Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Aug. 26, 1908, edition 1 / Page 10
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CHAJILOTTE DAILY OBSERVER, AUGUST 23, 1C03. OX TRUST QUESTION . . . rajrBLICAXSAIlK 1XDIFFEIIEXT '11 e LK-nxxTatio Xotnlnee, Speaking; at ttte lorciionlrs to the notification or John Worth Kern, Take ft J1 Out of the Opposition Toward the liurnlng Question of the Hour He Contrasts the Republican and Dent ot-ratic Platforms w the Subject of Trusts and. Quoting Judge Taft's Vuora nc-, OIUiies Mint Fop thg. Attitude He Take Nothing to be lUpected From, the Republican JUrtjr la - View of tite Colorless 1'Uunrm t'pon Which It Goes Be- fore the People,- ; . .; Indianapolis, Aug. 25. Easily ths feature of the notification ceremonies here to-day was thtf-speech of Wil liam Jennings Bryan on the queatioa of trusts. J4r. Bryan attacked the Republican party for its apathy on this important issue, and declared that nothing was to be expected from that party In the ahapo of relief in view of the colorless platform upon which It stood- before the people. Ha criticised severely Judge Taft's at terances on the subject of trusts and eon trait d with telling effect the Republican and Democratic plat form. . His speech in full follows: : MR. BRYAN'S SPEECH. tions doing business within Its limits. make it necessary for a manufactur- tng or trading , corporation engaged In inter-State commerce to take out a Federal license before it shall be permitted to control as v much as twenty-five per cent, of the product in which it deals, uts license to pro tact the public from ' watered stock and to - prohibit the control - by such corporation of more than ;- fifty per cent, of the total amount of any pro duct consumed In. the united States; and. third, a , law compelling such licensed corporations 'to : sell .to all purchasers In all parts of the country on the .same, terms, after' making due allowance for cost of transportation Here is a plain-, candid statement of the party's- position. an ere is no quibbling, . no evasion," no ambiguity. A private monopoly is Indefensible and intolerable. ... It is bad bad in principle, and bad n 'practice. No apology can be' offered for It, end no people should endure it. Our party's position Is entirely in harmony with the position of Jefferson. With . . a knowledge of human . nature which few men have equaled and none stir passed, and with extraordinary fore sight, he expressed unalterable oppo sition to every form of private mo nopoly. The student of history will find that upon this subject, as upon other subjects of ' government, the great founder of the Democratic par- tv took his position upon the side of - a ' monopolistic purpose. . Surely no party can consistently claim to be opposed to private monopolies which will permit the Interstate railroads to ,be used to carry out the designs of a monopoly, or which will permit the interstate telegraph lines to' be used to Increase the power of a prt vste monopoly: or,' to make the case stronger, no. party can - consistently claim to be opposed to- the .trusts which will allow the malls' of the United States to be used by the trusts as an agency for the extermination of competition. Congress, has already exercised this power to exterminate lotteries, " Whv not exercise It to make private monopolies Impossible? !. If it is conceded that Congress has the . power to prevent the shipment of goods from one Bute to another when such shipment is a. part or conspiracy against trade and , com merce then the only question Is to the means .to be employed to pre vent such shipment. The license sys tem presents an 'easy way of regulat ing such corporations as . need trea eral regulation, The law Can pro hibit the doing of a thing and Impose limitation can hardly be character ized as statesmanlike. . He says: " MR. TAFT'S OBJECTION, . A corporation controlling ; forty- five or fifty per cent of the produce, mayi Dy wen known method, fre quently effect a monopoly and stamp out competition in a. Dart of a country as csmpieteiy as if it controlled six ty or seventy per cent thereof. ny, then, does he not nronose . tower limit . It -the control of fortv- nve per cent may constitute a monop- efflcers of the law so much trouble during the- last eighteen years. As the licensed corporation increased its business from 2S per cent, to 60 per cent.. It would be under the watchful eye of the government, would be com pelled to make such reports as the government required, would be pro hibited from-watering lt wtnrlr. and would be required to sell to all cus tomers upon the tame terms, due al lowance being made for cost of trans portation. . Would It "extirpate and destroy business to require these U- Oly, why does be not suggest that as I ceased corporations to do business on a maximum T It cannot be because of any disinclination to amend hia platform; for he has already made a patchwork quirt of : the convention's platform : by promiscuous amend ments. ;- ,v And to -what "well known? meth ods does he refer? To the undersell ng or competitors f In one- section while 'the price is maintained 'else where T And yet this Is the very thing which we propose to remedy, but be proceeds to denounce our remedy aa absurd and socialistic. ; The trouble an honest basis and to be reasonable In their business methods? -Would not the benefit accruing to the nine ty-nine small , corporations thus pro- iw.o xrom- conscienceless -methods be enough to offset any evil effects that might follow from such restraint . . . . 