Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 June 1903 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

Trnsts and Wages. The wonderful material prosperity of part of the people of the United States and the lack of It with the greater number Is an anomaly that Is startling and naturally leads to Investigation to discover the cause. To Judge by the numerous strikes that are In jjrogress there must be a large percentage of workingmen that do not consider their condition prosperous. Before a strike is decided upon or ordered a majority of those striking evidently consider their circumstances so unfortunate that they are willing to make themselves and their families more uncomfortable for a time, in order that in the end they may be prosperous, or at all events that tlieir case may he bettered. It is out of all reason, that all these workingmen who have voluntarily surrendered their wages for an indefinite period, would have done so if their condition was prosperous. If the ordinary citizen is living comfortably and laying up a bit for a rainy day, he is enjoying prosperity. If he and liis family are obliged to be satisfied with the bare necessities of life and then can hardlymake both ends meet, one can hardly blame him for striking, for his predicament, short of starvation, could hardly be worse. That is the plight of a vast number of hard working and industrious citizens to-day. WSges are about 15 per cefit higher than in 1800, but the cost of living has advanced nearly 40 per cent. So the margin, if there was any, in 1809, is wiped out and it is only by reducing expenditures that the weekly or monthly bills can be paid. Every citizen who is receiving no more emolument now than in 1800 is in the same fix as the workingman who is striking. It is only by cutting off ali luxuries and pleasures and restricting expenditures to absolute necessities that those with like restricted incomes are able to make both ends meet. The plutocratic press is very generally denouncing the workingmen for demanding more wages and are much exercised lest tills general demand to participate in the prosperity will bring about conditions that will restrict and soon overthrow it. One of these newspapers, the Journal of Commerce and Commercial Bulletin, of New York, admits that the organization of capital and its greed is the chief source of the trouble that the rich are growing richer and the poor poorer, but it joins organized labor with the trusts as being equally responsible when it says: “It Is a broad fact in this era of prosperity that its benefits are enjoyed in but a moderate measure, if at all, by a large majority of the people. The small capitalist in business, the manufacturer and trader in a modest way, the .great mass of clerks and others In salaried places, the independent and unorganized workers in a multitude of occupations, with the rising cost of living caused by the high prices that large profits of combined capital and high wages of organized labor induce, have the same struggle for a comfortable existence that they had in less prosperous days. They are deprived of their share of prosperity by the greed of aggressive combinations of capital and labor.” That is rather tough on President Roosevelt, who is dally declaiming that universal prosperity prevails and that nothing must be done to disturb the present conditions. His claim that to stop a big bad trust from charging exorbitant profits might hurt others and ruin the small manufacturer is not borne out by the facts. All the combines are making too much and the good trust is not visible to the naked eye. If the trusts must be allowed to continue to overcharge the consumers, the latter must l>e pnid or allowed to make enough to l»e able to pay the exorbitant trust prices. If the present prosperity will not stand that strain, it is a delusion and a snare for all but the favored ones. If President Roosevelt could throw off the shackles that the cunning of the protected trusts have now bound him with and aid Instead of hinder the reform element of his party, the tariff schedules That protect the combines could be revised and the exorbitant prices that now prevail would be reduced forthwith. As it is, the voters who are being gronnd betweu the millstones must await their opportunity to bring about reform until the election of another Congress in 1004. There is no hope from the Republican party; it is controlled by the monopolists. Tariff Plank. The ability of the Republican leaders in the past to compose a platform that will straddle a troublesome question is admitted, but if the report that comes from lowa is true Senator Allison and Governor Cummins arc attempting the most barefaced scheme to fool the people that ever has been tried. Instead of the plank of last year, “We favor any modification of the tayiff schedules that may be required to prevent their affording a shelter to monopoly,”*the platform this year is to be modified and “It is practically agreed that the word ‘monopoly’ ahall appear In the platform in some connection, *0 as to express the sense of the Republican party to be that in case it la found that tbe tariff ta building up apy monopoly It is to be

