Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1903 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

Coal Trust in Saddle. There Is no more reason for a tariff tax on coal than for one on ice, and the latter necessity—and it almost is a necessity—is on the free list of the bingley tariff net. Coal Is taxed 67 cents a ton to protect the coal barons and allow them to charge that much more profit—-in fact the duty was Intended as a subsidy. The coal barons are important people. They control United States Senators and Congressmen from a number of strong Republican States, and when the subsidies have been dealt out in the tariff bill they demanded that coal should be protected from competition. .This, of course, was conceded by the Republican majority that passed the bill and the Republican President that signer! it. So there is no escape from the fact that the Republican party is responsible for at least 67 cents a ton of the extortionate prices for coal which the trust is now charging. It is also n6t difficult to prove that the, Republican party is also responsible for the coal strike, and, until election day was near, made no serious attempt to stop it. There Is a community of interests between the trusts and the Republican party leaders. A wireloss telegraph keeps them in constant touch Willi one another and when Important elections are about to occur the contact becomes closer, like the embrace of lovers. The party in power is responsible for the execution of the federal laws a nd, In times of stress.mUlea st. win* n the anti trust law was notoriously being nullified, the same party should enforce It. When the beef trust began to hold up the American people, as it did last winter, if the administration had begun proceedings against the beef barons under the criminal section of the Sherman law, there would have been but little doubt of their conviction. Mr. Armour or Mr. Swift convicted and in Jail for combining to fleece the people, would have at once stopped their extortions and would have been a warning to other monopolists. especially to the coal trust magnates, when combination to restrict the output of coal and keep up prices was notorious. The fear of an impartial enforcement of the law would have made the coal barons think twice before they declined to make a small advance in the wages of the miners. Ten cents a ton advance In wages would have settled the coal strike, ten days after it began. A threat, at that time, of prosecution by President Roosevelt or his Attorney General, even if the beef trust had not been dealt with, would 'have brought the haughty barons to time. No such effort, or even attempt, was made. The trusts are still in the saddle, booted and spurred, riding the long-suffering people to their undoing. The President has washed his hands of the wretched business and his '‘commission” drags along without much prospect of either miners or people being helped by its deliberations. The only relief in sight is balmy spring, which nature fortunately will provide In due course of time.

Public Puyu the Freight. According to statistics compiled by experts employed on the financial Journals in New York City and approved by the officers of several railroad companies, the increases in wages for the past year and one-half on railway lines foot up $43,000,(MX). The wage Increases already made embrace about two-thirds of the 200,000 miles of American railroads. Several roads are now revising their tvage scales to meet the general demand for an advance, and it is estimated by expert railway accountants that the railroads will enter upon the new year with not less than $50,000,000 added to their payrolls. But this figure will be met and, like the collection of taxes in China, enougli extra will be added to pay well for the trouble. For the past month traffic managers have been recasting their freight tariffs so as to yield an average advance on all classes of freight of about 10 per cent, which has been tile basic percentage of the increases in wages. Changes in freight rates must necessarily vary widely, owing to the varying conditions affecting freight^transportation. Grain and flour rates are to go up 2.5 per cent, but the advances In rates on general merchandise will range from 5 cents to 35 cents per I<M) pounds. The freight traffic managers expect to get at least <20.000,000 more out of the iron and steel traffic in 1003 than they received this year, and It Is the belief of Western railroad men that the increased receipts from the new grain rates will aggregate $15,000,000 or $lB.000,(XX). The revision of the commodity rates now going on Is an unknown quantity, but there Is hope of Increasing revenues from tills source by not leas than $15,000,(XX). That tliesc advances In tile freight tariffs should be followed by secret rate-cutting Is to be expected, but the consensus of opinion among railroad men Is that the Indus trial conditions are so favorable as to reduce the temptation to cut rates to a minimum. From only four Items of Increase, therefore, the sum of $08,000,000 Is expected. This balances the $50,000,000 added to the wage account and leaves <18,000,000 to spare. In other words, the public will pay a 30 per cent advance in freights because of the much-herald-

ed advance of 10 per cent in wages.— Denver News. Trusts Are Secure. Intelligence floats in from New York that the large insurance companies and a few of the banks are,getting together, the object in view being another gigantic trust of a financial character, which can dictate prices on Wall street and make the Secretary of the United States treasury look and move like a $3 call boy. This, as a matter of course, gives point to the query: What has become of tlie Roosevelt anti-trust program which blossomed last spring, matured in the Fourth of July address in Pittsburg, the home of Attorney General Knox, and was exploited at “one-night stands” during the President's tour of New England, witli terrific applause from tlie galleries? Congress lias been in session two weeks, but aside from mild references to tlie topic In the President’s message, with a caution to be careful of the “good trusts,” the public has heard little or nothing on. the subject, which was geographically described as “burning" in August, September and October last, just prior to election. Tlie great Democratic gains in cities all over the country last November had close relations to the trusts. High prices for beef and coal came home to, tlie people, and a professor of political economy was not needed to explain tic? phenomenon. It was simply a case of organized, and legalized hog, witli tlie dominant party behind the animal. The Democratic trend of tlie city vote is tlie product of tlie enhanced cost of living. As to tlie prospect of anti-trust legislation by the present Congress, the Washington Post, independent in politics, believes tlint sojne measure of that description will pass tlie house, but regards the chances of concurrent action by the Senate as exceedingly slim. In view of the fact that an anti-trust bill which passed the house two years ago last spring, during tlie lirst session of the Fifty-sixth Congress—a bill that was carefully framed and passed unop-posed—-has lain ever since in a Senate committee room quite undisturbed, is it reasonable to expect the Senate to be very hospitable to another house bill on the same subject? Anti-trust legislation, as defined by Roosevelt, Littlefield, Knox and Doolittle, was a “good enough Morgan” for the last general election—the fifth Republican victory in succession. It might be fixed to answer for another turn, for, as Barnum once remarked, “the American public loves to be fooled." An 11l Wind that Blows Etc. The Standard Oil Company advanced the price of kerosene oil one cent per gallon on Dec. 10. This makes cents advance since the beginning of the coal strike. The New York Commercial says: “There lias been no advance on the Standard Oil products shipped to foreign countries, because there is no coal strike there, and because there is competition witli Russian oil. “The Standard Oil Company lias been using every possible means to develop the use of kerosene in heating and cooking stoves since the beginning of the coal strike- The increased consumption, a Standard Oil official said yesterday, had been very large. Tlie general Impression in 'Wall street yesterday was that the Standard Oil Kompany is trying to.make its profits largo enough to. pay a 50 per cent dividend during'the present fiscal year.” Tlie coal strike is a God send to the hungry Standard Oil trust. It is coining money out of the misfortunes of i he poor.

lu Line with Present-Day Spirit. It really seems ns If the relegation of the portraits of Washington, Jefferson, Jackson and the rest of the earlier Presidents to the corridors of the basement of tlie rejuvenated White House is In accordance with the spirit of the times, as Illustrated in much of the political argument of the day. We see no reason why the next national Republican convention should not put a plank In its platform heartily indorsing the action of the leadership which sends the portraits of the first twentythree Presidents of the United States to the kitchen floor of the President's mansion.—Hartford, Conn., Times.

It's an ill wind that blows no trust good.