7 . vi kw vig corporations? JS ousi nets so dependent upon dishonesty and unfairness that it would be -ex tirpated and -'destroyed" if morals were introduced Into ft? ,When the licested corporation : reached a point wnere it controlled one-half of the business in which tt was enaraced. It would, according to the Democratic with Secretary TaTt is that he spends seas, va uua nww - - ..... I " T "S u" w fcUV sv-rv a penalty tor -the violation oi ine i - i , .r , 'fi- w i pian. nave to atop expanding. Would I. I.... ..nArlanM V.rn Ihll vt IVT lUWUVD in iniH maLierS I le " rn.l. .nil . ilfnw" Ito-lno it Is very difficult to gather up evt-. h . none left for the consid-j to' put this limitation upon the greed Nowhere does the Republican party show its Indifference to real reform of the whole people and against those more than in its treatment of the who seek to make .a private use of irust question, were is m inpuo-i government, or strive, to secure sp mmn inwrm; cial privileges at the expense or tne ine nepuDiican party passed tne I nubile Sherman anti-trust law over Demo- have n discussing the tariff cratlo opposition and enforced It question, presented one of our reme ter Democratic dereliction. It has been a wholesome instrument for good In the hands of a wise and fear less administration. But experience -. jibs shewn that Its effectiveness can - be strengthened and its real obif-ou better attained by such amendments . as will give to the Federal govern ment greater supervision and control over, and secure greater publicity In,- the management of that class of corporations engaged in Inter-State commerce, having power and oppor tunlty to affect monopolies." Tne snerman anti-trust law was passed eighteen years ago; It has a criminal clause which provides penitentiary punishment fur those . who conspire together In restraint of trade. Ever since the enactment of the law, with the exception of four years, the Republican party has controlled the executive depart ment of the government, and, dur ing two years of the four. It con trolled the House of Representatives. i Instead of Democratic dereliction, the Democratic party has been urg ing, year after year, the strict en fprcement of that law, and the Re dies, namely, the removal of the tar iff from Imports which compete with trust made goods. This, we believe, would greatly lessen the extrotlon practiced by the trusts and bring about the dissolution of many mo nopolistic combines. But we are not satisfied merely with the lessening of extortion or with the dissolution of some of the trusts. MONOPOLY EXTERMINATION. Because the private monopoly la Indefensible end Intolerable, the Democratic party favors Its exterml natlon. It pledges Itself to the .vig orous enforcement of the criminal law against trust magnates and offi cials, it Is Impossible for the Re publican party to enforce the pres ent criminal law against trust offi cials: these officials are Intimately connected with the Republican party In the present campaign. Take, for instance, the chairman of the Re publican speaker's committee, Mr. Dupont of Delaware. He Is the de fendant In' a suit which the govern ment brought and Is now prosecuting. Mr. Dupont is charged with viola publican party has been explaining tlon of the anti-trust law. Why year after year why It was Impossl- should he be put on the executive we to enforce it. Instead of being committee and then be given control a "wholesome Instrument for good," of the speaking part of the cam it has been almost usclews. no tar as palgn? If you talk to a Republican the protection of the public Is con-1 leader about penitentiary punishment oerned, for the trusts have grown In I for offender, he favors fining the number. In strength, snd In arro- corporation onAhe ground that It Is trance, at the very time when the Impossible to convict Individuals, hut Republican party was boasting of its . enforcement of the law. The steel trust -was formed Immediately af ter the election of 100, and a promi nent Republican said. In a Hp--ch soon after, that It might have pre vented a Republican victory If It when you urge fines you are told that fines are uajust to Innocent stock holders. We favor-both fine and Im prisonment, but we think It is bet ter to prevent monopolies than to first authorise th-m to prey upon the public and then j try to punish had been formed befor.e the election, them for doing so. Mr. Taft favors Mont of the trusts have nfVer been disturbed, and these that have been prosecuted have not had their hunt ress seriously Interrupted. The President has done somethlnK toward tne" enforcement of the law, but not nearly enough, and the Republican control of trusts Instead of extermi nation, hut after years of experience the people have learned that the trusts control the government. Our platform doea not stop with the enforcement of the law; It de mands the enactment of such addl- leader have thwarted him at every I tlonal legislation as may be necessary point. Finally the President became -so exasperated that he sent to Con areas a message which shocked Re- publican leaders by fhe fierceness of Its denunciation of the predatory In terests. The very convention that . spoke In Its platform of the adminis tration as "a wise and fearless one," was composed largely of the Sena tors and members of Congress who . boldly opposed evefy effort i to free the people from the clutches of the favor-seeking corporations. TAFTH 8PKECH WEAK. -V The Republican platform says that experience has shown that the ef fectiveness of the ntl-truJ law i could be strengthened by amend ments Which will give the Kedernl government greater supervision and .-. control over, snd greater publicity as to, the management of thoe in-ter-State commerce corporations :i which have the power and opportii- nlty to affect monopolies. That Is all. No pointing out of remedies; no .i. 