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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 2, 1909)
cr' !. -K The Commoner. JULY 2, 190 3 iraw ''" wr "W The American Voters' Scrap Book Valuablo Contributions to Current Political Dis cussion by Eminent Republicans File Tbeso Away for Future Use BUNKO MEN OK WELCHERS WHICH? There are a: few favored states in the middle west (Illinois, of course, excluded) in which cit izens who meet each other and casually talk about the tariff can say complimentary things about their senators and some of their congress men. In most of the rest of the country (Illinois, of course, includod) the range of possible dis cussion about the average member of congress is whether he is to be classed as a' bunko man or a welcher. Except for some of the New Englanders, there is probably not a republican candidate for the lower house, and certainly not a democrat, who would have dared go before the people on the stump last fall without committing him self for honest tariff revision. President Tat had declared that the "Dingley rates have be come generally excessive" and given it as his judgment that republican tariff revision was to be "on the whole a substantial revision down ward." Agreement with him on these points was what the candidates knew was expected of them and what they committed themselves to. But now we hear it loudly said by many men in congressional circles at Washington that the republican party merely promised "revision" and never promised "revision downward." The men that say this are the bunko men of congress. They have sold a gold brick and are now en gaged in trying to look innocent Other members of congress admit the promise, but find it inexpedient to live up to it under conditions as they are. They are the welchers. They haven't the nerve to stand up and face the gaff. Bunko men and welchers alike have this In common, that their existence ought to be rea son enough for their constituents to undertake a thorough house-cleaning in the effort to put the political game "on the square" hereafter, at least so far as tlie tariff Is concerned. Chicago Record-Herald (Republican.) NO HOPE OF RELIEF There Is no tariff schedule which does so little build up domestic Industry as the wool sched le. Nor is there another schedule with the exception of the one covering cotton goods which bears harder upon the consumers. The Payne bill softened in a few small particulars the harshness of the present duties In the wool schedules. The finance committee has said they must not be concurred in, and a docile ma jority of the senate is voting as the committee .would have it. Senator Dolllver and the other courageous republican senators from the middle west who have been trying to get for the people the kind of tariff revision that was promised them have been outvoted by other republican senators who are repudiating the platform of their party. One professed purpose of the duties on raw wool is to encourage its production in the United States. They have been a failure. The wool clip of 1907 was not so large as that of 1895. Manifestly the raising of sheep for wool Is not being stimulated by the present duties and they should be reduced. Those on the coarser wools which are not grown in the United States, and will not be, should be removed altogether. If the prosperity of an industry can bo meas ured by Its consumption of raw material the 'American woolen industry is not thriving under the present wool schedule. The total domestic consumption of wool in 1907 was less than in 1895, notwithstanding .the growth in popula tion. The output of the manufacturers was larger, but that was because they mixed so much more cotton with their wool. If there had been no duties on wool the manufacturers would have woven more yards of genuine woolen goods and the people would have had honester clothing. The manufacturers would be much better off with free wool, but they have an alliance with, the shepherds by which both parties to the part nership get excessive duties on their products. The government gets a little revenue out of the arrangement, but the people are deprived of the woolen clothing they ought to have. Their per capita consumption of wool is much less than it was fourteon years ago. Genuine tariff revision calls for a material lowering of the duties found in the wool and cotton schedules. The coflln lid can not bo nailed down on the agitation for tariff revision until those schedules shall have been revised downward. Chicago Tribune (Republican). THE SUGAR TRUST "Damnable methods." That was one of tho expressions used before tho ways and means committee cf the houso of representatives In a recent examination. Tho methods referred to were those of tho American Sugar Refining company, commonly called tho "sugar trust." Tho word "damnable" seoms 'justified, too, as one disclosure after another shows tho entire lack of principle behind the conduct of affairs. "The case of the seventeen holes" will long be remembored as one of tho moBt glaring frauds ever perpetrated against tho United States government. The trust was forced to pay a large amount of money to make good the stealings effected through dishonest methods in weighing. The repayment, however, has not changed In the least the opinion of a1 single In dividual about the real character of tho action itself. It was just plain thievery, as despicable as could be planned. The disclosures in tho latest affair connected with this same company bring no surprise After the weighing frauds anything might be considered possible. Tho Pennsylvania sugar refinery was built in 1903. It was a model plant. It was bettor than any ono owned by the trust. The builder, becoming involved, was forced to borrow some money. The ono who offered to loan" it was an unknown agent of tho trust. With tho loan he gained the privilege of naming the directors during the period of indebtedness. The rest was easy. Some dummy directors were chosen. They ordered tho plant closed. For the comparatively small amount of $1,250,000 tho trust had put a dangerous rival out of the way. As for the methods? Tho old maxim, "All's fair In love and war," prob ably came to quiet any qualms of conscience if that monitor still spoke to those concerned. To cap the climax, the suit for $30,000,000 brought by the Pennsylvania Sugar Refining company against the "trust" has been settled out of court for $750,000, the terms of adjust ment being still uncertain. That makes about $3,000,000 of ill gotten gains surrendered by the "trust" this year as a result of disclosures of its rottenness. Tho Washington dispatches indicate that the private settlement of this suit has stirred up greater feeling than ever, and that it may lead to the dissolution of this combine. Tho sooner tho blow Is struck the better it will be for all, for tho average Indi vidual who reads of tho wickedness of the sugar "trust" will have his belief strengthened that all trusts are corrupt. His sympathy will be more and more with those who attack thom be cause of such disclosures as the ones made about the despicable methods of the American Sugar Refining company. Chicago Tribune (Rep.) PROTEST SHOULD BE HEEDED The protests made by republican senators against the passage of tho senate finance com mittee's tariff bill in its present form should be heeded by the republican leaders in the sen ate. Those attacks do not represent mere in dividual or sectional dissatisfaction with, Items or schedules In the Aldrich measure. They re flect the widespread popular opinion that tho senate bill, so far as the rates levied on Im ports are concerned, is in no material sense an improvement on the Dingley law and does not make good the promises of the republican na tional platform. The republican platform of i908 promised a revision which would mean something not a mere rewriting of the Dingley schedules, duties being lowered a shade here and advanced a shade there, the net result be ing the re-enactment of a law which has stood on the statute book for twelve years and was drawn to fit conditions in trade and industry which have radically changed In the interval. Twelve years Is a long life for a tariff law. Most of our tariffs have been In effect for shorter periods; and it must be remembered that the progress of the United States in domestic and foreign trade has been greater in the last twelve years than in any twenty years in our earlier history. It argues a curious misunderstanding of tho enormous strides mado since 1897 to insist, as the framors of tho finance committee's bill do, that nothing but a dollcato rcshadlng of ex isting tariff rates Is now needed. If that is all tho situation demands, tho business of tho coun-. try has been agitated for nothing and tho growth of tho last twolvo yours has boon Imma terial and moaninglcsB, Tho country Is unpro- ' pared to accept such logic, and senators llko Mr. Dolllver, Mr. Cummins and Mr. Nelson voice only tho general amnzomont of tho public at discovering that, In tho opinion of tho framors of tho senate bill, wo aro no further on in dustrially than wo wore In 1897, although for eign trade has doubled since then and valuo of domestic manufacturers has increased over 50 per cent. As tho Tribune has said before, tho logic of the situation demands a revision which can lie recognized as such. The country oxpects to see real changes mado in rates and tho very liboral protection givon in tho Dingley law generally reduced. Tho houso bill mado a good start In tho right direction, for It contained many changes pointing to a new development of tho protection principle to meet now conditions. Tho sonato bill is a disappointment in that it has gone back to tho groundwork of tho Dingley law and has balanced some slight reductions in rates with compensating Increases and de creases. Mr. Aldrich says that 379 reductions have been mado. Mr. Culberson says that only 356 reductions havo been mado, and that those aro counter-balanced by 316 Increases, leaving tho Dingley rates on 1,271 Items unchanged. But tho point of greatest Importance is that tho changes either up or down in tho sonato bill aro very slight. Tho Aldrich bill Is tho Dingley law over again. Mr. Aldrich hlmsolf has said that if the sonato bill had been In force in tho fiscal year 1906-'07 It would havo pro duced $8,000,000 more revenue than tho Ding ley law did an increase of $3,000,000 being duo to heavier duties on wines and liquors and an increase of $5,000,000 being duo to stricter provisions to prevent undervaluations. Tho practical Identity of tho senate bill and tho Dingley law 1b thus conceded. Tho Tribune .feels that public opinion will not be satisfied with more nominal rovislpn. It oxpects tho republican party to fulfil Ita promlaoa and to show capacity and courage enough to modernize the tariff schedules. These schedules should bo made as simple as possible, compli cated compound duties ,, should bo eliminated wherever possible, and the public should be en lightened as to the differential of cost of pro duction here and abroad Jon which protection Is allotted. Tho best way to perpetuate the pro tective system Is to make It intelligible and ra tional. The people must see that it subserves national Instead of personal and local Interest. New York Tribune (Republican). KEEP THJS FOR REFERENCE "I marvel at your blindness," says Cummins, of Iowa, to Aldrich, of Rhode Island. "You are subjecting our party," says Cummins to Aldrich, "to unmeasured ridicule, unlimited criticism and eventually to inevitable defeat and destruction." "The senator from Rhode Island will not dis credit us," says LaFolletto to the senate. "In stead he has only discredited his own leadership before tho senate and before the country." "We will havo much more trouble explaining somebody else's vote to the people than our own," is what Clapp, of Minnesota, says In reply to some of the Rbodo Islander's taunts. The copy of tho Congressional Record report ing tho debate in which these amenities oc curred Is worth filing for reference after tho oongressional election of next year. If Mr. Aldrich Is not riding the republican party for a fall there is.tno truth In prophecy. The direction In which he is trying to lead tho republican party is one in which it has already said it does not wish to go. And marching close at his heels aTe tho republican bolters of the senate who for some inscrutable reason, would rather follow him Into tho ditch than obey a party mandate. St. Louis Republic. "Doing something for the workingman" Is a great fad with a lot of people who seem unable to understand that about tho best thing that could be done for a workingman would be to let him have a fair opportunity to do things for himself. i jgklgyj&Lj rj ( A