n :
The Commoner
If
l-
tors and speakers dofend thorn' asa necessary' evil.
The democrats havo a great opportunity;, they
should improve it' Let them urgo the free list as
a protection from extortion and let them advocate
publicity, not as a remedy in itself, hut as an aid
to a remedy, and then let them demand that tho
republicans accept or oppose tho Kansas City
platform remedy which lays tho axe at tho root
of tho tree and strikes a blow that will kill. Let
tho corporation l,o shut up in the stato of its orig
in and let it bo denied tho use of the mails, tho
telegraph lines and tho railroads until it shows by
conclusive proof that it is not trying to monopolize
any branch of business or the production of any
article of merchandise.
This is a remedy, easy in application, offectivo
and complete. No, other has been proposed.
Republicans and the Tariff.
While it is true that among tho rank and filo
of tho republicans of Iowa tho sentiment against
trusts and in favor of tariff revision has grown
at a rapid rate, it Is significant that many of the
party leaders and newspapers that aided in the
adoption of the "no shelter to monopoly" plank in
tho Iowa stato platform havo protested against
Speaker Henderson's withdrawal on tho ground
that tho difference between tho Iowa state plat
form and tho speaker's position is not sufficient to
justify his retirement from the contest
Tho Des Moines Register and Leader and tho
Sioux Cty Journal, republican papers, have been
conspicuous in defense of the tariff-trust plank. in
the Iowa platform. These newspapers have in
sisted that that plank means exactly what it says.
. Mr. Henderson has repeatedly insisted that it does
not mean what it says, and yet when finally Mr.
Henderson, after an inspection of tho field, con
cluded that that plank represented a growing sen
timent among tho republicans of Iowa, and not bo
Ing able to sT:and conscientiously upon the plank,
declined a re-election at tho hands of tho Iowa re
publicans, theso papers suddenly concluded that
tho Iowa tariff plank was, after 'all, not so serious
as they first imagined.
The Sioux City Journal declares that Mr. .Hen
derson's withdrawal will prove "a great shock to
4hls supporters and admirers.' The Journal thinks
that, Mr. Henderson", "should havo. stood if for no
.other reason than to lead his people in the fight
this year."
The Des Moines Register and Leader declares '
that Mr. Henderson's withdrawal is a sacrifice
"without parallel in recent politics." This paper
says that "it cannot but be believed that Mr. Hen
derson ,has attached undue Importance to super
ficial differences which are constantly arising in all
political organizations, but which represent no ser
ious division over fundamental principles."
Tho editors of both of theso papers knew that
If elected to congress David B. Henderson would
not cast his vote in favor of tariff revision. They
knew that he would not attempt to fulfill tho
"pledge which tho republicans, of Iowa in state con
vention assembled .mode to the people. If theso
gentlemen were, sincere in, their defense of tho
"no shelter to monopoly" plank in the Iowa plat
form It is strange that they should bo so anxious
for the." election of a man "whom theyjmow would
. use his great influence as speaker in the effort to
repudiate that plank. It Is strange that they have
so many tears -to shed because of Mr. Hender
son's withdrawal.
The inference is that these republican leaders
encouraged, the adoption of tho "no shelter to
m.onopo;y" plank and defended it as a sort of a
tribute to tho growing sentiment among the rank
and file of republicans in opposition to trusts and
In favor of tariff revision. The majority of tho
Iowa delegation in congress has openly repudiated
that plank and yet every one of these newspapers
that protend to believe in that plank are urging tho
people of Iowa to elect to congress republican can
didates who do not indorse that plank and who,
- if elected, may be depended upon to repudiate it
- in their votes in the house.
, Tho Dos Moines Capital, a republican paper
that has openly repudiated the tariff-trust plank in
the stato platform, declares, concerning this re-
- publican pledge to the people, that Mr. Henderson
knew that as a member of congress he would
not-bo able to "deliver the goods." The Capital
says: "Ho knew that as speaker he would have to
- .dissemble and pretend all through his career as
. speaker of tho, now house and he simply .decided
that he would, take tho course which would en
able him as a, republican to speak his mind and
to be candid."