'outlining of a plan for more effect -,-lve legtslstlon simply a general statement that promises nothing In particular. And Mr. Taft's speech of acceptance n even weakeT thsn the platform- H gives no evidence of having studied the question or of comprehending the Iniquities of a : monopoly. You look In vain In his . notification speech for any sign of .'Indignation at what the trusts have , been -doing or for eidnc of seal In their prosecution. He has. for sev eral years, been the intimate official ' companion of the President, but he has caught none of the fire which the President manifested In his mes sage Of last January. ll, in the presence of an amused people, and In the heat of a enm ' palgn. the Republican party con-'- tents Itself with a colorle jllutforin on this subject, what can we expect . In the wsy of activity when the exi gencies of the campaign are pseri? , it, when Mr. Taft Is appealing to the Roosevelt Republicans, his dls .. cusslon of the subject Is so llf. lewi L. and his manner so apologetic and ' apathetic, what r-ason have we to . . . . t expect either vigor In the enforce ment, of the law or earnestness In - the search for additional remedies? In. his speech delivered about a year ago, announcing his candidacy - - Taft suggested that the present law be so amended as to permit "reasonable' restraint of trade. Such an amendment would be as ah. . surd aa aa amendment to the law against burglary limiting the law to cases In which more than A wo bur ; glare entered the house at one time - or took more than half they found. In hia notification sueech he suggests . national.:., incorporation- a .remedy which would make conditions worse because, without adding to the pow er of Congress, to prevent monopo . lies, ft. would deprive the States of .. the power to protect their own peo ple. .- , -'. ' CONTRASTS THE PLATFORMS. Now, let Hie contrast the Demo cratic platform wltfcj the Republican platform. Nowhere! the difference fn the temper of the parties more no ticeable; nowhere Is the difference in the method of dealing with questions more- manifest. Our platform says: "A private monopoly la lndefen bte and Intolerable. We ' therefore isvor the vigorous enforcement of .the criminal law against guilty trust magnates and officials, and demand the enactment- of such addlMoiuT - . legislation as may be' necessary to make it impossible for a private mo- noyoly to exist In the TJnited States. Among tne -addtronai remedies., we pcify three: First, a law prevent ing a duplication of directors among competing corporations; second, a license system which wilt without atTUflng the rteht of each State to create i corporation, or Its light to rr ;!at a it will 'orelia, corpora to make If impossible for a private monopoly to exist In the United States. . The Democratic party does not content Itself with a definition of the wrong or with a denunciation of It. It proceeds to outline remedies. The first In a law preventing a duplication of directors among competing cor porations. No one can object to this remedy unless he is In sympathy with the trusts, rather than with the Deo- ple who are victimized by the trust. There Is no easier way of stifling competition than to make one board of directors serve for a number of competing corporations. It Is not nec essary for corporations to enter Into an agreement for the restraint of trade if tho corporations can. with out violating the law, reach the same end by electing the same directors. The second remcry Is one unon which I desire to dwell at some length. We believe it to be a simple, complete and easily enforced remedy. As stated in the platform It Is: 'A license which will, without abridging the right of each State to create corporatlona, or Its right to regulate as It will foreign corpora tions doing business within Its 'limits, make It ncceasary for a manufactur ing or trading corporation engaged In Interstate commerce to take out a Federal license before It shall be per mitted to control as much as twenty five percent, of the product In which It deals, the license to protect the public from watered stock and to prohibit the control by such corpora tion of more than fifty per cent, of tho total amount of any product con sumed In the United States." RTATKS' RIGHTS PRESEREVD. It will be noticed. In tho first place, that care was taken by those who drew the platform to provide that there should be no abridgment of the right of a State to create corpora tions, or of Its right to regulate as It will foreign corporations doing business within Its limits. This plan, therefore, does not In the lesst In fringe upon the right of the States to protect their own people. It sim ply provides for the exercise by Con gress of the power vested in it to regulate Interstate commerce. As long aa a corporation confines Itself to the mate In which it Is created. Congress cannot Interfere with It; but wheu the corporation engages In Interstate commerce. Congress Is the only power that can regulate Its In terstate business.- In proposing the exercise of this power, the Democratic platform Is not asserting a new L doctrine. In January, HfC-a Republican House of Representatives adopted a resolu tion "calling upon Hon. Judson Har mon, then., attorney general of the United states, now the Democratic candidate for Governor In Ohio, to report what steps. If any, had been takep to enforce the law of the United States against trusts, combina tions and conspiracies In restraint of trade and -commerce, and what fur ther legislation was. In his opinion, needed to protect the people against the same. On the Ith day of Feb ruary he submitted reply, in which he described the steps which were being taken to enforce the) law, and recommended the enactment of fur ther legislation. I call special atten tion to the following words: carrying out. or attempting to carry out, the designs of such (State) or ganisations, articles produced, owned or controlled by them or any of their members or agents." His recommendation embodies ths very idea which our plan now pro poses to carry out. , We want to make It unlawful for a corporation to nee the InntrtimeauUtlew of later state commerce for the carrying out dence from all