The Nebraska Independent
kEMBEB 2
1906
F
f0u!d becorn
necessary to enlarge
Jr navy
and man our transports
th men wn "-"' "
our flag-
rndoiibtedly tins consiuerauon nas
,.iih President Roose-
,lt in influencing his action m iavor
panting a subsidy to American
dng. But the importance of hav-
ilr.V,W (n the
Lt of war with a ioreign power
not obscure the mind to causes
lit deprive uus couuuy ui a. um-
Lt marine, or lead us as a nation
to precipitate action in any direction
iihout first carefully weighing the
Jfect thereof.
The steel trust and allied monop-
Bifs whose owners are reveuing in
extortion and deluged with in
dues that are building up swollen
Drtiines are now bending their efforts
jr the passage of a . national law to
fcibsidize shipping in order to divert
nemion from the true cause of the
bsence of American ships upon the
ta, namely, the tariff on Iron and
Iteel. Is it not time, then, ior tne
merican people who are victimized
the most flagrant and shameful
aimer to give the subject the atten
tion It deserves, both from the stand-
Joint of domestic extortion as well as
Jroni the standpoint of a merchant
Mine and incidentally from the point
view of having American seamen
ior the nation to draw upon in the
Emergency of a war with a foreign
bower.
The writer is a thorough believer
the principles and policies of pro-
lection to home industry, and asserts
that such are under certain conditions
ital to the welfare of a nation. But
assert with equal force that such
policy is always a temporary ex-
cdient and is never to become, a per
manent institution of a country. Its
(true nature and purpose include its
(limitation, otherwise It Is ' not pro-
pction at all, but something entirely
foreign thereto.
The various phases of a protective
Nicy, by means of tariffs and other
wise will be discussed in detail , in
pose columns in future issues. But
pe point being urged at this time is
that the present tariff schedules are
ja perversion of the protective princi
pile and that the claims made for them
5re badly overworked, and that the
time has arrived for a successful re
volt against the robbery that is being
Perpetrated in the name of protection
which we hold to have been good in
its day, i,t the object of which, has
long since become an established fact
through permanently changed conditions.
Yet the in riff question remains with
'is, transformed in a fetish which re
vives blind worship from a sufficient
number of tradition bound voters to
"'hold the monstrosities it has begot
H in the name of protection. But
when we contemplate , the possible
feed of American seamen in the event
f war wiili a foreign power, we are
driven to inquire how provision may
he made for the same. The inquiry
Points directly to the need of an
American merchant marine' as the
means of supplying them. And in
stigation shows that our tariff and
ation laws are responsible for
the seas, and that nothing but a re
vival of American ship building can
restore our merchant marine, or give
any hope for an increase of American
seamen. The tariff schedules on iron
and steel are responsible for the con
dition we find ourselves in, which can
not be relieved through granting sub
sidies to ship owners or by any make
shift legislation, but which will grad
ually right itself when the tariff laws
are corrected that now deprive the
country of the advantages it naturally
possesses of becoming first among ship
building nations, and first as a mari
time power. ' '
NEW YORK CENTRAL'S DIVIDEND
. (From the Hartford Courant.) '
New York Central and Pennsylvania
are each involved at the present time
in gigantic development schemes. The
Central has its ""Grand Central" prob
lem to solve, the absurd title having
already become a jest. Its station
is no longer central and years ago it
ceased not only to be grand but even
to be adequate. The Pennsylvania is
carrying on almost as great an exca
vation as the Central, and besides has
the audacious tunnel proposition to
work" out. Each has been steadily
absorbing capital and will absorb a
lot more.
It remains for the result to deter
mine whether these dividend increases
made when money is irrpratively need
ed, are fair distributions among the
owners or are devices for persuading
more money to come in by bolstering
up credit. It is only fair to say that
many conservative observers are con
fident that the country has actually
outgrows its railroad facilities and
that, the companies are bound to go
on year by year increasing their earn
ings and their profits. It is a queer
situation, however, to be borrowing
with the left hand and distributing
with the right at the same time.
toe ahse
ice of American ships from
BONAPARTE AND THE TARIFF
(From the Brooklyn Eagle)
Among the combinations "in re
straint of trade" with which this
countrv is endowed, is one for the
manufacture of armor plate. Its chief
customer is the government of the
United States.. Purchases are made
for the shething of armored cruisers
and battleships.
This armor plate trust is at its old
trick of jumping prices. In this it is
merelv doing what other commercial
corporations do under the protecting
aegis of a high tariff. But in this case
the victim is the government, not the
people of the United States. And this
i the nrotest filed against the wicked
armor plate trust by the secretary of
the navy, who seeks, for the govern
ment, authority to buy armor abroad
whenever prices at home are held by
him to be exorbitant:
"When citizens of the United States,
the Drotection of its laws,
who are engaged in the manufacture
of articles of this character, reruse
tn mnnnfacture them for the govern
ment unless it shall agree to pay for
thom nn Pxorbitant and unreasonable
price, they evidently defraud it of an
opportunity to exercise its just cuu
stitutional powers and evade the ful
fillment of their own duties ns patri
otic eit tarns. Therefore, whatever may
be the general economic policy of the
government, the markets of the world
ought to be open to it in dealing with
the situation thus created."
