Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1903)
- J" n. . J I !. ' -,,- ' ....,, ....' .'".' - JA ' f . . . .:. i i' , Commoner The Boston Herald In a recent l.ssue complains that Mr. Bryan is ac ting the part of "a marplot." This Is no serloua a charge that the editor will lie par doned If devotes a little time to It. The Standard Dictionary defines a mar plot an "one who. by meddlesome Inter ference, man or frustrate a design or plan." It Is evident to all that one must tinITHtanil something of the plan or design to be frustrated before h can pas Judgment upon the merits or the attempt to frustrate It. ir. for ln arance. a group of persons should plan to do Injury to an innocent person, to a city or to a country. It would hardl be fair to denounce as a marplot one who frustrated such a design or plan. The term "marplot" can be properly applied only to one who not only med dles with affairs which do not concern him, but Interferes In the carrying out of eome gi)od plan or thwart. pome laudable iffoif. What Is Mr. Ilry.in do ing to earn the name of marplot? ' The II. raid attempts a sketch i f Mr. Bryan's cat per. The following Is an r x tract: "Now, how did this come tr bp? It 13 one of the most curious manifesta tions of modern politics. About a dozen years t";o William J. Bryan was a lev r yoar.g democratic representative In congress; from a newer western state, a stat? that r.o one c xpt tee! to see f nr nlsh a candidate to the prr-xidene y from 'any party In this generation. He did not stay Ion a: in tl.at body, being de feated by a rr publican eoniprtitor. Then be transferred his allegiance or. at least, a good part of it to another, the Mpnli.st patty. The populist party hating in effect taken possession of the democrat!, party in that locality, Kent bim to a democratic national con vention, in which he mad" a speech so electrifying in its eloquence that it drew the presidential lightning upon liini and made him the party candidate for the presidency." It will be noticed that Mr. Bryan's f rst i rinio was to com" from one of the newer western states "a state that no one expe: ted to pi p furnish a can didate to the presidency from any par ty in th's pen rat ion." If was perfec t ly proper that Maine, with les? popu lation thnn Nebraska, should furnish a 'candidate for the presidency, although Maine is in one corner of the country, but Nebraska, almost i.a the geograph ical renter of the country ami much rearer to the center of population than Maine, was not expected to take a prominent fart for a generation yet. The editor of the Herald next in forms the public that Mr. Bryan did no? stay in congress because he was "Jt frnt- d by a republican competitor." Mr. Bryan served in congress for two tfnr.s. n:ul was not a candidate for re elr. t'on. but instead became a candi date fr the I'r.ited Statrs senate, being tin- unanimous choice of the dr-mocratic state i convention. The tiiitor of tie; Herald then asserts that the pop;i!it rarty srr.f Mr. Bryan to a democratic national convention. lie either knows better, or convicts himself of an ignor ance that would be surprising if mani fested by the editor of any other paper than the Herald. Mr. Bryan was never a member of the populist part was never a delegate to a populist conven tion, and was never nominated for of fice by the populist party until he was nominated by the populist party two weeks after he had received the demo cratic nomination for president. In Nebraska the democrats and populists have co-operated In the selection of state officers, congressmen and sen ators, but before they had ever united on a state ticket they united in the elec tion of William V. Allen to the United States senate, and this ac tion wa3 rec ommended by the democ ratic steering committee of the United States senate. It may be added that Mr. Cleveland's secretary of agriculture advocated co operation between democrats and pop ulists in 1S)'. two years before Senator Allen was elected. Most of the demo crats of Nebraska, by the direct and specific instructions of Mr. Cleveland's rational committee, voted for the pop ulist electors in 1802 for the purpose of taking the state out of the hands of the republicans. It was confessedly im possible to elect the democratic electors and as the house of representatives was democratic, the national committee very wisely planned to throw the elec tion into the house in case it was im possible to secure a majority In the Sectoral college. So much for the Her ald's attemot at history. The Herald proceeds to commend Mr. Bryan for the manner in which be con ducted himself in the two campaigns, and then laments the change which it thinks it discerns in his conduct. It eays: "We hardly recognize the amiable, and aside from his capital error in par ticipating in the free sliver delusion, this discreet Mr. Bryan in the man that he has since become, and who is now addressing the public. His modesty has departed and his discretion has vanished with it. His amiability has iciven place to resentment and some thing resembling rancor toward those who he thinks have twarted his pur poses. We can not believe he fully realizes it