sections of, the United States and rosecute a great corpora tion, ao difficult is it, that aiuiougn the Sherman anti-trust law nas neea In force for eighteen yeara; .no' trust magnate has been sent to the'peniten tlary for violating the law. although in a few cases the court has found corporatlona guilty of a violation of the law. . In the enforcement of a penalty, the' government must seek: the defendant; by the use of the li cense system, the corporation is com pelled to seek the government. DEFINITION OF A TRUST. A trust can best he defined as a cor poration which controls so large a proportion of the total quantity qf any article used In this country as to be able to regulate the price and terms of sale, and as the proportion control led determines the power of the trust for harm, it has seemed beet to use proportionate control as the basis of this plan, and twenty-five per cent has been fixed arbitrarily as the pro portion at which Uie line should be drawn. A comporatlon which con- trols l-tha.n 26 per cent of the pro duct in which It deals, may. In extra ordinary cases, exert 'a perceptible in fluence In controlling the price or tne product and the terms of sale, but as a rule a corporation must control more than that percentage of the to tal product before It can exert a harmful Influence on trade. Under this plan, the small corporations are left entirely free and unhampered. This Is not a discrimination against the larger corporation, but a recognl tlon of the fact that rules are neces sary In the' case of - corporations con trolling a large percentage of the pro duct which are not necessary in the case of smaller corporations. Prob ably not one per cent of the corpora tions engaged In Interstate commerce would bo required to take out a II cense under this plan possibly not one-half of one per cent and yet what a protection the remaining nine ty-nlne per cent would find In the law requiring a license In the case of the larger onea! The license, however, would not prevent the growth of the corpora tions licensed. It would simply bring them under the eye of the Federal government and compel them to deal with the public in such a way aa to fford the public the protection nec essary. One' of the restrictions sug gested Is that such licensed corpora tions be compelled to sell to all pur chasers la all parts of the country on the same terms, sifter making due allowance for cost of transportation. Xfr. Taft attacks this restriction as "utterly Impracticable." He says: "If It can be shown that In order to drive out competition, a corporation owning a large part of the plant producing an article Is selling In one part of the country, where It has competitors, at low and -unprofitable price, and In another part of the country where It has none, at an exorbitant price, this evidence that It is attempting an unlawful monopoly and Justifies con ictlon under the anti-trust law." If such an act Is now unlawful, why he so frightened at a plan which lvea to the small competitor this very protection? The trouble with the resent law Is that It does not restrain the evils at which It Is aimed. The plan proposed In the Democratic plat form brings the corporation under the urvelllance of the government when has reached the danger point, and thereafter subjects it to Federal scru tiny. The present law simply prohib its It in an Indefinite sort of a way and then leaves the officers of the law to scour the country and hunt up viola tions of the law's provisions. Mr. Taft la unduly alarmed at this proposal, or else he entirely rain to comprehend the details of the plan. He says: "To supervise the business of cor porations In such a way as to fix the price of commodities and -compel the sale at such a price as as absurd and socialistic a plank as was ever In serted in Democratic political platform." erauoa or eaecuve , remeaiea. , HS of a few corporations? - Surely our mvre time witenng warnings l pian couia not injuriously affect cor against remedies proposed than he poratlona that might hereafter seek to j aoes in pointing out the evils to bo I establish, a monopoly. remedied or In suggesting remedies. I But possibly Mr. Taft thinks that He says: . . . ... r - .- v . t I it . would , ''extirpate . and destroy" attention to three demands made by our party. It asks, first , that the government shall be taken out of the hands of special interests, and re stored to the people as a whole; It as'ig, second, for honesty in elections ana puDiicity in regard to campaign funds, . that the people : may freely choose, representatives .In sympathy with them and pledged to guard their Interests; it asks, third, tor such a modification' of our governmental methods as will make. the Senate an elective body, and . place the control of the House of Representatives In the hands of a majority of its members, A few days ago, In discussing the tar iff question, l dwelt. upon the fourth demand made by our party, namely, that taxation be Just, that the revenue laws be made for the purpose of rais ing revenue and not for the- enrich ment of a few at the expense of the many, and that the tariff law be sup plemented by - an income tax which will more nearly equalise the govern ment's burdens. To-day I present another demand made in our party platform the demand ' that tho grip of the trusts be broken, that compe tition be restored and that tho door of opportunity bo dpened to tho busi ness men and tho toilers of the land. AS TO INDEPENDENCE. '. ' m Industrial independence ' is 'neces sary to political Independence. - The free exercise of the rights of citixen- ahlp is impossible when a few men control the Industdles in which mlN ment Printing face, doea not print them free ofi charge, as Is widely un derstood. Not by any means. One I speech which was delivered during the last- Congress cost its author so much money for printing copies that