If the shade of the late Nelson Plug-
ley is aware of mundane happenings,
it must smile at. the Ingenuous logic
of the last sentence. The govern
ment must have the privilege of com
pelling the decent treatment which
it denies to the individual citizen
whom an abnormally high tariff robs!
Government can stand b Ing robbed
better than the citizen can stand it.
But. evidently, it makes some differ
ence whpse ox is gored.
A merry Christmas to all.
Subscribe for The .Independent.
The boys that are taking a course
at the Agricultural college of the
state university are fitting themselves
to enjoy the prosperity that is insep
arable from intelligent effort on the
farm. These boys will enjoy a great
advantage over those who lack the
training that such a school gives.
There is no vocation in which intel
ligence counts for more than on the
farm. Give the boys a chance.
The members of the incoming legis
lature must bear in mind that the
state platforms of all parties were
alike on the railroad question, and
that instead of playing politics all
are expected to enter into friendly
emulation in the work of redeeming
the pledges made to the people. There
is no excuse for them to hold back
or balk, they are not in doubt regard
ing the demands of the people. Let
them all toe the mark.
The president and secretary of s'ate
are strenuous in their advocacy of the
centralization of power in the national
government. But the American peo
ple are not ready to concede that they
are incapable of self government. Lo
cal self government is the bulwark
of liberty. It is a precious boon that
has been too dearly bought to be light
ly parted with. The American peo
ple will take no backward step toward
despotism. Russia has a centralized
government, and its iron heel Is upon
the necks of the millions, -The sug
gestions of the president and Secre
tary Root, that we turn our faces to
ward the system that prevails in
Russia will meet with a cold recep
tion on this side of the Atlantic.
president's superior Intellectually, nnd
the president feels Ills dependence up
on his secretary of stale. Hoot Is
one of (he best specimens of the poli
tician and lawyer who tiro content to
work for corporations and special in
ierests, Roosevelt, and Root are ap
parency as nnlllu! as two men can be,
yet the president cllng.j to und depends
upon Root.
It Ik much to be regretled that
a cloud of any kind should hang over
the head of Senator ttailey of Texas.
Ills record In congress Is (lawless.
Ills work in the late session of the
senate attracted the attention of the
country to bin great abilities ns a
lawyer and legislator. He rendered
his country great service. He Is oner
of tin few n-en In public life that Is
intekcUiiiUy great and strong. Ho la
a careful and diligent student that
never ventures upon subjects of legis
lation without first making thorough
preparation. Let us hope that the
present "cloud will prove to bo noth
ing more than a suspicion, and that.
the senator's future .usefulness will
be neither lost nor impaired.
The eyes of all Nebraskans will
soon be centered upon the state legis
lature. The railroad lobby Is now
in Lincoln and is in perfect working
order. The usual number of smooth
fellows are quartered at the hotels for
the season. They do not pretend to
be lobbyists or the tools of lobbyists,
but1 such they are. It is their busi
ness to know everybody and every
thing, 'and be jolly good fellows. They
have a varied assortment o nets into
which they expect to ensnare many
members from the rural district, after
which they will vote them on the
side of the corporations or expose
them. The inexperienced member of
the legislature should beware of the
good fellow who takes so much inter
est in his welfare when he arrives In
Lincoln.
It would be hard to find another
man combining so much of good and
bad as is found in President Roose
velt. Generally, the president's in
tentions are good and his Judgment
bad. HiB chief fault lies, in the dis
proportion between his ambition and
his intellectual endowments. If his
intellectual endowments were equal
to the opportunity that is afforded
him he might easily make himself the
greatest citizen of the world, and
cause his same to become one of the
most illustrious in the annals of time.
But there seems to be no chance of
his doing either, for the reason that he
is lacking In both the sie and the qual
ity necessary. Secretary Root is the
MRS BRADLEY HELD AS SLAYER
Coroner's Verdict That She Killed
Former Senator Brown of Utah
Washington -Mrs. Anna M. Bradley
was held to the grand jury as the
slayer of former Senator Arthur G.
Brown of Utah, as a result of the
coroner's inquest. The verdict cC the
coroner's jury declared that Mrs.
Bradley had fired the fatal shot In the
former senator's room at the Hotel
Raleigh last Saturday. When the ver
dict was read Mrs. Bradley collapsed
and for a time was in a serious con
dition. As soon as she was able to
make the- trip she was removed to
the district jail. Betective Burling
testified at the Inquest that Mrs. Brad
ley had told him at the station house
that she had fired the shot, thaL she
was the mother of Brown's two chil
dren and of his refusal to marry her.
Mrs. Adam's, the mother of Maude
Adams, the actress, who was a special
friend of the former senator had said
that she might have prevented the
tragedy, if she had known In. time,
was not present at the inquest as
was expected.
man -- , - ;ir. ...... ri-,.-. .1..
or.fr nn a bill to maliP a Close season l louiiy. mu i;h.ubc ui mC rA.-i.i
or the killing of squirrels. Yesterday much a mystery as ever.