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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1911)
;4 '&' V J"W Jv" rwpfllirnfi ItAT 5, 1111 The Commoner. . -'V- . -. ,...-',.' Steel Trust Tries to Scare Underwood 5 We are under obligation to our valued con temporary, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, for the most perfect illustration of the stand-pat Courage which, has come recently under our yiew". " . On the first pago of a recent issue' appeared K special telegram from Birmingham, Ala., the 'home town' of Chairman Underwood, of the .ways and means committee of the house of representatives. The dispatch relates the action of the steel trust in suspending work on the Corey plant in order to affect the course of pending tariff legislation. It does not mince matters: it lays bare a whole ugly affair and calls a spade a spado. We beg to present a few extracts in support of this: "In the action of the steel corporation in suspending work on the Corey plant is seen a direct effort to force Congressman Underwood ' to recede from his position. Underwood's home is in Birmingham. The steel corporation is by far the most powerful factor in the industrial life of the Birmingham district. "Already there is talk of further application of the thumbscrews by the steel corporation. "It is a heavy club that hangs over the head of Mr. Underwood. But so far he has shown no signs of weakening." Any paper which publishes such a revelation as this of the slungshot and sandbag policy of the steel interests renders a distinct public ser vice. We turned to our contemporary's editorial page upon finishing the dispatch with the cer tainty that so important an article would be accompanied by editorial comment. It was. But what the comment was the average 'American reader would grow gray attempting to guess. Instead of denouncing the United States Steel Corporation for action so fitly characterized as "application of the thumbscrews" to Mr. Underwood's home town in order to con trol his course as a public official, regardless of right, justice and the normal operation of econo mic laws, the Globe-Democrat declares that "no body has a right to be surprised at the action of the steel mills in the Birmingham district," and it says of the democratic majority in the house: "They will keep right on in their work of destruction unless halted by the republican senate or president." It therefore advocates the abandonment of the policies which that majority were elected to carry out, that the steel mag ' nates may be placated and' work on the Corey plant may be resumed. We recall no parallel in modern times to this state of mind on the part of" our contemporary ? but it is very "much like that of a certain king of old, whose enemy sent messengers to him to say: "Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy chil dren, even the goodliest, are mine," whereupon the king replied: "My Lord, O King; according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have." The citizen with red blood in his arteries, iron in the corpuscles of the said red blood, and the Declaration of Independence in his country's past, will know how to answer the challenge of the steel trust. He will not take counsel of cowardice nor of the Globe-Democrat. St. Louis Republic. people know It tho better for their safety. If the American farmers are not receiving through tariffs extraordinary prices for their products, it is for them to say whether tariffs shall bo enacted that extraordinary profits bo paid to American manufacturers. If after half a century of "protection" tho steel and wire Industry is still an "infant" and the American labor en gaged In it cannot be supported except at tho expense of tho American consumers, it is timo ' to inquiro seriously whother or not tho attempt to maintain manufacturing industries in this country is worth while. Of course, tho steel Industry in tho United States will not die. Under absolute free trade, which nobody is thinking about at this time, tho steel making would go on and everybody is perfectly awaro that tho free-listing of cer tain steel products used by farmers would not destroy tho steel and wire manufacturing in dustry. The capitalists who own the steel and wire plants are not mollycoddles and they are not going to surrender the American field to tho foreigners. Even if it were true that tariff changes would cause considerable readjustment, American laborers have learned the lesson from more than one experience that high tariffs are not proof against panics and tho shutting down of mills, however they may make and maintain millionaires In and out of panic periods. Every sign points to tho discontinuance of the constructon of the Corey plant as a bluff, but, granting that it is not a bluff, no argument Is to be drawn from it that should affect the course of the democratic party. Tho United States Steel Corporation and J. Pierpont Morgan are in themselves important, but not so Important tbat the sun and moon should stand still In Ajalon. Columbia (S. C.) State. TRYING TO BLUFF UNDERWOOD By discontinuing work on a new plant at Corey, near Birmingham, tho American Steel and Wire company, an allied company of the United States Steel Corporation, has served notice on Oscar W. Underwood, democratic chairman of the ways and means committee of the house of representatives from the Birming ham district and upon the people of that district, that Underwood would better represent it than the people of Alabama and this republic in tariff making. Anyway, that is how the company's action is construed in Birmingham and that is a fair interpretation. The Birmingham News, in the article reproduced In tho State, has said about all that Is necessary in common sense and common decency to say. Meanwhile, a declaration by the American Steel and Wire company, or the United States Steel Corporation, that it does not intend to do business in tho United States unless the con gress shall remain in partnership with it by exacting a tribute from the American farmers in the form of higher prices for products than the farmers would be asked to pay English or German, manufacturers should be of value at this time. If the congress of the United States is to be run as one of the subsidiary corporations cf United States steel, the sooner the American AS PRIVILEGE FIGHTS Suggestion of what tho legislator who sets out to fight privilege has to contend against is furnished in tho bulldozing campaign against Congressman