himself, but in his present attitude he is like a man who. having failed to continue to rule the party that he lately represented, has now set himself to ruin it. His latrr position toward the democrats is that of a mar plot a marplot who is determined that ai far as he has influence it shall be exerted to prevent union upon any pol icy that does not render party defeat inevitable." Mr. Bryan was nominated for th presidency by a convention more truly A number of gentlemen hitherto un- known to fame have achieved great publicity in the republican press by violently denouncing General Miles' report. The firemen who attempted to save the building are more trustworthy than the men who tried to loot it while the conflagra:ion raged. Organize a democratic club and as sist in thwarting the schemes or those who are striving to repuMicanize the democratic party. . Doubtless Major Rathbone and Mr. Neeley take great interest la reading the report of postal scandals in Wash ington. The chief difference between the os cillation of President Roosevelt and that of Captain Hobson is in the age of the kiasees. One trouble about "tariff revision by Its friends" is that It is always revised In the Interests of its beneficiaries. It will be noted that the "merger" decision was o modified that the pro moters got the money. Comment. democratic than any other convention in rec ent years. The platform eminat ed from the voters. While the phrase ology of the platform, so far as the money question was concerned, was practically the same as that of the Ne braska platform two years before, the fad that this phraseology was indorsed hy a large majority of the voters of the party made it their platform rather than the platform of any state or In dividual. Certainly no one will charge that the delegate to the national con vention was Influenced In making the nomination by anything other than their own Judgment. They may have erred in Judgment, but they were un der no coercion whatever either in writing the platfor mor in the nomina tion of the tic ket. During the campaign Mr. Bryan spoke in defence of the principles enunciated in the platform, and what ever strength he acquired was not a personal strength, but a strength due nt ire Iy to the principles for which he stood. As fcocn us the election was over he announced his purpose to continue the fiht for those principles, and be tvvefn that day and the date of the next national convention lie visited all parts oT the country, everywhere dis cussing eixl defending the Chicago plat form. When the action of the republican party brought the question if Imperial ism before the country he Immediately took a position upon It making a speec h against a colonial policy on June 14. be.'ore any party or association had spoken on the subject. This ques tion be treated as an additional one rather than as a substitute for any of the other questions before the country. When the time came for the holding of the ?iat conventions it was found that with two exceptions every state in structed for his renomination. As this re-nomination came to him in spite of the misrepresentations, criticism and protests of the papers which, like the Boston Herald, opposed the ticket in ln'M, he was constrained to believe that the people still adhered to the princi ples that lie advocated, and still re pudiated the sordiu and mercenary ar guments of commercialism advanced by the pluew ratic press which, although claiming to be independent or demo cratic, defended the republican position on most questions. It is often asserted by the metropoli tan papers that Mr. Bryan prevented a repudiation of the Chicago platform at Kansas City. The fact is, that the delegates at Kansas City were nearly all of them selected by conventions that reaffirmed the Chicago platform, and the o;.Iy question that exc ited de bate at Kansas City was whether a silver rlank should be reiterated or simnly reaffirmed. As an honest reaf firmation meant the same as reitera tion, no one could strenuously oppose the latter if he sincerely favored the former, and all that Mr. Bryan did at Kanas.City was to say that a reaf firmation intended not to reaffirm but to abandon the question was not a fair treatment of the subject, and that if the convention desired to ignore the money question it shold select candi dates who were will.ng to carry out such a program. He did not attempt to control the convention, but be did insist upon his right to control nis own conduct ana upon his right to refuse the nomination if he did not conscien tiously indorse the platform. The convention made imperialism the paramount issue and while the par ty's position on the money question was not abandoned Mr. Bryan and all the other speakers spent the greater part of the time in discussing imperialism. It is a common practice for the pluto cratic press to charge the defeat of the party to the money plank. This is neither true nor is it honest. In 1900 the republican party had the advan tage of having carried on a successful war. and it ahd the further advantage of being in power during a period of good crops and increasing currency The result of the election showed that the democratic: leaders gave too little rather than too much time to the dis cussion of the money question, for the improved industrial conditions which follow ed the increase in the currency vindicated the party's position on the money question and showed how much greater the advantage would have been could silver have been added to the gold supply. We are now preparing for the cam paign of 1904. and the reorganlzers. not satisfied with Mr. Bryan's an nouncement that he will not be a can didate, insist that he must either in dorse the views of those who are re sponsible for the party's defeat in the recent campaigns, or at least, keep si lent while they plan the emasculation of the paltform and the demoraliza tion of the party. Is it meddlesome for Mr. Bryan to take part in politics? I)os the fac t that he has been a can didate for the presidency impose silence upon him? He is only forty-three; if he lives forty years longer he will wit ness ten more presidential campaigns. Must he be a mute observer of what transpires from now on. merely be cause he cannot agree with the men who In a great crisis voted the republi can ticket, and the newspapers which for business reasons supported the republican-ticket? This would be a high pric e to pay for a nomination for any office. The responsibilities of citizenship rest upon Mr. Bryan as much as upon the bolting democrats in general or upon the bolting editors in particular. It would not be presumptuous to say that Mr. Bryan's responsibility is even Mr. Hanna Is unable to tell just what alls his sore limb. Did Mr. Hanna ever investigate a complaint known as Tomjohnsoniti3? The gentleman who recently claimed divine rights is showing alarming symptoms Of making another attempt to secure a halo. Mr. Baer admits that the world Is big enough for all of us to live in. Mr. Bear is growing generous. The bear that walks like a man i3 hanging on like a leach. The New York Sun's labored eulo gies of ex-President Cleveland indicate that the Sun has a difficult job dodging Its files. t i It is-reported that IJeutenant Gov ernor Northcott will be a candidate for re-election to the position of head con sul at the national convention in Indi anapolis next month if readjustment shall win. If a woman can't fiird any disagree able gossip to tell about . people sh knows she ran get almost as much fun but of telling it about strangers. Neodeha. copying after Emporia, has started a Town Row. greater than the responsibility of those who question his right to discuss pres ent issues. Responsibility is measured by opportunity, and if Mr. Bryan has had an opportunity to ..now the pur poses as well as the planls of those who, falling to destroy the democratic party from without are now trying to dstroy it from within, could he ex cuse himself if he hid himself under the cover of two nominations rather than subjec t himself to the venom and detraction of those editors who benJ the suppliant -nee to organized wealth? Who is under greater obliga tion to the rank and file of the demo cratic party than is Mr. Bryan? And who has more reason than he to co operate with them In the gigantic- task of defending the wealth-producers against the attacks of exploiters and monopolists? The Herald belongs to that clas3 of papers whic h pretends great solicitude for the welfare of the party. Has not Mr. Bryan Known as much soiicitude for the welfare, of the party as those who have aided and contributed to the enemy? The reorganizers assume that the men who supported the Chicago and Kansas City platforms are ready to go back and apologize for their party's position. This is a groundless assump tion. There lias been no c range among the voters; those who were opposed tc a financial system made by the finan ciers for the financiers, are still op posed to such a system: those who are opposed to a high tariff, even when the reorganizers were supporting a high protectionist for the presidency, are still against a high tariff. Those who were opposed to the trusts, even when the leading reorganizers were helping to elect an administration pledged to the trusts, are still against tne trusts; those who opposed government injunc tion, even when the leact.ng reorganiz ers were helping the corporations that rely upon government by injunction, are still opposed to this tyrannical pro cess of the court; those who opposed imperialism, even when the leading re organizers were willing to surrende' the Declaration of Independence at the demand of Wall street, are still op posing the separation of our people into citizens and subjects. If Mr. Bryan were to remain silent in order to escape hostile critkism, his silence would not change the con victions of these who voted for him; if he were openly to join the reorganiz ers and proclaim a conversion to the opinions of those who seek to republi canize the democratic party, he could not carry a dozen men into the oppo sition camp. He would simply forfeit the confidence and excite the contempt of those who have supported him. The contest between democracy on the one side and plutocracy on the other, is still on, and the result of that contest means much of weal or woe to the American