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IEE COUNTY JOURNAL. YO Vil HARD TIMES COMING. LONG.PERIOD OF BUSINESS DE PRESSION CERTAIN. Advocates of a Protective Tariff, Which Has Enriched the Few at the Expense of the Many, Will Try in Vain to Delude the People. - People with small incomes, farm ers, clerks and working mien, should husband their resources and savings, for a peried of business depression would seem to be inmrpending. .The Associated Press sent out a warning on May 10, which was published in ‘the evening newspapers of that date and the morning newspapers of the ‘next day at the head of the financial news. The report after stating the unprecedented collapse of the stock ‘market says: . : . “The conviction is “growing, how ever, that the cause of the stagnation fn the stock market is deeper lying than any temporary factor, and has to ‘do with the gradual emerging of the conditions of general contraction in business end industry in all direc tions.” Hard times always follow a boom and business depression raeans that the man must seek the job and not the job the man. The reduction in wages that commenced last fall will surely be more accentuated as the demand for labor becomes less and the raiiroads and other great corpora tions reduce their working forces. In deed, this reduction has already com ‘menced, for the New York Central railroad l»as ordered all its depart ‘ments to cut down expenses and the :men employed to be reduced to the Jleast number necessary to carry on ;the business of the road. Other rail roads will likewise retrench and this «will cause stagnation in the labor mar ket, for when “the man is seeking the job” he is compelled to accept what \the employer offers, wilen he knows ‘that thousands are after it. , ! is breakdown of prosperity ‘which the protectionists boast is pro ‘duced by the protective tariff, is the outcome that has been foretold by the Democrats. The goose is slowly dying that laid the golden eggs and the few have the gold and the many will now have to suffer. But the de ception -that the Republican leaders have practiced on their followers is still being continued, for on the same day that the Associated Press sent out its pessimistic report on the business outlook, the Republican state conven tion of New Jersey in the platform adopted, declared: “That the protec tive tariff has brought the greatest prosperity to capital and labor.” Re publican platforms are notoriously un reliable, arnd the idle men in the pro tected industries, in the silk mills, the woolen mills, and other factories run ning on short time in New Jersey, the 160,000 idle men in the textile field in Philadelphia alone, are facts that disprove the reliability of the New Jersey platform, besides the “general contraction in business” that the As sociated Press announces. Prosperity has vanished from so many industries, and so many homes are restricting their expenses, that there must be something wrong with the system that the Republicans are beoasting of. The New Jersey platform, however, told the truth about the prosperity the tariff has brought to capital, if it had been frank enough to acknowledge LEESBURG, GA., FRIDAY, JULY 1, 1304. ‘that “capital” meant the trusts. As long as the trusts and combines can keep up the price of what they pro duce, they will still have a measure of prosperity, but with falling wages and men out of work, even the trusts _will suffer, for the capacity of the people to consume is measured by the amount of money they earn. In curtailing expenses, luxuries and then clothes are the first items cut off and the present depressed condition of the textile market tells the tale. In the Journal of Commerce, May 11, the headlines of that article on the dry goods trade says: “Buyers Still Cautious,” “Not Dis posed to Commit Themselves to Lib eral Purchases.” “A Waiting Period on all Lines—General Belief That Were Prices to be Announced on Lower Basis Buying Would be Suf ficient to Cause Speedy Reaction— Many Lines Selling at or Below Cost To‘Day.” The same newspaper on the same day published a dispatch from Fall River, Mass., which says: “The plan of running the mills four days a week which has been tried for the past five weeks has proved disap pointing. Some of the agents at least strongly favored a reduction in wages, even though it was pretty well understood that a general strike would follow such a move. Other manufacturers favor a shutdown with out o reduction. There is general ap prehension over the situation.” A number of other dispatches in the game issue of the Journal of Com merce indicate similar conditions at other places. Resolutions by Repub lican conventions, that prosperity reigns supreme, and the protective tariff is the cause of it is mere bluff, when the facts show that business is depressed and growing more so. REPUBLICAN TARIFF PLANK. It Is Giving the Managers of the G. O. Party Much Anxiety. Senator Aldrich says the Republi | cans will revise the tariff when it is necessary to do so, but as the senator manages the Republican tariff pro gram any in turn is controlled by the trusts, the time for revision is cer tain to be in-the distant future. Those¢ of us with small incomes, at the merey of high trust prices, have seen the necessity for tariff reform ever since the combines boosted prices be yond the ability of the poor man to pay. The Rockefeller group of in dustrial trusts, with whom Senato® Al'lrich is connected, will hardly cone sider it necessary to revise the tariff, unless to raise it to a higher plane. | The last Republican platform for lowa declared that: ‘“Duties that are too low should be increased, and duties thit are too kigh should be decreas ed.” That was the plank adopted teo compromise the differences between Gov. Cummins ard ‘“the stand pat ters,” so that each could point to it ’with pride. The foliowers. of Gov. Cummins, who believe that the tariff shelter trusts, could gquote that part of thg plank which promised that, it | duties were too high and were foster | Ing the trusts and allowing them to l rcb. the Jlowa farmers, the duties would be reduced. The stand’ patters { on tiie other hand, who proclaim that | high duties bring prosperity, doubt i less feel that still higher duties would | bring out even greater prosperity. But | this juggling with words that gave ] both factions a chance to approve the platform, did not lead to any revigion of the tariff -BBy Congress, and in fact | the Jowa delegzation led by Senator Allison agreed to “let well enough alone.” That is the trusts and cor porations had more influence with congressmen and their constituents, for Gov. Cummins, who believes in tariff reform, was elected by a large majority, which shows that most of the people of lowa favored revision. The Republican leaders are now try ing to agree on tariff and trust planks to be incorporated in the platform to be adopted at Chicago, and the same juggling with words, that will allow both factions to stand on the platform is certain to be presented to the vot ers. Senators Aldrich and Lodge are said to be preparing the planks, under the close supervision of Presi dent Roosevelt, and the voter that will not be able to find what he wants, will be hard to please. ~Yet the fact remains that the pro tectionists and trust interests will write the platform and also control the action of the Republican national convention and as éyery;revision of the tariff by the Republicans has re sulted in-’increasing duties, it i 3 cer tain that, if the Republican party wing the election it will not be considered necessary to rvevise the tariff and more certain that if any re vision is attempted the protection the trusts now enjoy will be maintained, Dun’s index figures for May show that .high prices for all the necessaries of life are still maintained and yet wages are declining, with a vast num ber of workers unemployed and many “imported industries running on short time and yet the high tariff, which the Republicans declare produces prosper ity, is .in full working orde® The price of many farm products is fall ing and yet the cost of living shows but little, if any decrease. The beef trust, the coal trust, the salt trust, the oil trust, the sugar trust,. and the minor combinations are paying large dividends, fostered in most cases by the protection the tariff gives them. It would seem, therefore, Senator Aldrich to the contrary notwithstand ing, the Republican national platform should declare when the tariff will be reviced and if the revision shall pro vide for higher or Ilower duties, especially on trust products. ! - Another Scandal Exposed. There would appear to be a most abominable scangal in the Navy de partment brought to light through the bursting of two eight-inch guns of the lowa. The Naval board of investiga {ion reports that: ‘“When the forging of the guns were being machined at the gun factory defects developed, the defects being described as numerous small ‘breaks’ in the continuity of the metal and also ‘minute sand and slag’ spots. The forgings were thereupon rejected by the factory.” So far well and good, but the manufacturing com pany evidently had great influence with the officials, for it protested and another board examined the forgings and again rejected them. But on fur ther protest of the manufacturers still another board was ordered and it i found that “the ‘defects that are re ferred to as existing are common to all in a larger or smaller degree, but neither the sand or slag spots or breaks are serious enough in the pres ent stage to cause us to recommend thdir rejection. The bureav of-ord nance, it is shown, approved and ree ommended acceptance of the forgings with a ten per cent. reduction, the department approving but ordering ac ! ceptance at contract ‘price.” ! Now why was ten per cent. deduct- ed from the price if the forgings were sound and-fit for the important part they were to perform? If the forgings were weak and unsound they should have most certainly been rejected by the bureau of ordnance. Not only the lives of the sailors were jeopardized by the bursting of the guns, but if that had happened in battle the safety of the country might have been at staie. The whole matter looks bad for some one high in authority, for the possibil ities of grafting by ordering the ac ceptance of worthless material throws suspicion on fhe last board who exam ined the forgings and upon whoever appointed it. The disgraceful scandal certainly requires a thorough investi gation, and President Rooseveit, if ot too much occupied with politics, should order it and see that no guilty man escapes. 1 Prices Geem to Be Rising. ; When the irrigation bill was pend } ing in congress it was promised that* the desert could be made to blossom \ as the rose for about $5 an acre. Later the country was informed that this was the cosf to private water com \ panies, which had taken all the easy jobs, and that government irrigation would cost $lO an acre. The state } ment just made by the interior depart ment is that $27,000,000 will suffice to irrigate 1,000000 acres. TEXAS FOR JUDGE PARKER. Harmonious State Democratic Conven tion Held in San Antonio. ' The Texas state democratic conven tion finished its business at San An tonio Wednesday. Omne of the strong est delegation ever elected in the state was chosen and ingtructed to vote for Judge Parker and % vote as a unit on all questions. A feeling of party unanimity and earnestness ruled throughout. The plasform adopted wag short, embrac ipg merely an enunciation of demo cratic fundemental principles. ' JAPANESE PLAN ATTACK. ißussians Learn That They Will As gault Kal Chou from Two Points. ‘ According to reports received at ‘the Russian headquarters at Liao Yang, the Japanese intend to attack either Kai Chou or Ta Che Kiao from two sides. Their armies continue to advance gouth and west. The leading detach ment of General Oku’s army has occu -Ipied Senuchen and Japanese scouts !have appeared in the vicinity of Kai Chou. Constant skirmishing is in progress hetween them and the Cos gacks who are observing the move: mentg of the enemy. : GEORGIA FARMERS TY MEET. State Agricultural Society Will Gather in Hawkinsville, August 17. ~ The arfnual convention of the Geor gia State Agricultural Society will be " held in the city of Hawkinsville Au gmst 17 and 18. A numbers of prominent lecturers will be present. An linieresting fea ‘tur‘e will be a report from each of the society’s district vice presidents 'on the organization of farmers in [their respective districts, Labor ccn ditions will bg, reported on. NO. 4.