half a years salary was wiped out be fore he had - fllledf the , orders for -copies of It and he paid no postage, either; his frank carried the copies through the mall. . The tnan who gets his speech print ed, anyhow, has to pay for It, This year. It Is promised, they will all pay alike, which is a real advaacv mty byr "The-combination of capital In largo I usmss to apply the plan to existing Hons are employed. God forbid that plants to-manufacture goods with the greatest economy Is just as necessary as ine assemoung or tne parts of a machine to the economical and more rapid manufacture of what In old time was made by hand," . ; Ana ae eaas mat: "The government should not Inter fere with any one more than the oth er, when such aggregations of capital are legitimate ana are properly con trolled, ror they are the natural re sults of modern enterprise and are oenenciai to the public. No one proooset to Interfere with production on a large scale. No one objects to production on a scale suf ficiently large to enable the producer to utilise by-products and take ad vantage of all the economies that large production makes possible. It Is Just here that the trust magnates attempt to confuse the nubile mind. and Mr. Taft has unconsciously adopt ed tneir language. THE ISSUE MADE PLAIN Let the issue be made plain: let ths distinction be accurately drawn; let the respective Dositlons of the oartles De ruuy understood. The Democratic party does, not oppose all corpora tions; on the contrary, it recognises that the corporation can render an Important service to the public. The Democratic party wants to employ ev ery Instrumentality that can be em ployed ror the advancement of the common good; but tbe Democratic party draws the line at private mo nopoly, and declares that a private monopoly can not be Justified on elta er economic or political grounds. rrom an economic standpoint, a monopoly Is objectionable. The mo ment a corporation secures a practi cal monopoly In the production or sale of any article, certain evils ap pear which outwela-h any rood that can come from larger production or control. Wherever private monopo lies exist, certain Irresistible tenden cies manifest themselves Firsts It raises prices this Is the first thins thought of for the Increasing or profits Then, in proportion as It becomes ths only purchaser of the raw material. it reduces the price of the raw ma terial, and the producer of that raw material, having no other market. must accept the price offered. la this wsy, too, the profits of the cor poration are increased. Third, a re- monopolies. L-t ua see: Supaose we have a corporation now controlling 7t per cent of the output of the ar ticle in which It deals, and through this control, regulatln the srice and ths terms Of sale. How would toe Democratlo plan affect it? A date would be fixed at , which the -law would take effect, and on or before that date the' corporation would bo required to apply for a lincense. The evidence " would show- that It con trolled a larger proportion of the pro duct than tho law permitted, and It would bo compelled to sell off enough of its plants to reduce Its output to fifty per cent, of the total product. It could then' comply with the law. obtain Its license, and proceed to carry on its business In -accordance with tho law. would it "extirpate and de stroy? business to compel .such a cor poration to dispose of enough of Its plants to reduce Its production to 0 per cent? The people woald still need the article which It produced, and the plants which It was compell ed to gell would become Independent plants competing with tt This com petition would reduce prices, and the reduced prices would increase the de mand for the article, and this In creased demand would stimulate tho building of more factories and give larger employment - to labor. The restoration of competition In that In dustry, Instead of "extirpating and de stroying" the . Industry would revive and enlarge It A part of tho benefit would go to the consumers In the form of a cheaper product and a bet ter product part would go to the pro ducer or raw material in the form of a better price, and part would go to ins wage earners in tne form or bet ter wages. The only persona to lose would be ths trust magnates, who would no longer be able to collect dividends on watered stock 'by con trolling the market When the sub ject Is analysed it will be seen that Mr. Taft must either be In darkness as to the remedy and Its effect or he must argue that the Introduction of morals into business would "extirpate ano destroy" business. . TAFT'Si POSITION ABSURD. I have quoted and re-quoted Mr. Taft's language because X want to im press upon the minds of those who listen to ms the absurdity of ths ob jection which he raises to the Demo we should compel -the wage-earners of the nation to . address theirs peti tions to trust magnates, and ask for tneir oauy bread. Already wo, have seen how prone the monopolist la to make employment depend upon the willingness of the employe to prosti tute his ballot to the service of his corporate master. This Question should be settled now; we cannot afford to beaueath it as a legacy of woe to a succeeding generation. Tho conscience of the people Is. already- awakened, and the conscience is tho most potent force of which man has knowledge. Where law makes one righteous, conscience controls an . hundred; where - one Is kept from wrongdoing- by fear of prison doors, a thousand ars restrain ed by those Invisible walla which con science . rears i about - us barriers which are stronger than walls -of granite. It Is upon tho conscience that human Institutions rest and without a stirring; of the conscience no great reform is possible. To a national conscience already aroused we appeal, with tne pledge that a Democratic victory wilt mean the ringing out of Industrial despotism and tho