poople. The democratic party ought to be kept democ ratic in order that it may be an efficient instrument in the hands of the people for the protection of the people's lights. Those who believe in the Kansas City paltform are not ashamed of the part that they have played, and they do not intend to sur render the control of the party into the hands of those who have openly an tagonized those principles and who boast of their intention, if successful, to take the party back to the posi tion whic h it occupied under Mr. Cleve land's administration. All that the friends of the Kansas City platform ask is that all questions be submitted to the voters in order that the policy may be determined by the voters, and to this end they propose to organize and marshal their forces at the primaries. They know by bitter experience that they have powerful and cunning ene mies to meet enemies who are not only in close and constant communica tion with the monopolists in trade and finance, but who will employ republi can methods of coercion, deception and corruption wherever these methods can be employed. No amount of abuse or villiflcatlon win deter tne friends of the Kansas City platform, for they have an interest in the preservation of their party's virtue and in the protec tion of their country from tae assaults of predatory wealth. Senator Allison is to draft the tariff plank of the Iowa republican platform this year. This means that tariff revi sion by its friends will see to it that all due care Is taken of the "friends." The administration organs are fretting because General Miles report ed on things as he found them, not as the administration organs would have the people deceived into believing. If the initiative and referendum were in full force and effect dishonest corporations would realize the useless ness of bribing legislators to pass laws obnoxious to the people. Loyal democrats are advised not to form their judgment of Charles A. Towne's recent speech on the head lines put over it by the administration press. Secretary Root seems much more concerned about preventing the condi tion in the Philippines from becoming a campaign issue than he is in im proving the conditions. These gold standard organs thatare trying to explain the recent rise in'the price of silver studiously avoid giving the real reason increased demand. The news that $2,000,000 was left in the state treasury when the Pennsylva nia legislature adjourned must have been a severe shock to the legislators. This country's position towirds Man churia would have looked bf.ter had its position towards the Transvaal been different. The Standard Oil company is a liv ing example of what publicity will ;.ot do rn the way of curbing the trusts. One unfortunate result of General Miles report is the bobbing up in Mil waukee of some one named Squires. The corporation Miller in Illinois seems to have ground a large grist of trouble for his sponsors. For some time the Osceola. Polk county, jail has had but one prisoner. John Datling. who was charged with whipping his wife. The case was called up during the present term of court and dismissed by the county attorney, and the jail is empty. A Butler county farmer invites fish ermen to his ponds on the shares of the catch. Those getting over twenty will be furnished lunch. May a fellow who has solemnly de clared, at 21. that he would never mar ry finds himself at 30 a candidate for a Blumle medal. WARDS OFF CRITICISM EFFECTIVE METHODS DEVISED BY THE STEEL TRUST. Lavish Advertising in Leading News papers of the Country Has Worked Well Little or No Comment on the Smallness of Its Taxes. For ways that are dark and tricks that are vain, we have but to study the methods of the United States Steel Corporation. It took over and combined, at its start, the accumulat ed wisdom of this Dingley-tariff-trust age, as to how to mislead and fool the people, and it is rapidly developing experts in this new art. Judging from results, this art has already reached a high degree of perfection. The results are favorable legislation and favorable public: opinion, and the absence of well-merited and harsh criticism of this billion-dollar trust. We cannot see the Inner machinery but we can see the finished product. From it we may infer that there' is, somewhere, powerful and well-oiled machinery. Observe these results: Shortly after this giant trust was formed in 1901, its officers decided that the corporation laws, of New Jersey should be materially changed. The change was made unostentatious ly and quickly. Then the trust wished to dispose of several hundred million dollars' worth of its stocks. Soon the bank officials all over the country were quietly ad vising depositors to buy "Steel pre ferred" at 100, and "Steel common" at GO. Many newspaper articles, includ ing some in religious journals, were suggesting the excellent opportunity for investment in these steel stocks the preferred paying 7 and the com mon earning 15 or. 20 per cent. Of course, this talk and these articles were mainly inspired. But at least 50,000 of the 58.029 people who pur chased stocks did not know this. They had faith in their bank officials and newspaper