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MlTOtui 1lH Commoner
JO, 1907
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for the canal service of two Amer-
M 5,700 tons each for $1,300,000
yernmont was offered two foreign
0 tons each for $760,000?
Swwemblanco between the "platform"
ilgalnst tho prosecution of Paul Mor-
;rround that the cornoration rather
jjfcdividual should be proceeded against, .
latform" providing for the nrosecu-
Individuals comprising the beef
resemblance between the "platform,"
in a speech at Harvard college,
tho able lawyers who for a price
talents to great corporations in order
ffeople may bo oppressed and tho
7t m i l.ii m
a lew aays later provmmg tor
mtment as secretary ot state or. tno
iMPalloorporation lawyer of them all?
against the attempt by trust mag-
ifoontrol the politics of the country and
im of congratulation to Dupont, chief
wder trust, on the occasion of his
the United States senate from JDela
resemblance between the "platform"
..which jfotested against the growing influence
f oorpb rations in politics and the fact that tho
majority of the cabinet is composed of men
.jwho predilections are distinctly corporation
v ana tne otner race mat juai onette is not rogara-
htA w tVio fonornl nnhlin no n nnrMfiilnvIv nrnl.
WJBC V1B1LUI UL IUU VVIUIU 11UUBU .'
l. What resemblance between the "platform"
'(Bt tandpatism on the high protective tariff and
w.oia nep nrnrinn' "i'n ntinni onnnnmiofo nnvn
-!!," ..,, V,VV1XU1.U Al
generally agreed that proteption is vi
in theory and harmful in practice?"
What resemblance between tho "platform"
irmg against tne growtn or special mter
'and the championship of the ship subsidy
fAnd last, but by no means least, what re
liance between the "platform" declaring in
of an adequate railroad regulation bill
Sthe passage of a measure having the ap-
U of Nelson W. Aldrich and Joseph B.
Eer?
Kr. Taft will do quite well if he shall avoid
lg "any invidious comparisons,
oooo
INDUSTRIAL MURDER
le report of the coroner of Allegheney
r', Pennsylvania, for the month of August
i; that there were killed in Chat county
irg being the metropolis fifty-nine men,
in railroad accidents and twenty-nine in
lanufacturing plants. During the. same
more than 300 industrial workers wore
or less injured. This is a record equal
line battles which have been recorded in
During that same month there were
and wounded 1n Industrial circles in the
States more workmen than there were
lean soldiers killed or wounded during our
Pwith Spain. In one year American railroads
tf and wound more than were killed and
tnded on either side in any one battle of the
war. Yet this annual slaughter which is
istrial murder calls forth only casual
cotest.
of railroad maghat Is "
lew.
?
iw
lit?-
; .' : '
- .
OOOO
"WHOLESOME" LAWBREAKING-
Referring to the proposition that Mr. Har-
Vr!T"k Jf
$ '&
m&.
ST,;; riman and his associates be prosecuted for their
l railroad mercers the Waahinerton corresnondent
ff '' fir the St. Louis Globe-Democrat savs the ad-
&X iailnistration has the matter under consideration.
W ': "Jpls correspondent adds: "Whether the merger
rLV'H beneficent or otherwise, in its effect upon in-
r Wrauito liuuc, mum utj uuuiuuu uy uiu , mgui
pLjlJEdvisers of the administration. If it Is held
lab mo vuuauiiuauuu a ttuujcdujuc ux iuuuouud,
ie administration will probably not go into the
jpourts."
This same correspondent refers to Mr.
toosevelt's Memorial day speech in which he
irged the legalizing of pooling agreements, say-
ting: "Subject to first giving to the government
Jl,he power of supervision and control which I
Knave ativocatea, tne law snouia oe amenaeu so
that the railroads may be permitted and en
couraged to make traffic agreements when these
are in the interest of the general public, as well
as the railroad corporations making them."
The Globe-Democrat's correspondent ex
plains: "With pooling legalized the anti-trust
act, so far as it applies to railroads, would be
nullified."