ringing; In of a . new era In which business will be -built upon Its merits, ana in which men will suc ceed, not In proportion to the coer cion they may be able to practice, but In proportion to their Industry, their acuity ana tneir naenty. BOTH RELY MAINLY OX PRESS. r, THE "GUARAJrTY LAWS.' Present Status of the Kansas and . Oklahoma Movement t. Regarding Bank Deposit. C . ; -, , Topeka .'Correspondence New , York Evening Post v ? . The growth of the bank 'guaranty law idea in tbe West is evidenced the proposition : to Incorporate that piana in tne Republican-Btate plat form next week, with the probability ' that' it will be adonted. Mr. Bryan - will be her two days later to make an address on the same subject ami It Is likely that the Republicans wlU . try to forestall him. Reports from Oklahoma say that the action of the ' comptroller In refusing the national banks permission to Join the guaranty under any : subterfuge ; has caused " mucn uneasiness among banks where rivalry exists with State banks that ' are-. "guaranteed,'?-and -this,, despite the fact--that many of the State bankers are personally opposed to the plan..;, ,;- .y:: ." That It haa. however, helped ths State bank deposits somewhat Is ad mitted, and It la , an Idea that Is growing- m the West mors as a polltl- caj expedient than as a sound bust- . ess procedure. An instance Is given of an Oklahoma bank, whose vault was burned recently, In which sev , eral merchants of the town kept their balances In currency and gold In deposit boxes rather tVin place them In open accounts, and this re gardless of the -guaranty law. , This was exceptional, but . shows the timidity of some parts of ths West -regarding; banks since tost . fall's flurry. , ' " ' . " " The interior banks have little -'to" complain . of concerning the return of aeposits, - out there Is 4 , constant - worry lest a sudden movement to Withdraw deposits shall . cripple operations, and It is to prevent this that the guaranty law meets favor . with many. Three modifications of . the Oklahoma law are- demanded; Limit of the assessments; no double security for State deposits; no guaranty on - Interest-bearing de- - i poslta The modification of ths law - ' Is opposed by the State administra tion, and it has become a campaign ' Issue. " Only Newspapers Can Place Causes Before the People iS-ces Agents to me rorc. Washington Correspondence Balti more News. In the absence of campaign funds, the managers of campaigns for both political parties sure planning to make the newspapers do their work for them To an extent never before, known the press agent will be the real cam palgner 4hls year. Ths press - agent costs leas than the campaign orator and gets a vastly bigger audience. Moreover, there Is general belief that he is rather a more effective agency for this campaign. There Is NO MORE PHOSST JAW. White Phospnoroaa in Match Mao a- . lacture to a? from Dl ted. , London Dally Chronicle. After many years of agitation ths use of the deadly white phosphorous In ths manufacture of matches Is soon to be prohibited. A bill backed ny Herbert Gladstone and Herbert Samuel with this object In view wss Introduced In the House of Commons last week, and fuller details of the -measure, which was issued from the printers on Saturday, will givs satis faction to the thousands of people employed la this dangerous . ttade. A DEMOCRATS MORE SOCIALISTIC, And yet this sentence Is found In the name paragraph with the sentence above quoted in which he declares that It la even now a violation of the Sherman anti-trust las for a corpor ation to attempt to destroy a competi tor by selling at a low and unprofita ble price where It bas competition, and at an exorbitant price where It hs no competition. In what respect is our plan more socialistic than the plan which Mr. Taft endorses? Mere ly In the fact that ours can be enforc ed. According to Mr. Taft's logic, a plan Is not socialistic which Is not ef fective, but the earns would be social istic if made effective. Why should a corporation supplying twenty-five million peoplefor a corporation con trolling twenty-five per cent of the to tal product supplies one-fourth, or more, of our population should such a corporation be permitted to sell at one price In one part of ths country and at another price in another part? What reason can a corporation have for such discrimination? Prices are not made as a matter of favor; when a big corporation sells to tbe people of one section at one price and. the people of another section at another price the cost of transportation be ing taken Into consideration there Is a reason for It, and In almost every case ths reason is to be found In the effort to destroy a competitor. One of the most familiar methods of the trust Is to undersell a small competitor In ths small competitor's territory the price being maintained elsewhere until the small competitor Is driven to bankruptcy and then ths pries Is rais ed. That has been done over and over again.: It Is open and notorious. And us- . . . . .i yet wiin inn juDUDiinn nsrtT in Mm. rm-ifi whatfrfVftoe pe.uw.iaU sutteed hr-ths enaew . - I .yv . . . . .L,..