Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1903 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

Battle for Free Coal. The battle for free coal Is now raging hi Congress. It la a very unequal fight for the majority party have nil the avenues of legislation blocked against (ny bill that the protectionist oligarchy hat rules the Republican party do not avant to have enacted into law. It la impossible to have a bill reported frojn the principal committees In the House Jof Representatives unless the leaders order it, and as they have determined Ito “stand pat,” which means that no (tariff legislation will be considered, even the duties on coal and beef will continue to be exacted from the American people. Senator Vest, however, has been jforclng the bands of the Senate leadera by hia resolution ordering the FlklHnco Committee of that body to report a bill for free anthracite coal. In bls speech he exposed the whole InSqully of the addition to the Dingley >lll of the'duty on anthracite coal, and he Republican members of the Senate •re on the defensive, trusting to longwinded speeches to use up the time until the appropriation bills come from khe House and occupy the remainder t>f the session. In the meantime coal U being adtvaneed in price by •the trust to un pieard of figures, the tide water price liow being $10.50, which, with the ferriage sml wharfage charges, will make II coat the dealers sl2. The retail price In New York Is from sl4 to S2O, according to.quality and quantity. This price is almost or entirely prohibitive Io she poor, and the conllhuanee of the I,trike would hardly have been more disastrous. With the coal famine In progress the coal barons are reaping a great harvest and will more than re cuperate their losses duriqg the strike. Why does not the dominant party ■ln Congress take off the duty on coal pt once and allow foreign coal to come In and compete and thus help to relieve •the situation? The answer to this question Is an extraordinary one. It Is, ffenr of the Democrats. Fear that, if a Free Coal bill Is reported, the wicked Inlnorlty will propose an amendment or free beef, or free barb wire or othtr trust product. Ihe Republicans now that a vote on these amendments •ould disclose a division in their party ranks and perhaps enough of the Republicans voting with the Democrats for some of the amendments to pass Them. There are few members of the llcnise of Representatives who desire the free list extended to a number of articles aud there are others whoseeonstltueuta are so decidedly In favor of ifree trust ’products that it would be political suicide for their represents jives to vote nay on such propositions. Meanwhile everyone Is being held up l>y the coal barons mid the distress and fcufferlng amongst the poor is almost lieyond belief. The trust certainly has u firin grasp on this Republican administration. .Mow long will she people continue to Support the “stand put” program? And •will they forget wlem kindly nature next spring relieves them of the need of one of their great necessities? Way to (Jet tit the Trtiala. “The first step In an honest effort to correct the trust evils from which we suffer," says Senator Vest. "Is to Remove the protection the tariff gives to monopoly and force It Into world competition.'* J hat is just plain good scuse arlft duties are levied to protect domestic Industries from foreign coni petition by raising the price of Im l>orted articles to the consumer. , But when the domestic producer

proves that he does not need to bo protected against the foreigner by go I Ing into the foreigner's own home mar het «n<l underselling him there, why should Ute tariff Unties be allowed to remain? The protectionist can give no honest answer to tiuit question. It Is grotesque to sity flint an Amerlean trust which sella its good cheaper in Hngland that It does here requires ’protection against the competition of Kngllsh munufactm-ors The only effect of retaining the tar iff dutlea in such eases is to empower tlie favori'd trust to mb the American people. Tiie Borax Trust furnishes one of many examples of how the Dlugley tariff works. There is a duty of ft ■cents a pound on borax American borgx sella In Hngland for 2H cents a cents. That la to say. the duty of ft cents ig added to the price whenever on American buys a |miuu<l of borax. Thia ia a bald swindle, yet is practiced by all the great trust# which •tave high prices for the (tome conautner and low prices for the foreigner. Not all our monopolies are created by the tariff, but most of them are. It needs only a vole of Cougrea# to destroy these monopolies, but that vote will not lie given no long ns the Ha publican party remains In |a»wer. All Its .Influential leaders, from I'resldsat Roosevelt down, refuse to admit that there is any relation between the trusts and the tariff. Tn admit the truth would lie, of course, to confess the need of tariff revision, and very naturally tU« tariff-protected trusts -woidd light that tooth and nail. la the Republican party there are a

great many voters that want the tariff reformed, but lhe leaders of the party, the men that shape its policy, are in full political partnership with the trusts, and will consent to no legislation hostile to monopoly. The only way to vote against government by the trusts for the trusts Is to vote against the Republican party Chicago American. That Free-Trade Mummy. The Washington Post says: "The Chicago Chronicle’s devotion to the decadent, the almost fossilized heresy of free trade Is so intense that It never omits a possible opportunity or resists a temptation to show Its rabid animosity toward the triumphantly vindicated doctrine of protection. Indeed the Chronicle hunts for such opportunities ami invites that temptation, ignoring the abundant proofs that its Mol is, for all [>ractlcal purposes, as dead as the oldest. Egyptian mummy.” Free trade is a "fossilized heresy” and an “Egyptian mummy" is it? It never was more animated than now. .Not for years has there been as much free trade not tariff reform, but radical free trade—talk, both In and out of Washington, as during the past four months. Hundreds of newspapers are demanding that coal, beef, steel, •hides and numerous other trust products, be put on the free list. A free trade mass meeting was held In Fanuell Hall, Boston, on Dec. 30. ' A great audience yelled Itself hoarse for free trade In coal, beef and other articles. The tariff tax now has more enemies in Boston than the tea tax had when Boston's famous "tea party" was in session. So lively Is this free trade mummy that It has aroused the Republican party from its Kip Van Winkle slumber. Speaker Henderson got frightened and fled when he saw this "fossilized heresy" approaching under the banner "lowa idea.” Babcock and other Republican Congressmen are introducing free trade bills as peace offerings to this free trade mummy. If President Roosevelt had thought that free trade was a mummy, instead of a live Issue, he would not have advocated free coal in his message to Congress. The free trade mummy Is so much alite that it is creating consternation in Republican ranks. It will break all of their old protection idols and brie a brae fetiches If the Republicans try to keep it in their museum of antiquities. Unnecessary Conventions in Ohio. Boss Hanna has nominated his friend Herrick, of Cleveland, as the candidate of the Republican party for Governor of Ohio. He will allow the party to hold a convention next fall and Indorse his selections for Governor and other candidates. Quite a number of Republican editors of that State want the party to hold an old fashioned convention and make the nominations In the ancient way. These are .supposed to be sympathizers with the ambition of Congressman Dick, whom Boss placed at the head of the State Committee. For the past seven years Boss Hanna has had undisputed control of the Republican party of Ohio. As the Republicans of Ohio evidently like to bo bossed, the objections of those Republican editors will probably be futile. What is the use of holding Republican conventions anyway? They are expensive luxuries, and, under the modern boss system, entirely unnecessary. Exchange. Teddy a Disinter steel Spectator.

A Verv Shallow Argument. Senator Aldrich’s argument that the Democrat* placed a duty of 40 cents on coni In 1801 Is not effective. Even though they did, the act was not right, and it Is surprising that the Republicans should attempt to justify themselves by quoting sn authority in which they have always professed to have so little confidence. Mr. Vest's assertion that the 40-cent duty was a hold up Is undoubtedly correct. All such duties are hold ups, whether Imposed by Democrats or Republicans. The only difference Is that It Is a little easier to hold up the Republicans than It is the Democrats, because of trained party opinion and the influence of party members who are men of large commercial affairs.— Indianapolis Nsws.