If it be the province of the authorities to de
termine whether the violation of law on the part
wholosomo" why not
relieve tho conscience of these public official
by making provision in tho law itaolf?
Why not make tho Sherman anti-trust law
read something Hko this: "Every contract
combination, in tho form of trust or otherwise,
or conspiracy in restraint of trade, etc., is here
by declared to bo illegal except whore such con
tract, combination, trust or conspiracy is regard
ed as 'wholesome in. influence?' "
Why not provide also as per the hliU given
in Mr. Taft's speech a law something like this:
"All bad trusts are hereby prohibited; provided
that nothing horeln shall be so construed as to
interfere with good trusts"
Or: "All bad conspiracies are hereby con
demned but good conspiracies aro not to be in
terfered with."
Or: "All violations of law aro to be pun
ished except where such violations aro consid
ered 'wholesome in iuiluenco.' "
Absurd as some of these suggestions may
seem they aro no more absurd than tho proposi
tion that men sworn to enforco tho law have
the right to determine whether the violation of
law by powerful men is "wholesome."
It is no more absurd than for tho adminis
tration to say at one moment "we are opposed
to combination and agreements" and at another
moment to recommend that tho law be so amend
ed as -to i ermit and encourage railroads to mako
traffic agreements. If wo are to have railway
regulation why are s'iich agreements necessary
"in the Interest of the general public?" Why
not let the government lay down the rule In tho
process of this regulation a rule to which the
railroads are to adhere not by agreement among
themselves but In recognition of the superiority
of their creator, in compliance with the law of
the land.
oooo
BONAPARTE'S DILEMMA
Attorney General Bonaparte now flnds him
self in a position where tho charitable will sym
pathize with him. Because he talked about
shooting a ,covey of trust and rebate criminals
the special interests have raised a storm about
his head. Because he only talked of shooting,
and has brought down no jailbirds, the poor head
of tho people's lawyer is the targot for movo
general censure. To add to the predicament in
which Mr. Bonaparte finds himself, tho Wash
ington correspondents are busier than over writ
ing rumors of his approaching resignation.
Of course Mr. Bonaparte is a failure as
attorney general, just as his predecessor -was
and just as any man may be who tries to steer
a middle course between what the people want
and what the administration of which ha is a
part, is willing to have him do. We are driven
regretfully to the conclusion that Mr. Bonaparte
will not be 'able to do more than Mr. Moody
did. The most that can bo hoped for is that
if the present attorney general leaves the cabinet
on account of his attitude toward the monopolies
and rebaters he will not bo rewarded with a
seat on the bench of tho United States supremo
court.
Now before any republican reader takes
The Commoner to task for these harsh state
ments against the republican administration let
him be informed that the above appeared as an
editorial in that stalwart republican newspaper,
the Now York Press. 3
OOOO
"MAY BE REDUCED FIETY PER CENT"
Nothing shows the growth of tariff revision
sentiment more plainly than the attitude of tho
National Association of Manufacturers. This
association at its national convention held sev
eral months ago declared in favor of a revision
of the tariff the same to be accomplished by a
commission or board selected for that purpose.
It must be remembered that this associa
tion Is composed of tariff beneficiaries and the
association's action has been generally Inter
preted to mean- that many of these manufactur
ers have been made to realize that some meas
ure of relief must soon be given to the people
else they are likely to demand a full measure.
When Senator Foraker defended the high
protective tariff in replying to Secretary Taft
he doubtless thought he wojuld at least have the
sympathy of the beneficiaries of that tariff.
Therefore a letter printed in the 'American In
dustries" .and written by Mr. H. E. Miles, chair
man of the tariff committee of the National As
sociation of Manufacturers, is interesting. That
letter is addressed to, Senator Foraker, and for
the information of Commoner readers Is print
ed in full in another column of this issue.