' .r. Tnat tb; CaVta was correct in its claim that
the 'goods" could not be delivered is established
in uiu uiuuiuo uucen oy tne national leaders of the
party. At tho very moment when President Roose
velt received the news of Speaker Henderson' ra-
.tlrement, a conferonco was being held at his Oys
tor Bay homo which conference was attended by a
number of republican leaders.. It was there de
cided that tho tariff would not bo revised. Tho
New York correspondent of 'the Chicago Record
Herald gives a hint of the results of this confer
ence In this way:
Senators returning from Oyster Bay at
midnight declare that not one voice . was ?
raised in the conference in favor of revision.
Senators Allison and Spooner were expected
to talk lower duties, but they did not press
this as an immediate party policy, though
contending that it will have to come sooner
or later. Nearly all the senators present spoko
of tho rise of tavxJ. revision sentiment in their
states, which they ascribed to feeling against
trusts and not to a direct desire to havo tho '
. tariff remodeled. They said there was a dis- y
position among the masses of the people ev
erywhere to confuse the trust and tariff ques
tions, and that this is one of tho dangers
against which tho republican party must
guard. It was agreed the wisest course would
be to stop the agitation as much as possible
and to fall back on the high wages clause of
the Philadelphia platform in an effort to stem
the tide of discontent among the wage-earners,
who are complaining because the cost of
living has so sharply advanced.
It is, therefore, safe to believe that whatever
Ideas western republicans may cultivate and what-,,
over platforms they may frame, the "shelter" pro
vided to monopolies in the republican tariff will
not bo interfered with.
The situation is fully and candidly described
In an editorial in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat,
a republican paper. Referring to Mr. Henderson's
withdrawal, the Globe-Democrat says:
This result comes from the spurious re
publicanism that has been cultivated in Iowa
by academic cranks and secret enemies of the
republican party. There are expressions on
the tariff in the Iowa republican platform that
are not to be found in any national platform
of the party, and never will be indorsed By
republican In' general.
,t
'.
.it, 'J
JJJ
'A. Bricks Without Straw.
'i ' - ,
' In his Boston speech President Roosevelt said:
-I do not think you can get action by any
stato, action by all the states, that will give
us ' satisfactory control of the trusts or big
corporations, and the Tesult is at present that
we have a great, powerful, artificial creation,
which has no creator to which It is responsi
ble. Of course it is a mere truism that the
corporation is the creature of tho state; that
tho state is sovereign. Now I want to makb
a real and not a nominal sovereign; to have
some one sovereign to which the corporation
shall be really and not nominally responsible.
What I hope to see is power given to the na
tional legislature which shall make tho con
trol real. It would be an excellent thing if wo
could have all the states act on similar lines,
so that it would be unnecessary for the na
tional government to act, but all of you know
perfectly well the states will not act on similar
lines.
The Chicago Record-Herald, a republican
newspaper, declares that "this is mere generaliza
tion." This republican paper says:
It is natural that the president should be
jjuarded in his public utterances upon an in
dustrial question at this time. He has no wish
to disturb the business of the country or to
excite the apprehensions of capital. But hav
ing gone so far as to advocate federal con
trol through a constitutional amendment tho
public will naturally ask, In what way does
the president propose to exercise federal con
trol over interstate corporations? Shall the
government license them? Shall it limit their
capitalization? How is it to determine when
a combine becomes a monopoly?
The time is almost past for generalizations.
If trust remedies are to bo discussed at all in
tho approaching congressional campaign the
people want to hear something definite. Has
the president anything specific to propose in
the way of a federal law regulating trusts that
will be more effective than the present Sher
man law, which is not enforced, although there
aro some who believe it might be?
