The Monte Vista journal. (Monte Vista, Rio Grande County, Colo.) 1888-1921, 1915-05-29


increasing. But for some mysterious
reason. the cost Of living continued
to soar. Why was 1t that the pros
perity. with which the country
seemed to be teeming. did not benefit
the common people? Everybody ex-
cept the very rich was made to feel
the pinch. There was industry and
earnest endeavor everywhere. but
only few seemed to be getting
ahead.
Conditions became intolerable
The people began to do little prac-
teal thinking. 1t did not require
much. The high tariff. excluding
foreign competition. gave the Amer
lean market to the American manu-
facturer. The centralized control of
our domestic manufacture made 1t
possible. through trust agreements.
to suppress home competition and
advance prices. And the consumer
was compelled to pay the prices and
the profits demanded.
Once clearly understood, the peo-
pie refused to submit 10 the increas-
ing burden. They demanded a re-
duction of the tariff IN order to Sc
cure reasonable foreign competition
And they demanded the enforcement.
of the law against trusts in order 20
restore domestic competition.
But the trusts and combinations
were entrenched in government.
They were determined to maintain
the high tariff, exclude foreign COM
petition, perpetuate trust agreements
and continue their control of prices.
They were on good terms with the
president, with Aldrich, and with
Cannon. They were the chief sup
porters of the administration at the
National Capital They were heavy
financial contributors to national
campaigns.
The evidence in the Barnes Roose-
welt libel suit, now being tried at
Syracuse, lights up many of the dark
places in recent history. A brief ex-
tract from newspaper reports of the
cross examination of Mr.. Roosevelt
by the plaintiffs attorney, Mr.. WINS,
is in point:
WINS: Did you ever cause the at
torney general of the United States
to take any action whatsoever
against the Steel Corporation?
Roosevelt: did not.
WINS: Mr.. Frick was contrib
utor to your campaign fund in 1914?
Roosevelt: He was.
WINS: Mr.. Gary was contrib
utor?
Roosevelt: He was.
WINS: Mr.. Perkins was a con-
tributor?
Roosevelt: He was.
WINS: These gentlemen were con-
nected with the Steel Corporation?
Roosevelt: They were.
WINS: Did you ever instruct the
attorney general to proceed in any
manner whatsoever against the Har-
vester company?
Roosevelt: l did not.
WINS: Was Mr.. Perkins a con-
tributor to your campaign in 1904?
Roosevelt: He was.
WINS: Did you ever instruct the
attorney general to take any action
whatsoever against the American
Powder company,
Roosevelt: did not.
WINS: Mr.. T Coleman du Pont
was contributor, was he not?
Roosevelt: He was
Is is strange, in the light of the
relations existing between those in
authority and the osses of Big Bust
ness that when tariff revision was
ultimately forced upon them by the
people under the Taft administra-
ton, the trusts and combinations
were strong enough to revise the t.,r-
if upward instead of downward?
The people had petitioned and de-
manued republican tariff revision.
Being denied and denied again and
again finally in their wrath, they
voted for democratic tariff revision.
and entrusted a democratic admin
istration to break the grip OF mon
opoly.
President Wilson at once adj