editors and did not know that the iron and steel men in the East were .not. only unloading their steel stocks, but were selling these stocks "short," being fully convinced that, in spite of apparent great earn ings, stocks would decline as they Vave done to the extent of 15 points or $1G0,000.000. Again, we find but little unfavorable criticism of this devastating monsier in the newspapers. Why? It would not be proper to say that this trust has bribed nearly all the leading news papers of the country. It is not at all probable that it has done so, and yet it is likely that it has even more ef fectually headed off criticism, than if it had spent millions in bribes. It sim ply inserts full-page advertisements in all of the leading newspapers and the trick is done. The following are some of the newspapers in which the writer found the full-page advertisement of the last annual report of the Steel Trust: Boston Herald, Boston Transcript, Boston Globe, Springfield Republican, Providence Journal. New Haven Reg ister, New York Evening Post, New York American, Philadelphia Public Ledger, Pittsburg Dispatch, Pittsburg Post, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Ameri can, Baltimore News, Washington Po6t, Washington Star.Cincinnati Commercial-Tribune, Detroit Tribune, In dianapolis Journal, Indianapolis Senti nel, Indianapolis News, Chicago Tri bune, Chicago Inter Ocean, Chicago Journal, Chicago Evening Post, St. Louis Daily Globe, St. Paul Pioneer Press, New Orleans Times-Democrat, Montreal (Canada) Gazette. It is almost, certain that this adver tisement appeared in practically all of the other great newspapers, which the writer did not see. If this advertise ment, with the prospect that it will be repeated every year or every quarter, does not entirely prevent criticism, it will, at least, greatly tone down and soften criticism, in the great majority of cases. The long-headed officers of this trust never made a better in vestment than when they put a million or so, in advertising in a hundred or more of the leading newspapers. Not only will it add millions to the mar ket value of its securities which is very important, until all of the surplus securities are marketed but it will keep the people quiet, and stave off, perhaps for years, the radical reform of the tariff on trust products, which is sure to come when the people cut their tariff-wisdom teeth. . The methods of the Steel Trust are harsh and cruel to both competitors and customers;, yet we see almost nothing about them in the newspa pers. In hundreds of ways this trust deserves the severest of criticism, yet it gets but a small portion of its just deserts. Take one instance: Who has read any comment on the comparative smallness' of its taxes? Its report shows that it paid taxes to the amount of $2,397,465 in 1902. Thi3 is less than 2 per cent of its net earn ings, and less than 2 mills on the dollar of the value of its property, ac cording to its capital and to the sworn statements of its president, ac cording to its sound season why thi3 protected, billion-dollar trust 6hould "pay in taxes 18 cents on every $100, when the unprotected common people pay $2 or $3 on every $100 worth of property? It is probable that this trust pays Ies3 than $1,000,000 of tales on its iron and steel lands, valued at over 41.000.000,000. This is less than one mill on the dollar. The taxes on or dinary farm lands worth $1,000,000,000 are about $15,000,000. Why are the great and influential newspapers not calling attention to this gross Injus tice and favoritism? Farmers and mechanics should study this steel trust report carefully and do some tall thinking over it. They may get ideas from it about low, as well as about "high finances." Byron W. Holt, "Protection and Corruption," By Prof. John Bascom. of Williams college, is a much needed warning of the great danger 'threatening our once free institutions. Says the professor In closing his article: ' "This policy "of protection, having established itself under the guise of the public welfare and purchased the services of those in power; refuses to be abolished. Constantly present and capable of indefinite extension, it car ries corruption everywhere. No stat can keep itself pure with such a com bination of private gains at its very center. Every secondary form of cor ruption becomes germane to thl pri mary contract. It begets, like car rion, all creeping things. "The tragedy of free institutions passes into comedy and "burlesqua when trusts, the natural progeny of protection, so threaten the general safety as to demand some form of re straint. Then politicians find them selves between the deep sea and the devil. The direct and obvious remedy they dare not apply. Some form of remedy they must find. These tower ing trusts have been built up, not on firm land, but on a platform floated by casks and scows, which the gov ernment has been at great pains to provide. Iet the air out of these and they would begin at once to sink. The politician knows this only too well. He trains his guns on some outstanding and secondary point, nev er on the water line, and wins merit in the ey;s of the trusts by his very method of