ment when in reality they are merely playing politics.

"I am an intense Republican and I cannot tell you how sorry I am to see our party in such straits. However, the best we can do is to stand by the old-fashioned principles of the party and in time we shall be vindicated by events.

"I earnestly hope that our State ticket may be elected this fall and intend to do everything in my power looking to that end."

Friends of Senator Beveridge who have scanned this letter fail to gather from it much hope that Watson will lend his efforts in the selection of a Legislature which will return Senator Beveridge to the Senate. It is notiecable that Mr. Watson says he hopes to see the State ticket elected, but says nothing whatever about the chances of Senator Beveridge.

Watson has written to certain candidates on the State ticket proffering his aid to them, but, so far as known, he has written no such letter to Senator Beveridge. Of course all this brings up the old story that when Senator Beveridge campaigned in Indiana he had little to say in his speeches about Watson, who at that time was the candidate of the Republicans for governor.

At the State committee headquarters the suggestion that Senator Beveridge probably would not be willing to admit that Republicanism and not the tariff shall be the issue in the coming campaign brought the statement that the State committee is the committee of the Republican party and not the committee of Senator Beveridge.

Continued tariff agitation and business prosperity have always been incompatible.

CANADIAN TARIFF BARGAINS.

From "Industrial Canada."

Eleven countries together with France are receiving better tariff treatment from us than they did a year ago; the surtax has been removed from German imports; the whole world has been granted our intermediate tariff on a specified list of articles. Where is it going to end? Has any Canadian found the cost of living reduced in consequence? We are told that an avalanche of catalogues will enter Canada from Germany, as a preliminary to an active campaign for business by the merchants of that country. French manufacturers have opened offices here and are hustling for business. The doors have been flung open to United States lithographers, soap makers, and others. The business that these foreigners get, our native Canadians lose. Every French or German or United States workman who is kept employed on goods for this country represents an idle hand in Canada. We have seen in the last two years what unemployment means. What will the new policy into which we are drifting give us as compensation for a perpetuation of that condition? True prosperity depends on full employment for all citizens.

OPTIMISTIC ON TARIFF SITUATION.

From the Cleveland Leader (Rep).

Business men and investors who fear the disturbing effect of a new tariff, as the result of Democratic success in coming elections, should realize that no general change in the tariff is possible within the next two years, at least. A few plain facts settle that question.

The House of Representatives which is to be chosen next fall will not begin its legal existence as a working body until December, 1911, unless convened in special session by the President. Certainly it will never be so set in motion sooner than the regular date by Mr. Taft, if it should prove to be a free trade or low tariff body.

If the next House should be Democratic and of free trade proclivities it could not hope to pass a tariff bill before late winter or spring, after the session began-say in February or March, 1912. And then the Senate and the President would have to be reckoned with. If the Senate majority should be ready to yield to an apparent free trade or low tariff wave, surely President Taft would not do so. It is equally clear that no such bill could pass ss in both houses, over his veto.

The way to a new tariff making radical and general changes appears to be very thoroughly blocked until the spring of 1913, three years from now, at the earliest. It is borrowing trouble without excuse to worry about the effect of possible Democratic victories, in the near future, upon the tariff systems of the United

States.

WAGE ADVANCES AND THE PUBLIC.

Fifteen Eastern railway systems have recently increased the pay of their employes to the aggregate amount of about $48,000,000. There is no concealment of the fact on the part of the railway managers that the public is expected to pay the increased wages in higher passenger and freight rates. In regard to the increase in passenger tariff on the Boston & Maine system, President Lucius Tuttle said: "The dear public that applauds raises in wages and is constantly dwelling upon the high cost of living as a reason for giving higher wages, has got to pay for the

additional money given the men. The company has got to raise the money somehow. The increase in wages which we have agreed to make will cost the company at least $1,500,000, if not $2,000,000. The only way we can see to secure this additional sum is through putting the passenger rates back to where they were before the last reduction."

The pretext for advancing wages is the higher cost of living, but the main purpose was the avoidance of strikes on the part of employes which threatened widespread disturbance and an expensive contest. It would be interesting to know if the employes are to get all of the revenue from increased passenger and freight rates, or whether any part of this increase will accrue to the profits of the corporations. Shippers of freight may pass the extra expense along to the consumers, but persons who pay the higher passenger fares have no such recourse. The advance in wages to railroad employes and making the public pay the increase, further raises the cost of living to the great body of workers and consumers who are not attached to any organization that affords an opportunity to force higher wages for themselves, or to shift a part of the additional burden upon other people. Thus the conditions are made worse for everybody except to those who get the wage advances.

CHENEY BROTHERS' EMPLOYES.

In an address before the Manchester (Conn.) Business Men's Association, Charles Cheney, treasurer of the Cheney Brothers Company, which operates the largest silk manufacturing concern in the United States, gave some interesting facts about the employes of the com

pany. The 3,572 names which are now carried on the payroll represent twentyone nationalities. Of the total, 1,465 are American born, 847 Irish, 292 Swedes, 283 Germans, 189 Italians, 124 Austrians, 63 French, 60 Polanders, 57 Russians, 53 English, 41 French Canadians and 29 Lithuanians, while various other races are represented in smaller measure.