Tho Record-Herald makes a wise suggestion
to tho president Some of tho republican papers
aro claiming that there is a disposition on the, part
of tho trust magnates to oppose Mr. Roosevelt's
nomination in 1904. If this bo true, then even
from tho low standpoint of mere political advant-
Vol. aj No. 3d.
age Mr. Roosevelt has nothing to gain by mincin
wprda jnhis denunciation of the trust system
If it shall develop that the. trust magnates 'am
so uncertain of Mr. Roosevelt's position that'thew
-think the safest course Is to abandon tho Rooso
velt boom, then Mr. Roosevelt will not find en
thusiastlc champions among those who opposa
the trust system unless he shall demonstrate his
sincerity In his., alleged, campaign against that
great evil.
One great fault to be found with Mr. Rooso..
velt's trust speeches is pointed out by the Record-.
Herald; tho prcsidont has Indulged in mere genera
alization. He has not proposed any specific rem
edy by way of a constitutional amendment. In tho
Providence speech ho said that the existing law
would be enforced, but ho -added, that it would bo
necessary to have new laws upon tho subject, and
he said that in the meantime "Wo will do the best
we can with strawless bricks, but remember they
will be strawless." '
In dealing with the law already on the stat
ute hook Mr. Roosevelt was not entirely candid.
He referred to that law as a "strawless brick."
How does he know? He has employed the injunc
tion proceeding provided in that law against two
trust organizations. He has never undertaken to
enforce the cuief feature of that law, which is tho
criminal provision; and neither the president nor
his attorney general havo ever explained to the
people why the criminal indictment was not em
ployed as a weapon against tho great trust evil.
It is significant, too, that even republican pa
pers' like the Chicago Record-Hefald that seem dis
posed to candor on this question are entirely silent
as to the criminal clause of the federal anti-trust
law.
The Record-Herald might explain' to the peoplo
why tho administration has neglected to employ
the criminal indictment in Its alleged campaign
against the trusts. If the Record-Herald is unablo
to explain this, that paper might" do "well to turn
to the administration for an answer to the question
that is being asked all over the country today.
Utah and Washington.
The. democratic state convention in,Utah and ,
the democratic state convention lnwashlhgton
"haye resisted L.e temptation Vheld lout by thoso
who would republicanize tho democratic party and
have reahlrmed the Kansas .City platform.
The democrats in these states, like all thoso
who refuse to desert their prlncipjes, are en
titled to congratulations; and they are also en
titled to the thanks of those who believe that the
welfare of tho people depends upon the demo
cratic party organized for a sincere, consistent
and really democratic fight against oppression and
injustice.
The friends of the Kansas City platform need
not be oiscouraged because there are somo states
where democratic leaders have listened to the plea
that it was time to "play politics," Some men who
make this plea may be really persiia'ded that that
plan provides the best hope of success; but many
of them are anxious that tho democratic party
should not become a vigorous and-effective oppo
nent of trust imposition, while those who are per
suaded to yield to this plea aro to he pitied for
their weakness.
Men play in the basement of politics who
imagine that in this day, when the most serious
thought is being given to public questions and tho
greatest concern is manifested in tho hope of de
vising methods of relief from tho oppression of
the weak by tho strong, success may be gained by
a compromise with truth. ,
Victory is not to be won by any such methods.
- JJJ
Packing the Courts.
"Packing a jury" has always been regarded
as a heinous offense so heinous that public opin
ion has always condemned it The evil of jury
packing lies in the fact that biased men are put
on the jury and its impartial character thus de
stroyed. How many of our people recognize that a
federal court can be packed? A few weeks ago,
,when the retirement of Justice Gray was followed
by the appointment of Judge Holmes of Massa
chusetts, one of tho Washington correspondents
,stated that the new appointee was an Imperialist
and added that the president would not havo ap
pointed a supremo judge without knowing his
views on that subject
The press dispatches report the appointment
of Congressman Ray of New York to tho federal
bench and the public is informed that- Judge Kay
was "Senator Piatt's candidate." Senator Piatt's
candidate is not likely to take tho people's sida
or any disputed question. Judge Bay's appoint-
m
fi
;i h. .Knatift
