West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-07-22

Dlscouraglug

| And now Il Is officially announced
that next Monday the old Riyersid,
plant at Benwood. Marshall county
Will open In full blast. giving employ.
ment TO over 1000 mon. The plant
has not been in operation for over q
year, and this has been used by In,
Ogden trust papers, the Republican
candidates for office and the stand.
patters, who still love the old Cannon
| Aldrich way OF running the govern
ment. "a proof that the Wilson tarifl
CLOSES the mills" We now want tc
ask what is opening" the mills?
IL is strange medicine which acts
as purgative and astringent at the
same time and on the same patient
Again, we assert what the intelligence
of the great Wheeling industrial cen
ter will confirm: that during Roosc-
velts and Taft's administrations this
Riverside plant was closed. During n
period of fourteen months. under the
Payne-Aldrich law and before Wilson
became President. this mill was clos
er.
Candor, then, compels the thought
that II is strange kind of reasoning
which can condemn the Wilson bill
for closing this mill when the same
effect was observed before the bill
was passed; and God may forgive the
fellows VINO hammered and bounded
the administration last fall because
the tarin failed to produce enough
revenue, If they can now adjust their
conscienCes to the bland admission
that the European war is operating as
protective taIifT. and therefore, the
mills are going.
such antics do not speak well for
the newspaper conception of public
intelligence. and whenever. I'm tho last
analysis. we can not rely upon the
basis of admitted facts and fair deduc-
tions thcrefrom. and IL is possible to
put over n mental monstroslty. or
make the same facts do duty for
theories, our government has no stable
basis. a government OF the people
VIII become hateful and collapse
whenever the average Intelligence can
not be relied upon to grasp the funda-
mental facts of government and the
reasonable deductions to be made
therefrom
Because IL rains on Saturday and "A
man is killed on Saturday, that does
~ h. I..I
on that day will always cause muir
der; but. If mill closes .or fourteen
months under the Aldrich bill and for
n like period under the Wilson bill.
IL is n fair inference that something
is influencing the situation outside of
either bill. That is the Wilson con-
tenton I'VE can make anything and
can compete with the world. We have
n surplus of one-third of our produc-
ton and must find markets for that
surplus We can not do so by locking
ourselves I'm against the world. We
can not expand into the markets of the
world with a confession OF weakness
and inefIiciency upon our lips
The figures show that we are eff
cient and can meet all comers. The
bottom fact Is that the present tariff
was based upon the report Of the
Taft tariff commission The revenue
required left no place for free trade.
The steel schedule is not on a free
trade basis at all. Senator LaFollette
a protectionist, has demonstrated this.
and he voted for the present tariff law.
IL is impossible to raise our revenue
without some incidental protection
and the steel business is protected I'm
that way. But just look at wool and
sugar. Wool, in the free list, is now
at the highest price known for years.
We have digressed, simply to appeal
to the thoughtful. who will concede
known facts.
The busy man overlooks the worlds
facts as they occur. Will the working
men, and the business men give a long.
fair think to the opening OF the old
riverside plant. and then watch the
maneuyers Of the trust sheets. and do
justice American justice, to the stu
alton? Can we not be intellectually
honest! Charleston Gazette.