Of the 2,600 persons employed by the company in 1900, 1,120 are still on the payroll. These have been in the employ of the corporation for periods ranging from ten to fifty-five years, and Mr. Cheney said that the value of these seasoned and loyal veterans cannot be overestimated. He further declared that, of the young people who leave the grammar schools of South Manchester and go to work, the silk concern absorbs 78 per cent.

TRUSTS AND CONSUMERS.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.

From the consumers' standpoint, the outcry against "trusts" is evidence of mental incompetence. There is not an American trust in existence, not even those who in their hoggishness have committed actual crime, which is not a direct benefit to consumers. A trust can exist only by underselling competitors, and that is the way they do exist. They do it by the magnitude of their operations and the economies made possible by magnitude. Those who may have reason to complain are the weaker producers, who cannot get ahead in the face of trust competition, but the consumer never. The consumer benefits by the low trust prices. If we are guided by reason, we shall encourage trusts as they are encouraged by wiser peoples. We shall detect, if possible, and punish their crimes. We shall perform a social duty by protecting the weaker competitors from unfair methods, we shall encourage the weaker to combine for their own protection against the strong. We shall compel those in control of the great trusts to deal fairly by those for whom they are trustees-the minority interests-but

we

shall stop our everlasting yawp against those who get rich by the exercise of their ability, and who in getting

rich benefit their countrymen, and especially the consumers of their products, tenfold above what they benefit themselves.

DEMOCRATIC PAPER DEFENDS CANNON.

From the Hartford Times (Dem).

"Depose Speaker Cannon and you will have an era of extravagance in this country compared with which the present extravagance is economy," said Representative William E. Humphrey of Washington at the dinner of the Metal Tradesmen in New York City recently. "Congress is not more extravagant than the American people demand," said Mr. Humphrey. "Speaker Cannon has for years stood and borne not only his own sins but those of every coward in Congress. He has for years more than stood between the Treasury and the looters of the Treasury. He has stood for economy, yet he has been the most villified man in public life." Because of a knowledge of those facts the Hartford Times has taken no part in the campaign of abuse against the Republican Speaker of the National House of Representatives. This descent of the muckrakers on a man who has, we believed, done his best to save the money of the people of the United States is about the wickedest thing that has been attempted since muck-raking began.

The farmers of the country who are prospering under existing conditions are not complaining of the prices they obtain for what they sell. The tariff revision downward advocates tell the farmers that the tariff oppresses them, but they are very careful not to refer to the tariff on food products as "oppressive to the farmer." But the intelligent farmer who keeps posted will not be deceived by the low tariff yawp. He has only to study facts and figures to reach correct conclusions. The cost of food is regulated by supply and demand and no farmer can get high prices for what he raises unless American wage earners have money to buy with and they must be actively employed and get good wages to buy plenty of food. - National Farmer.

It appears that the State ownership of railways in France is not proving a success either to the public or to the employes. It is found that the Government cannot run the railroads as economically as the old companies did, and the burden falls on the tax payers. The employes are dissatisfied with their wages and threaten a strike. The whole story illustrates the danger of socialism in practice.

Senator Tallaferro, Democrat, of Florida, is being opposed for re-election by several thousand Democrats in that State curiously enough because he worked to secure protection for Florida products in the new tariff. The hide-bound free traders and tariff reformers down there would rather have the State go to the demnition bow-wows than to secure any degree of prosperity from a protective tariff.

The Washington Post claims to have positive information that Roosevelt will not be a candidate for the presidency again, nor for either branch of Congress or the governorship of New York, and that he will remain in private life, devoting his efforts to literary work. It will be remembered that on the night of the presidential election, Nov. 8, 1904, he said: "I shall never accept the nomination for a third term."

We find the following in the legislative notes of the Boston Journal, and it contains a timely warning: "If the Republicans are anxious to maintain an organization in the Legislature, it is incumbent on them to take a positive stand against certain of the men wearing the party label in

both branches who are devoting their best energies to getting as close to the Democratic platform as possible. Every day votes are being cast which deserve an explanation from the men who allow themselves to be so recorded, and party regularity is becoming a thing of jokes and smirkings. If this practice is allowed to continue there will only be one ending, a complete disruption of all the party forces."

The Maine Farmer says of the migration of American farmers into Canada: "Maine has contributed its quota to this army seeking what? Why, a good living with less work. All this time New England is offering as good opportunities, but we have not worked the advertising field, the special, free train, or the attractions of showy farm products in all the centers. By generous advertising, low transportation rates and glittering promises of great wealth the eyes of the uneasy and restless have been turned away from the solid, substantial conditions where nearby markets abound. Five years hence the awakening will come and Eastern money will help a lot of these poor fellows back home."

The New York Sun is of the opinion that a Democratic victory this year will be rather a barren one for the Democratic cause. It says: "It will arrest and sober the Republican contestants and realign the party upon the signal of danger; and if the Democrats, intoxicated by misunderstood successes and feeling sure of further triumphs because of rainbows in the sky or the smoke which so gracefully curls or any other immaterial and evasive thing,