attack. The secret of con struction and the force of correction show the same corrupt temper, if we wish to bring back the government to its democratic basis, we must begin by abolishing privilege. As long as we believe that this would disturb the foundations of prosperity we are not democrats, and shall wander still far ther in the obscure ways of corrup tion." THE RAILROAD MERGER. The People Gain Nothing Tangible by the Decision. The result of the railroad merger case is encouraging to the public, though the filial test in the supreme court may reverse the decision of the lower court. What benefit, those wiio travel on the railroads or use them for the transportation of their goods will gain, is also a question for the future. The intention of the govern ment in commencing this suit was to abolish a merger of competing lines of railroad and thus prevent rates being raised beyond a reasonable rate. Under the terms of the decis ion the stock of the Great Northern, Northern Pacific and Burlington rail roads will be returned,- by the mer ger company, to their original own ers. This will still leave the railroads in the control of Mr. Hill and Mr. Morgan and their friends, and it is certain that they will agree to main tain the present rates, merger or no merger. The fact is, the combination of these competing lines of railroad took place three or four years ago, when Mr. Hill and his friends secured con trol of the stock of the Northern Pa cific and the merger company was organized to continue that combine and to prevent . any one else obtain ing it by a bold move in Wall street by outsiders through the purchasing of enough stock in either of the rail roads to control either one or both of them. With the merger company holding a majority of the stock of the three railroads such an attempt was prevented. The entire interest of the public of the states through which the rail roads run is the reasonableness of the rates on passengers and freight and this question is not settled by the merger decision but rests on the action of the Inter-State Commerce Commission as it has for years gone by. It is therefore useless to raise the hopes of the customers of the railroads involved, by making them believe that a great victory has been gained, when the fact remains that no material advantage has been gained; except the principle involved that competing lines of railroads caD not be merged. Republican Party Tactics. EVASiori - Publicity Not a Remedy Here. Publicity is one of the strong cards of President Roosevelt, though so far he has not told an anxious country how to make trusts let up in their depredations on the ' public purse, though he is talking every day on the subject. His cabinet officers, how ever, seem to shrink from publishing the facts about the scandals in their departments, especially Secretaries Payne and Root. When the President can spare time enough to look into the scandals perhaps he may take the people into his confidence and reor ganize these rotten departments. Bars Will Have to Be Low. Gen. Corbin having failed to break Into the swell Metropolitan club in the city of Washington, his friends are talking of starting a new club, with the bars let down low enough to ad mit those who have been blackballed by other institutions. Secretary Root and Secretary Hay are said to be back ing the project. Baer Above the Law. The pious Baer takes the ground that he controls a monopoly of the an thracite coal fields through his ancient charter from the state of Pennsyl vania, and that no law can be invoked to prevent the coal trust from charg ing the public whatever Brother Baer and his associates may demand. Rich Pickings in Prospect. Favorite sons are springing up In several states to compete with Teddy for the presidential nomination. Sena tor Elkins is the last one to be groom ed, and will, it is said, open a big bar rel for the occasion. What a good time those Southern delegatea will have next year.- J I QUESTIOrt 1 WHAT HAS HE HE Alt!)? HAVE THE TRUSTS WHISPERED IN THE EARS OF KNOX? Attorney General's Recent Action Is Extremely Significant Can it Be the Campaign Fund Has Been Threatened? Policies Before Duty. It Is very good indeed in Attorney general Knox to give notice that here after no more bad trusts will be called up and asked to extend the hand for the ferule without warning. Washington dlspatc lies positively af firm that he has done this. They say that before leaving Washington ho direct?d one of his assistants to ay for publication words to the effect that hereafter until further notice bad trusts will be warned and have a chance to reform. This raises the question where the attorney general gets his authority to treat trusts which he knows to be bad violators of the law like naughty school boys who are lectured a little, admonished to be good in the future; and notified that if they do so any more there will bc a stick coming. The Sherman law contains no au thorization of this kind. It forbids combinations in restraint of trade and prescribes certain penalties for violation of the law, and says never a word about warnings. 