The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-01-15

The tariff barriers, combines and
railroads of the nation have pooled
their interests. Years ago they fought
| organized labor bitterly. The unions
gradually became stronger and stron-
ger, until they had to reconcile with
them and give them a share of the
profits to which they We're entitled.
They proposed to the unions: raise
our tariff and railroad rates and we
will consider your demands. The pub
lie voted for it and it was done. Here
are the results: The tariff barriers,
combines and railroads of the nation,
along with all the large labor organ
izations, have combined for higher
tariff, higher railroad rates, higher
wages and shorted hours, and at the
end of the year the laborer has only a
living in most cases.
This condition developed in cur
country by class legislation since the
Civil War. And what are the results
Two per cent of the people have ac-
cumulated 10 per cent of the entire
wealth of the nation. This condition
has increased more rapidly in the past
ten years, and if the present system
of government is not changed it will
only be a short time until the COM
bines and railroads will take the en-
tire profits of the nation. Most of the
wealth will accumulate in Wall street.
1 still have faith in a democratic
system of government and in the
masses of the American people, espec-
tally since the election, November 4.
l do not know of man high in gov
eminent affairs, running for office,
that the people did not reward with
high honors of office. There are sew
eral states in which, had 1 been
voter, | would have voted for Repub-
licans because their records show that
they are honest, fearless and stand by
the people. l am an affiliated Demo-
crat and believe in Democratic prin-
ciples, equal rights for all and special
privileges to none.
Referring again to high tariff: This
has more to do with the present de-
preston than any other cause. High
tariff makes inflated values. The tar
if barriers and stock gamblers control
the majority of the stock of the ma
ton. When prices begin to advance
their stocks SHOW large earning power
and pay large dividends. They adj
vertise their earnings and the public
begins to buy The stock still ad-
vances. Some sell when they feel they
have nice profit. The stocks still ad-
vance, and they buy again, possibly
some other stock and make good on
it, and so non through the inflated
period.
At the close Of the war when the
Fordney-McCumber Tariff Bill went
into effect the people all had plenty
of money. They had plenty of work
during the war period, and all they
produced was sold at a good profit.
Money came easy, and many of them
took a chance on the stock market.
Stock prices never would have gone SO
high or lasted so long if it had not
been for this condition. Of course the
stock gamblers and tariff barriers
sold their stock to the public. When
the crash came last fall the reports
showed that the losses ran as high as
a million a minute for days. The pub
lie should bear in mind that there is
no intrinsic value in stock gambling.
When one man makes money, some
one looses. When a million minute
loss was going on the public was
loosing the money, and the New York
tariff barriers and stock gamblers got
all the earnings of the nation during
the war period, as well as all that was
earned up to the stock crash and now
have the money and the stocks. Ev-
cry time we have had an inflated tar
iff since the Civil War the same thing
has happened up until last fall when
the Hawley- Smoot- Grundy Bill was
passed, it failed. 1t had to fail, be-
cause the people had just been rob-
bed of all their earnings, and blood
cannot be squeezed out of a turnip.
Then the Hoover Administration
called special session of Congress
to help the farmer on the same sys-
tenn. To put inflated values on farm
products and advised the farmer to
produce less, do less, employ less peo-
pie and starve the people to make
more money out of their products.
This is the system under which the
big manufacturer has worked with
government protection. Chairman
Legge, of the Farm Board, was chair
man of the McCormick-De Farm
Machinery Incorporation, and he
worked it to perfection for the man.
moth corporation. He made the far
mer pay double what they should pay
for their machinery, but when Chair
man Legge undertook to help the far
mer on the same system he utterly
failed. He spent two hundred and
fifty million dollars of the govern
ment's money and the farmer is in the
worst condition now he has ever
known in the history of nation. Why?
Because the whole system is wrong.
No government has the right to leg
islate in favor of manufacturers with
a high tariff. If the government would
keep hands off and let the law of sup
ply and demand govern all prices this
would take all graft out Of politics
and there would be no Grundy lobby
organization in Washington spending
millions every time Congress is in
session, and spending millions every
time we have an election, sending to
Congress tariff barriers to force spe-