revised immediately.” From this it would appear that as long as the word ‘monopoly’ Is used in the platform the voters of lowa are expected to be satisfied though It is not intended to pledge the delegation from that State to try and relieve the situation by urging action by Congress. If these lowa political contortionists know of any trust that is not supported by monopoly they need not trouble to pass resolutions supposed to denounce it. Without monopoly there would be no trusts, or at least no bad ones. No Need of Protection. The protectionists, who so fear the sacred tariff will be revised or that even reciprocity with Cuba might become an opening wedge to demolish It, worship their Idol for an entirely selfish purpose. Tbe voters who pay the tax can afford to take a more liberal view and should ponder on a fact and a question propounded by tbe New Y'ork World: “What Andrew Carnegie does not know about industrial conditions alike in Great Britain and the United States is not worth knowing. “When, therefore, he tells a London interviewer that British competition with the United States in manufactures Is Impossible, because ‘the very size of our great Industries’ enables us ‘to supply the demands of the world at prices you (British people) cannot think of,’ tlie question that pointedly presents itself is: “Do American manufacturers, especially those of iron and steel, really need the shelter of a 5d per cent tariff to enable them to hold their own against rivals already put out of the race by natural disadvantages and a superior industrial organization?” Advance in Window Glass Prices. It was announced 011 May 20 that the Window Glass Trust had advanced prices 5 per cent and that the Plate Glass Trust would probably follow suit. When and where will this trust extortion end? Prices of glass have already been advanced from 100 to 300 per cent. Glass blowing machines are being installed which will reduce, by more than one-half, the cost of making window glass. Prices should be reduced about 75 per cent. They go up instead of down because there is a trust, protected by tariff duties averaging about 100 per cent. It is this tariff trust which turns blessings into curses and day into night. • The bill of the Knights of Labor to put window glass on the free list should be pushed in the next Congress. It Is badly needed. Trnsts, Tariff and Prices. Can the Republicans afford to continue their opposition to a revision of the tariff, when it is admitted that the trusts “have played a very considerable part In forcing up prices?” If the tariff on trust productions was reduced the trusts would have to lower their prices to prevent similar productions from abroad competing with them. If the tariff was abolished on some trust made articles, that the trusts are selling abroad cheaper than here, to hold the home market the price of such trust productions would have to be made as low as the foreign goods could be Imported for. This should not stop home production, but would cut the exorbitant profits now made by the trusts and divide up prosperity a little more evenly so that we might all get a share of it. Miles Entitled to Thanks. Secretary Root is said to have asked the President/to oust Gen. Miles for telling the truth about the Philippines. The War Department since Root lias been in charge has persistently refused to allow any light to be thrown on its doings and has suppressed every attempt to investigate ft. Gen. Miles Is more than ever entitled to the thanks of the American people for his exposure of the horrible conditions that exist. ' Political Potonrri. It v would be rather strange if the “open door” In Manchuria and other Eastern countries should be left wide open to us, when our own doors are closed to everyone by a tariff of 40 to 100 per cent. What is the matter in Indiana? Has prosperity struck a snag there? Two bank failures in one day looks suspicious. Will Senator Beveridge please explain why these banks did not get their sbare of the boom? There are symptoms of the old feud breaking out in Ohio and the Foraker faction may give the Hannaites a warm half-hour when the State convention meets next month. Uncle Mark has been coddling the workingmen for a year or two, bHt he will have to take, off his coat and do a smart bit of labor himself before he lands another six years In the Senate. Herrick is to pay tlie bills and look pleasant. We are threatened with a big scandal in the War Department, involving the quartermaster’s department at the national capital and the quartermasters’ departments of the various State militia organizations. Astounding conditions are btuted at and huge misappropriation of supplies. Is there any department of this Republican administration that does not need overhauling? Reform is needed all along th« Una. 1