'Apart from the special provisions of the statute it is the accepted doctrine that an of fender cannot plead ignorance of the law. As a sort of allowance for pos sible ignorance statutes often pre scribe a comparatively light penalty for a first offense, but they always prescribe penalty, and no administra tive or judicial officer is at liberty to suspend the law at pleasure, after the manner of a country schoolmaster, and give known offenders a chance to bu good. It looks a little as though Mr. Knox was disagreeably disappointed in the merger decision and was straining a point to make peace with the trusts, good and bad, without whose; support the Republican party would bo routed beyond hope of rallying for lack of funds in the military chest. There are plenty of trusts which are notoriously just as bad as the North ern Securities company ever was. There is-, for instanc e, the combine of anthracite coal roads, which is con demned not by common report merely but by two official commissions the industrial commission and the; inter state commerce commission both ot which took testimony forc ing them to the conclusion that the anthracite; combine openly and defiantly and con tinuously violates both the interstate; commerce law and the Sherman anti trust law. Unexpectedly successful in its pro ceedings against the northwestern merger, the administration is alarmed. It may survive the wrath of the Mor gans and Hills, but it shrinks from the enmity of others who are no less notoriously violators of the laws. Accordingly it gives them notice that they can go right on as usual un til they receive warning, and publishes 'its purpose not to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed," as the 'constitution provides. It is a case of policies before duty. THE TARIFF AS IT IS. Republican Organ Seems to Realize the Truth. We are told that the tariff should be accurately adjusted from time to time to the cost of production. No one will pretend that the cost of pro duction has remained stationary since the Dingley bill was passed six years ago. It is better, perhaps, to say that the tariff should not be changed just before a presidential election and let it go at that. It is better not to wander far upon the quagmire of ac tual fact. The tariff should be changed where ever and whenever necessary (that Js to say, never), upon the basis of the difference in the cost of produc tion between this country and abroad We make steel billets and deliver them in England about $3 a ton cheaper than the Englishman can. This is the testimony of President Schwab of the steel trust. Accordingly we "should pay a bounty of $3 a ton on all steel imported from Europe, instead of allowing our steel man a bounty of $4 a ton on all steel imported in com petition with their cheaper processes. Undoubtedly, it Is said, there are inequalities in the tariff and they should be corrected wherever and whenever necessary (that is to say, never). But what are the inequali ties? Is it not a little remarkable, come to think of it, that not one of the "stand-patters," from Hanna down, or up, has ever mentioned definitely a single one of the inequalities to W'hich frequent reference is vaguely made and whose correction is so cheer fully promised from year to year and from age to age? They are plentiful enough In the steel, and boots and shoes, and implements, and locorao tives, and sugar, and salt, and paper and copper schedules, but neither Aid rich nor Allison ever heard of them. They are afraid if they do it will make votes for the Democratic party. They are more solicitous for their party than for common justice to the people. Every inequality of the tariff should be corrected. Well, is the tariff on steel equal? Oh, but this is a great and glorious country. Well, is the tariff of 25 per cent on boots and shoes necessary? Oh, but we are the greatest manufacturing nation on earth. Well, is the copper trust not able at length to stand alone, without free copper and high duties on Its 'finished products? Oh. but the tariff should be revised by its friends. Kind ly show why the anthracite trust can endure free coal, but the steel trust cannot endure free Iron. Oh, but our workingmen must be protected from the pauper labor of Europe. Will the Republican party ever revise the tariff except to make it higher, as It did with the McKinley and Dingley bills? Oh, but there Is a presidential elec tion approaching and we shall need campaign funds from the protected corporations. If the tariff is a business question and is to be settled on reference to cost of production, cost of labor, etc.. why Is It wo never mention these In dujtrles by name and dlncuas th cost? Why Is it that we fight so hy of the merits of the; enso and reply to every definite Inquiry with only th most glittering generalities? Is It because we are afraid of too cIoho In vestigation into the ability of our In fant industries to stanel alone? Port land (Ore.) Oregontan, Republican. Trust Bating by Spells. The anti trust law forbids combina tions In restraint of trade utid provide Imprisonment and fines tor tranHgres sors. There is no' provision In tin law for its modification or abeyance. No Judicial authority can Hot it aside or change It, yet