It will be' seen that these manufacturers
npprovo of Mr. Taft's "tariff-rovlfllon-aftor-tho-prosidontlal-electlon"
policy. And they nlao
want It revised by a commission which Is usu
ally tho method employed to "accomplish" those
things which tho commission's creators do not
intend to havo accomplished. It will also bo
soon that thbuo manufacturers want the tariff
investigation to bo behind closed doors.
Tho Commoner bolloves that tho tariff
should bo revised .not by a commission but by
tho American congress composed of men who
aro presumed to be tho roprosuntatives of tho
people And tho Investigation and discussion of
tho subject should bo In full viow of tho Amor
lean public oven though tho proceedings should
disclose that the people havo been plundered,
through tho sholtor given to tho trusts In tho
republican tariff, to an extent not horotoforo
suspected.
Some idea of tho oxtont of tho tariff Im
position may bo obtainod from Mr. Miles' lot
tor. Ho says: "About forty por cent of all
tho members of our association who have by
correspondence pronounced for revision doc I aro
in their letters that their own schedules MAY
PROPERLY BI3 REDUCED FIFTY PER CENT
OR MORE WITHOUT HURT TO THEIR RE
SPECTIVE INDUSTRIES OR TO THE COUN
TRY AT LARGE."
How exorbitant must bo this precious tariff
fostored by the republican party whon ovon
forty per cent of its bonoflclarles, frightened by
tho rising tldo of public sentiment, admit that
their own schedules "may properly bo reduced
fifty por cent or more without hurt to their re
spective industries, or to the country at largo."
If tho common every day experience of tho
consumers is not sufficient to awnkon republican
voters to tho Iniquity of tho existing tariff sys
tem surely tho confession In the letter referred
to ought at least to challengo attention and in
vito thoughtful investigation.
OOOO
VIRGINIA VS. PENNSYLVANIA
The people of Virginia voted $1,000,000
for the erection of a capitol building at Rich
mond. A magnificent structuro was tho result,
but the public officials having tho matter in
chargo have put themselves in disfavor with
the Pennsylvania gentlemon who attended to tho
construction of the Keystone state's capitol. Tho
Richmond building cost only $000,000, and
$400,000 of the appropriation was covered "back
into the state treasury. Tho Virginia capitol
cost tho Virginians less than the graft worked
on tho Pennsylvania capitol In tho one Item of
bronze work alone. The graft worked in Penn
sylvania on the ono item of furniture for tho
new capitdl would havo paid for tho erection of
two such buildings as tho one to which loyal
Virginians point with pride. The-differenco be
tween tho Pennsylvania "building and the Vir
ginia building is that the former was built by
dishonest men -who robbed the state, while tho
latter waB built by patriotic men who looked
after the -best interests of their commonwealth.
Tho former is tho logical result of allowing a
rotten political machine to run. tho state, tho
latter is the logical result of Intelligent and,hon
est participation In public affairs. It is to bo
hoped that at some time In tho future tho peo
ple of Pennsylvania will realize the necessity
of running their own public affairs Instead of
leaving them to the tender mercies of a political
machine that hesitates at no crime calculated
to perpetuate its hold upon the public revenue.
OOOO
GIVE IT ALL UP
Tho Wall Street Journal says: "Speaker
Cannon speaks by the card, and with a cen
appreciation of political- conditions, when ho
says that if congress does not act wisely at the
next session there will not bo much need for
the election of delegates to the next republican
national convention. The republican party must
move carefully lest it be grounded on tho sands
of financial despotism, or be swept Into tho tor
rent of radical socialistic agitation, destructive
of financial rights and confidence. Either way
means shipwreck."
Republican leaders might profit by the ex
ample set by Mark Twain In tho only romance
he ever wrote. Through a series of Interesting
incidents and accidents Mark Twained his hero
to a point where to turn either way meant in
stant death. The reader, wrought to high ner
vous tension, wondered how It wpuld all como
out when he turned to the following page ond
read this note from the author: "The reader
will not see this story continued In another
issue. The fact Is the author has got his hero
into such an all-fired bad fix that he here and
now washes his hands of tho whole affair."
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