- This remedy, although - - vehemently denounced by Mr. Taft, wilt appear to the average man as not only very sal utary, but very unnecessary,- Fifty per cent Is fixed a the maxi mum limit --When a corporation con trols fifty per cent of the total pro-dttt-t It supplies forty millions of peo ple wkh that product Is that not enough? Mr. Taft's objection te this affords an opportunity for Increasing profits. Fourth, reduction in wages follows wherever conditions will permit. poration are increased. Tnird. a re- I crauc pian oi exterminating monopo duction In the quality of the product I lies. He fails to distinguish between the honest business' that makes a country prosperous, and the brigand age practiced by private monopolies. The people have been robbed by the trusts to the extent or hundreds or millions a year, and If Mr Taft Is not yet conscious of what is going on. and not yet-aroused to the Iniquity of tnese trusts; now can tne country hope for relief through his flection? The Democratic party Is the defen der of Competition and the only great party which Is seeking to restore com petition. Mr. Taft has. In the discus sion of this question, employed harsn words instead of argument The word "aoelalliitlc" la hurled at the Democratic party and the Democratic platform. Now, as a matter or ra-ct, it is Mr. Taft's party and not the Democratic party which has given en couragement to socialism. While pro fessing to abhor socialism! - the Re- puDiican party nas gone naiz way to ward socialism in endorsing Its fun damental principle. - The socialist bases his contention on the theory that competition Is bad, and that an economic advance is to be found in monopoly. Tho - socialist however wants the public to have ths benefit of the monopoly and, . therefore, fa vors, government ownership and oper ation of all ths means of production and distribution.. The Republican party has gone al most as far as the socialist party in the eeonomic defense of the monopo ly, but It permits the benefits of mo nopoly to be enjoyed by a compara tively few men. who have secured a dominant Influence In the govern ment I beg to call Mr. Taft's atten tion to the fact that the Republican party has stimulated the growth of socialism in two ways: First by the endorsement that It has given to the theory that trusts are a natural and necessary outgrowth of our economic conditions, and second, by permitting the development of abuses which have been charged against individual ism- If he . will examine the vote published pt the World Almanac, he will find tryst m xsuv ine rtepu oilcans polled 7.108,244 votes and that the Socialists . polled -but 5,91; in the same" almanac, ho will find that In 104 the - Republicans cast 7,2S,41 votes and Hie Socialists '402,281. Not withstanding the fact that the Repub licans have boasted of their last na tional victory, their party polled but 417,000 more votes that year than four years before. This scarcely more than covered ths natural In crease in the . Republican portion of the population, while, the Socialist The rovernment'a action la. the ' in. graVS lttlr a h T- lnKy doubt whether the people, cars to go felenc. of September, ..i I when tn vkfilf view 1 fjn sasas 1 n sVei haM 1st sia I ... - ' representatives or France, Germany, Competition protects the purchaser, for when a number of Independent producers stand ready to supply him with what he needs, he can choose be tween them and buy from the one who offers the best product at the lowest prjee. He Is also protected In quality because those who compete for the opportunity to sell to him must show either advantage In price or advantage in quality. Competi tion protects trie man who produces raw material, for when there are a number of bidders for that which Is being sold, he can accept the highest price offered. Competition also helps the wage-earner, for his skill Is tne finished product which he offers upon the market, and where a number of independent Industries are endeavor ing to secure the highest skill, the skilled laborer has the best assurance of obtaining a fair recompense; when there Is but one employer, the em ploye must take the price offered be cause he will lose the advantage of his experience If he must go out to find a different kind of employment. BUSINESS FEELS PRESSURE. Ths business men of the country have felt the pressure of the trusts. The retailer has been compelled to enter Into contracts which restrict Ms management of his own affairs, he has found the terms of sale and pay ment changed to his disadvantage and he has been forced to carry more and more of the risks of trade. He is convinced that there, are - no good trusts and that bis Only safety Is in .the democratlo plan which lays the axe at tne root or tna tree. . The traveling men naturally take an Interest in ths trust question, be cause the mors complete the monopo ly secured by a- corporation the less they are needed. Wo have no more Intelligent .class than the representa tives of commerce, and their retire ment from the road would mean a se rious loss to the country while a few promoters would "be the only persons benefited, they gaining by the capi talisation of the salaries saved by the elimination oi competition., Mr. Taft either misunderstands or misrepresents the Democratic position in regard to tne extermination or the Srinclple of private monopoly. , in is notiflcaatlon speech, he says: "Mr. Roosevelt would compel the. trusts to conduct their business In a lawful manner and secure the-benefits of their operation .' and matnte- fits of their operation and the manlte of which they are an Important part; while .Mr. sryan would extirpate and destroy the entire, business In order to stamp out tne. oviis wnicn tney have practiced. ; - ' Here is a confession by Mr. Taft that he regards the trusts as neces sary to the nation's prosperity, for he declares that they piar an important part In the maintenance of prosperity. snd he charges that I would "extir pate and destroy" business In extir pating and destroying the principle of private monopoly. ' Sorely, his study of the trust question nas been very superficial If he sees danger In the restoration of a reign of compe tition, ---i VV-. -'' -j.