Mr. Knox, tho Presi dent's attorney general and chief law advisor, has directed one of his assist ants to tcay for publication words to the effect that hereafter until further notice bad trusts will ho Warned and have a chance to reform. A good many people; have bad the Impression that the trust busting pae-e whs too fast to last and that the; attorney-general would tire before; Ik; readied tho home Ht rctc-li. It is a mighty hard thing te give the people enough of a taste of trust-baiting to please; them and yet not hurt the trusts enough to prevent them from giving down their milk into the; campaign barred. If the President could spare the time? during his campaign tour to npur up Brother Knox to greater endeavors in the trust baiting program, it might have Mime good effect, but when the cat'H away the mice will play, und for homo time; the government will , have to run ahmg hi a haphazard way without a head or a leader. Short-Sighted English Workmen. Those English workingmen who re ported on the conditions of American labor without once mentioning tho tariff showed t herusel ves unworthy of our hospitality. Had they not even read President Roosevelt's speech ex plaining Hint protection was scienti fically adjusted to make up for our higher waves? Why, the stupid fed low.s talk as if the;y were the ones who needed protection against our highly paid workiiigtiien! They say that wo arc; sharply competing with them In the markets of the worM, and yet that they hope to hold their own provided they work banl ai.d adopt our Im proved mac hine ry. Not a word about our tariff, which we all know 1 our most improved mac hitu-ry, turning our pre spei ity automatically. The Safest Course for Knox. Philande r Chase- Knox cannot but note with disquiet (hut supcicaloui customs off icia Is are bepii.uing te ar rest smuggling army officer In the) Philippines as we II us in Porto Itleo. Tliis, of course, will necessitate In stinct ions from Mr. Knox to nullify the administration of justice; in the Philippines as l:e has nlreaely dune In Porto Itie-o. In order to avoid thoscj disagreeable episode-s Mr. Knox fdieuild request Secretary Shaw to instruct customs officers that army and navy officers are exempt from thej opera tions of the customs regulations. That will save a lot of trouble. Always There is Some Excuse. Senator Quay is confident that a period of prosperity 13 one in which the tariff ought not to be touched. In 1894 the Jtepublicans said it was a terrible mistake to touch the tariff because business was so depressed. On the other hand, they changed the tariff in 1890, when the country was very prosperous. There is nej tlrao when the Republicans think the tariff ought to be reduced and they think any time Is a gooel one for raising duties if the people will stand it. When they talk about the condition of business they are throwing' dust in the people's eyes. Knox is Between Two Fires. . The attorney general is in a quan dary. He has shown that a successful prosecution of the trusts can be con ducted and he doesn't want to injure the trusts. They are creatures of tho Republican party, and the party Is their creature. If the party is going to turn against its friends there is go ing to be trouble. Mr. Knox is be tween two fires. If he does nejt go on the people will make life a burden for him and if he does go on the trubts will smash him. When the Tariff Will Be Lowered. The existing high tariff could not for a moment continue to receive the ap proval of a majority of the voters but for the cunningly devised fable that it is in the interest of the laboring masses of the country. Tho inexor able lrjgic of incontestable facts shows that this is not true. Whenever the masses of the voters that labor come to see this a lowering of tariff sched ules will be inevitable. Some of the Disadvantages. Of course, It is a glorious thing to have colonial dependencies. But sup posing we really should go to war some day what news might we rea sonably expect to hear from the Phil ippines, inhabited by disaffected peo ple and 10,000 miles distant from the "mother country"? Even at the risk of being deemed treasonable it Is worth while to consider possibilities like thesv. There is More Work to Do. Attorney General Knox is receiving a good many compliments for his 1. f v. f ...I v ..... . -j 1 r worn iu unugiuK nuuui tx ueiinion 1U favor of the people In the merger case. In this respect the attorney, general eoms trt have rionp hi uhnla Antv But there are other trusts aga! which he might proceed, and he shoul not weary in well doing. Tariff Reform by Its Friends. The rdan for letting ti.e tariff be re formed by its "friends" which means by the beneficiaries of governmental copartnership and special privilege is about as reasonable as it would be to appoint a committee of foxes to de vise plans for the relief and greater security of the geese. What Is He Kicking About? A treasonable statistician figures out that the Philippines have cost us the lives of 5,000 soldiers and $300. 000,000 during the last five years and have brought us nothing but trouble. Well, even so hasn't the flag "stayed put" and Isn't that the chief end of man? i