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The Commoner.
VQLUMB 10,. DUMBER ,25
What is a Republican?
From tho Congressional Record senate pro
ceedings of Saturday, Juno 4:
Sonator Owen speaking.
Mr. Hoyburn. Mr. President
Tho Vico President. Does the sonator from
Oklahoma yield to tho sonator from Idaho?
Mr. Owen. Cortalnly.
Mr. Hoyburn. I want to correct tho Impres
sion In tho mind of tho sonator from Oklahoma
that tho state of Idaho favors tho election of
United " States senators by direct voto of tho
people. It doos not. The state of Idaho is a
republican state, and tho republican party of
Idaho has never favored such a proposition.
Mr. Owon. Tho senator from Michigan (Mr.
Burrows) or tho sonator from Idaho (Mr. Hey-,
burn) can thus defeat or procure action if they
wteh to by co-operating with tho other repub
lican senators whoso states Indiana, South Da
kota, and Iowa like Michigan and Idaho, have
Bought this reform.
Mr. Hoyburn. Mr. President
Tho Vlco President. Does tho sonator from
Oklahoma yield further to tho senator from
Idaho?
Mr. Owen. I do.
Mr. Hoyburn. It is only fair to say that the
senator from Idaho has no Inclination whatever
to promote that scheme of government.
Mr. Owen. Tho five democratic senators
whoso people boliove in this policy I do not
question would willingly co-operate if permitted
to do so.
It seoms unavoidable, however, to aBk the
senato to Instruct the committee if any action
is to bo expected.
Mr. Hoyburn and Mr. Bradley addressed tho
chair.
Tho Vlco President. Does tho senator from
Oklahoma yield?
Mr. Heyburn. I desire to call attention to
the fact, inasmuch as I heard the name of
Idaho
The Vice President. Does tho senator from
P' Oklahoma yield to tho sonator from Idaho?
r "Mr. Owon. I yield to the senator from Idaho.
Mr. Hoyburn. I meroly want to got tho
record straight. I heard tho name of Idaho
mentioned in connection with the states that
had announced in favor of this heresy. I desire
to say that the legislature of Idaho, as a rule, is
sane, but there have been times when it was
not.
Mr. Owon. In duo course I shall read the
language of the legislature of the state of Idaho.
Sonator Owen presented a memorial from the
Idaho legislature of March 14, 1908.
Mr. Hoyburn. Mr. President
The Vice President. Does the senator from
Oklahoma yield to tho senator from Idaho?
Mr. Owen. I yield.
Mr. Hoyburn. I trust the sonutor from Okla
homa will yield, merely that I may say that
while that is certified by the republican secre
tary of state, the certificate is of a resolution
passed by a democratic legislature. McKinley
was tho speaker of the house, but it was a
democratic legislature, and the resolution does
not represent the republican views of Idaho.
j That was a legislature
W ' Mr. Owen. I am willing to lot the republican
views of Idaho be represented by the senator
frnm Trtnlin
wo- Mr. Hevburn. Ygh: hut. T tvjjr nnt o-Mno. .
give the republican views on this occasion. I
stand ready to give them at any time; but I did
not want the impression to go out that that was
the action of a republican legislature.
Mr. Owen. Tho people of Idaho directly nom
inate United States senators. (Idaho primary
lawB, 1903, p. 360, Mandatory; state wide;
rudimentary.)
Mr. Borah. Mr. President
The Vice President. Does the senator from
Oklahoma yield to tho senator from Idaho?
Mr. Owen. Certainly.
Mr. Borah. I was absent from the chamber
When Idaho was supposed to have been enlisted
in this matter, and I desire to say that there is
no doubt in my mind that Idaho Is in favor of
the principle of electing senators by popular
vote, and that our legislature was not insane
when it so declared.
Mr. Owen. I have not tho slightest doubt
of the correctness of the view of the junior sen
ator from Idaho, and am glad to have the junior
senator from Idaho answer tho senior senator
from Idaho as to tho views of the people of
..Idaho, and as to the sanity of the legislature of
that state.
Mr.: Beveridge. It should not be forgotten
that President Taft has declared for tho election
of senators by direct voto of the people. Ho
said In his letter of acceptance, "With respect
to the election of senators by tho direct votes
of tho peoplo, I am Inclined to favor it; but it
is hardly a party question." Ho was right in
both of these positions.
Puzzle: Find where the republican party
stands upon tho election of senators by the
people.
TIMELY QUOTATIONS
Extract from "Political Parties in the United
States;" being a critical review of "Inquiry into
the Origin and Course of the Political Parties
in tho United States," by the" late ex-President
Martin Van Buren; taken from the "Southern
Review" of October, 1871, which Review was
edited by Albert Taylor Bledsoe, LL. D.:
"There aro no paTties in despotisms to carry
them on. They are things of force; and opposi
tion is called treason and rebellion. Parties aro
the fruit only of free governments. Popular
free governments are nothing but just govern
ments responsible to the people. The 'consent
of tho governed,' as the Declaration of Inde
pendence affirms, is at once the warrant and
criterlori of its existence. Of course, it does
not consist of obedience to power. Consent, as
a principle of government, Is inconsistent with
power. Power may command;' but, if inoper
ative without consent, then consent may be re
fused, and power Is restrained. In carrying on,
therefore, free government, the one great ne
cessity of its existence, Is continued free consent.
