing. in my Judgment, can
stop the purpose Of the people In this
matter. ar.-
"Also I should like to say that. con-,
trary to the statements of trust man
ayers themselves. a third party. namely.
widows and orphans. has not 'innocently'
come into the case. If you break up
the trusts We are told, you will in
jure many dependent women and chill
dren.' There were few trusts when the
Sherman law went into force. That
law made trusts illegal. The husbands
of present widows and the fathers of
present orphans understood the stua-
ton. They bought the shares, or got
the shares in the processes Of the CEN
tralization and so the innocent third
party disappears from the case.
Another thing: I believe that guilt Is
personal When the chief men in our
trusts are sent to jail, trusts will cease
10 be an issue in the United States and
We shall not be told that modern condi-
tions have made competition in business
old d-fashioned and unprofitable.'
fCcuurxieht iaa1 bx Iames Il MorrnHl