Underwood undertaken by tho United States Steel Corporation. Underwood represents the Birmingham, Ala bama, district, in congress. Birmingham is to the south what Pittsburg Is to the east, or Gary Is to the central states. It is the heart of the steel industry. Tens of thousands of men find employment In the steel mills there and In towns nearby. Moreover, Birmingham promises to become more and more a steel city. Underwood, by virtue of the rule of seniority, became chairman of the ways and means com mittee of the house at the beginning of tho present extra session of congress. He is a man of wide education, is well poised and conserva tive, and a sterling democrat. The ways and means committee is the author of all tariff legis lation, and Underwood, as chairman, has more tp say authoritatively about the tariff than any other man in the lower branch of congress. True to the principles of his party, and to the promises made by it in the last election, Under wood's committee drafted a farmer's free list bill. Among the other manufactured products which this bill puts upon the free list are several articles made by the steel trust and its subsi diary companies hooped steel, barbed wire fenc ing, wire rope, staples and other products of iron. Immediately upon the introduction of tho bill, the Amorican Steel and Wire company, which has a $3,000,000 plant in course of erec-' tion at Corey, in Underwood's district, ordered all work stopped and took the pains to announce that the reason for this action was the bill as reported by Representative Underwood's com mittee. In Birmingham the steel trust shut down nine of the twenty-five blast furnaces and soon "will bank the fires in all the others. We long ago became accustomed to the cries of calamity as raised by the railroads and pro tected manufacturers. "The Blank railroad to day ordered 2,000 men laid off, assigning as the reason the fear of Bryan's election." "The Blank and Blank steel mill was shut, down to day. Officers explain that tho general fear of democratic success at the polls, has caused a wholesale cancellation of orders." "The Double Blank railroad has stopped all construction work in this state and says that If unfavorable legis lation now pending goes through there will not be built another mile of track and grass will grow in the streets of a good many cities." Whatever its form, the cry of "wolf" is a familiar one. It is a variation of this appeal to fear and this Intimidation, which tho steel trust fs using against Representative Underwood. It warns him without saying a word that for tho frco list bill to go through in its present form will cost him his scat in congress. It will tell its thousands of idlo workmen that it is Underwood who has put them out of their jobs, and idlo men not being amonablo to reason they will bring to boar upon Underwood tremondous pres sure in effort to nialco him nioro favorablo to tho steel trust. It will bo worth while watch ing tho outcome of tho steel trust's course, for It is going to test tho tompor of Underwood's manhood as, porhaps, it has never been tested before. To persist in tho course ho has set out upon will bo to commit political suicide; to change his courso will make him untrue to his party, to tho country, and to himsolf. His man hood is on trial and with it his party. Dubuquo (Iowa) Telegraph-Herald. FREE LIST MEANS SAVING OF $300,000,000 A YEAR Special to tho Now York World: Washing ton, April 20. It Is expected that tho farmers' free list bill will savo consumers moro than $300,000,000 annually. Tho consumption, measured by the not supply, in values, of tho articles on the froo list runs as follows: Salt, $9,540,824. Agricultural implements, $90,637,110. Bagging for cotton, sacks, burlaps, etc., $26,031,044. Cotton ties, hoop or band iron, $12,039,953. Leather, boots and shoes, harness and saddles, $493,005,263. Barbed and other fence wire, wire rods, etc., $113,027,205. Fresh and preserved meats, $014,895,219. Flour and grits, cereals and bread, $665, 041,533. Lumber, laths and shingles, $099,599,293. Sewing machines and parts thereof, $8, 497,460. If tho free' list bill becomes a law and prices" settlo down In time, as some of tho advocates of the measure believe they will, tho consumers may save the following sums: On salt, $4,862,005. Agricultural implements, $13,876,541. Bagging, sacks, etc., $6,992,099. Cotton ties, $2,017,336. Leather, boots and shoes, etc., $37,483,788.' Barbed wire, otc, $32,861,066. Fresh and preserved meats, $133,493,752. Flour, grit, etc., $18,355,146. Lumber, laths, etc., $59,955,659. Sewing machines, $2,549,239. BEGGING THE QUESTION Tho Fairmont (W. Va.) Times prints a some what lengthy editorial, of which tho following extract is a sample: "The Commoner finds objection to the leader ship of Senator Martin because it says he can not make a speech. If that Is the only objec tion many people will agree that Senator Mar tin is probably not badly disqualified for his job. Thomas Jefferson laid the foundations for tho greatest political party this country has had, but ho didn't make speeches. There is no record, wo believe, of Benjamin Franklin excelling as a speechmaker. Even George Washington, who had a rather lively connection with leadership In his day, wouldn't have shone on the hustings. Coming down to a later period in tho history of the country, General Grant, who was considerable of a man in his way, never mado speeches." The Times begs tho question. The Com moner's objection to Mr. Martin is not "that ho cannot make a speech," but that his record In the senate shows that he is an Aldrich demo crat and therefore not qualified as a leader of a party that professes to be willing to servo the people. If tho progressive democrats are as much In earnest as the progressive republicans they will, two years hence, retire a number of Senator Martin's supporters whose terms expire then. A cartoonist might, with propriety, represent them In the attitude of tho gladiators who, ad dressed tho emperor, thus: "Thoso who aro about to die salute you." The Richmond Times-Dispatch says that tho democrats of the senate who voted against Mr. Martin ha?.d expressed approval of his course since the election. Ho has not done any voting yet on the tariff, and ho only put two of the seventeen who voted against him on the com mittee, while he approved seven of the twenty one who voted for him. .ttb.A.wteK rsJltM&! fe8SlitgfejlNSfc-t . .iiv. tUM r-K aKAHri& .jr .Ut i ii-j, ijji - j ".