If this consent ceases .(the consent of the gov
erned) free government ceases, and force, the
soul of all despotisms, arises in its stead. Here,
then, Is the great problem In all free govern
ments how may the government be so organ
ized and administered as to have the consent
of the governed? It is clear that this consent
can never flow from injustice or wrong, because
nobody is interested in supporting wrong but
tho wrong-doer. The interest of all innocent
persons is opposed' to wrong, which never, by
Its nature, will suppress itself; and, if unsup
pressed, spreads and perpetuates its evils. Nor
can consent be produced by force. Force raises
resistance In the heart and "intensifies dissent.
Free government is a device to get rid of wrong
and force, To prevent wrong and to secure
justice, is in reality the origin and aim of all
free government. Parties arise from the same
source as government. Government is necessary
to protect society; and parties are necessary to
protect free government. "When bad men com
bine, the good must unite. If the good were
always good, and lived forever, the same ma
jority which establishes a free government
would perpetuate it. But, unfortunately, good
men die, and virtue is not hereditary. The evil
which occasions the necessity of government to
suppress it, is never extinguished."
The above words seem so good and so appli
cable to the politics of today that I send them
for The Commoner's "Timely Quotations"
column. - H. COCKERILLE.
Washington, D. C.
Practical Tariff Talks
A careful study of the steel schedule will
disclose to any inquiring person why it was
possible to organize a steel trust, and why it is
so easy to maintain It. 'From the very begin
ning of tariff-making the steel and iron makers
have been favored above others. , As a result
the business developed by leaps ' and bounds,
and for more than thirty years this industry has
been in absolute control of the steel market of
this country. There have been a number of re
ductions in the steel schedules, but these have
not kept pace with the increased- ability of the
steel maker to take trade away from his com
petitors. Today, tho steel business, gigantic as
it is, is still considered by the tariff makers as
an infant industry. This Is not the opinion of
mere theorists, but of the steel men themselves.
When the Payne-Aldrlch bill was in the throes
of formation, Charles M. Schwab, who knows
more about the practical side of the manufac
turing, repeatedly declared that it did not mat
ter what tariff cuts were made, the industry
could stand them.
duoe more steel in a given time than any other
workmen in the world. I know that they can
put out better steer than any others. We can
compete with any other country. Wo have noth
ing to fear from a cut in the tariff because we
have the best goods. It is true we have to pay
our workmen tho highest wages, but the highest
paid labor is tho cheapest to the employer."
That Schwab told the truth was proved in the
tariff debate by a letter produced and read by
Senator Bacon of Georgia. It 'was from" the
president of a railroad company that lies partly
in Mexico and party in the United States. This
railroad bought its steel rails in America. For
the rails that were laid in the United States sec
tion it paid between seven and eight dollars more
than it paid for those in the Mexican section,
and it purchased them all at the same time from
the same factory. The reason was. this: The
tariff of $7.84 a ton added that much to the
price of any foreign manufacturer who would
import into the United States, while in Mexico
both the steel trust and tho foreign maker were
on an equality.
Here are some of the things Schwab said:
''American labor can make the best steel in
the world, and with it we can compete with the
world. I know tha American laborers can pro-
American steel makers have two distinct adV
vantages that dispense, with any further- real
need of heavy protection. One is the ownership
of a great amount of raw materials close at
hand; the other is that they have so standard
ized production that their first cost is less than
that of any competitor. It was repeatedly
shown in tho tariff hearings and debates. that
the steel trust had frequently sold rails in the
English market for less than the Birmingham
manufacturers could make thrsm. Yet these
well-substantiated facts had no effect upon the
votes of a majority df the senators. A few fig
ures will show just how the excessive protection
of the past has enabled, the steel trust to pile up
fabulous profits, paying dividends now of .mil
lions of stock that represent not a dollar -of
capital stock invested. In 1907 there were pror
duced In this country four million tons of. steel,
rails. The difference, in price between the United
States and abroad averaged about $7.27 a.toru
That is to say, if there had been no protection
whatever, the rails would have cost that miich
less here at home than the steel makers -.sold
them for abroad. That tax amounts t.tp,$'2 9
0.00,000, and in 'exchange the. government jser,
J i Ann nit r - - l l . 1V
cured a revenue of $30,070. , . -
Pig iron is one of the raw materials of the
steel and iron trade. The production yearly is
26,000,000 tons. This Is dutiable at $4 a ton.
The average price here was $17.75 a ton; abroad
it was sold for $11.25. The tariff tax levied on
the people was 104 millions, and the revenue
received was but 1 millions. Steel billets
are the raw material of the manufacturers of
steel goods. The production in 1907 was 24,
000,000 tons. The tariff was $G.72 a ton; or a
total of 157 millions on the American produ'er
tion. These billets sold, abroad for about $15r,
while here the price was" maintained at an aver
age of $24.71. The government revenue was
$590,063. On wire nails, with a yearly pror
duction of 512,t)00 tons, the tax was $11.20 a
ton, or' a total of $5,700,000. In the -United
States nails" sold for $47.13 a ton, abroad for
about $34. The government revenue was $91.
In each instance it will be noted that the tariff
. was added to the foreign price, showing that
the duty was absorbed by the steel makers. No
body supervised their distribution of it among
their workmen. Who couldn't get rich that
way? c. Q. D.
i)
TELL IT TO YOUR WIFE
uYou can not control the trusts by the
government when the government is con-
trolled by tho trusts." Senator Robert
Tj. Owen. '
TELL IT TO YOUR HUSBAND
"You can not control the trusts by the
.government when the government is con- -
trolled by the trusts." Senator Robert
L. Owen.
'
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