- PARTY POLICY ILLUSTRATED; Let us take an illustration: Suppose to political meetings; there Is no doubt whatever that they are reading mors about publlo affairs than ever before. How potent the newspapers have -become In public affairs since ths cam paign in 1891 may e Judged from the statement that newspaper circula tions in this country have mors than doubled in that period,, while -magazine circulations have had an even greater Increase. With that, : ths amount of matter printed per -news paper or magaslne la vastly greater than It used to bo. RuraL-freadeltvery Italy, Holland. Denmark and Swttaer- " land, consented to the, prohibition, Great Britain then withholding her agreement .As the outcome of a consultation with the manufacturers ' the promoters of the bill now before ; Parliament have made It possible for . less dangerous substitutes for. white phosphorous which are protected by patents to be obtained on reasonable terms by all manufacturers; The use of the poisonous Mhite phosphorous Is not necessary in the business of match-makine. Its .em- and other conditions have brought the pioyment. moreover. Is highly danger- increasea circulation; type-setting i ous to the workpeople, for It gives machines ana ousiness prosperity i rise to the nalnf ul disease of ner- have made It possible to make bigger creels of the Jaw, commonly known and better papers. Altogether, the las . "phoasy Jaw." This disease has press reaches tho public as K never I much the same effect oh those at- did before. , . - tacked by It ss that of leprosy; and The newspapers don't require fees I It works the same horrible ravages for living; political matter to the pub-1 on the face and handsi , lio, provided It looks like news, Mr. I . The bill. If It passes Into law,, will v. nryan win ion ana atra in tne i not only forbid tne -use or ' wnite effortto cut his acceptance speech to I phosphorous in the manufacture of such short compass that all the pa- matches but will also make it il'riral pen would be able to reproduce It I for any one to sell or Import matches complete. tie got excellent returns tor i m the making or wnicn wnite pno- the effort Mr. Tart s speech, try asiphorous has been used. ne would, was too ions; ror a vast ment of a law in harmony, with the Democratic platform a law requir ing every corporation to take out a federal license before it Is permitted to control It per cent, of the busi ness In which it Is engaged. Would this "extirpate and destroy" the busi ness of the country? ' As : already stated, but a very small per cent of the corporation would be affected by the law. and those affected would be the ones that have been giving the number of papers and had te be sub jected . to the unsatisfactory process of editorial blue-penciling-. It costs an immense' amount of money to get literature to the people by process of making and mailing documents, and when they are thus sent out they don't get so good atren tion as if printed In the newspapers. The newspaper, in short. Is ths Ideal medium. How to make', Tour -stuff" look like "news; how to Induce ths cold-hearted editor to "use the stuff," Is ths problem of this campaign. So the national committees are call ing Into service a great number of trained and . experienced newspaper men. The -head of the Republican lit erary bureau is a newspaper man, and he Is surrounded by a corps of the craft Henry Watterson . has been placed In general charge of the like work for the Democrats, The aalrman of the .Democratic national committee is a newspaper publisher, while; the executive corps of the Republican committee is com posed of working newspaper men to urn an extent that It has become something akin to a Joke. Jt is polnte4 out in this clnnectlon that Mr. Bry an Is an editor and - publisher, and anent some years as an employed edi torial writer, while Mr. Taft began life as a reporter on a Cincinnati daily. ' This use or newspapers in tne cam- Denio(nticippointels. l Ths following gentlemen will ad dress the people on the Issues of the.; campaign at the tlmee , and places ' stated: . ' -:s -kV';'.,:-' V ". ' AV HON. W.' W. KITCHIN. '-----v.,' Dobaon, Tuesday, September -1st!''; Sparta, Wednesday, September 2d. ' ,' Jefferson. Thursday, September Sd. f.', : Boone, Friday.'- September '4th. " . Bakersvllle, Saturday, September' 6th. . - ' - -' : -' ' - ' . Burnavlue, Monday, September 7th. Marshall, Tuesday, September" 8th; HON. LEE S. OVERMAN. " r Hllleboro, Saturday; August 21th. ' . Lenoir, Tuesday. September let Dobson,v Saturday, September 1 2th. . Norwood, Saturday, September tth. . HON. C.B. AYCOCK. r v , - Greensboro, Saturday,' . September . 12th. - ; : - .r: ' HON, A. L. BROOKS. ' 1 Dobson, Tuesday,- September. 1st. ' y HON. E. T. WEBB. vote increased more than 800 perialgn will csuse an unusual demand cent., and the increase in votes was almost as great aa the increase in Republican votes. ,- -. , - . . REPUBLICANS AND ' SOCIALIfU. The Republican leaders have been In the . habit of sneering at the So cialists, while blindly ; indifferent to the -causes that have, contributed to the growth of socialism. The Demo ocrats recognise - that Socialists ; are honestly seeking a remedy for the "known abuses" admitted by Secre tary Taft. Democrats dissent from the remedy proposed by the Socialists, believing that Socialists are mlsUken and that the Democratic remedy Is better, but it is time for throughtwui people to recognise that individualism can only be retained and defended .by remedial . lesislatlos . which will - re- jnovs the abuses which have been al lowed to mtenthemselreauparLJ-fl.a country. The Democratic party, be lieving In individualism, addresee It self earnestly to these abuse, and in stead of ridiculing and maligning tne Hoelaliet. Invites them, aa It does Re publicans, to examine the Democratic platform and. the remedies proposed therein. It submits Its plana to the honest' cltiaenshlp of the country, without regard to section or party, la my notiflcation speech I called for the really "bis; men" on the stump and a corresponding diminution In the demand for men" of minor - calibre. Governor Hughes address at the Re publican national compalgn opening at Youngrstown will get-an Immense circulation with practically - no ex--fene to- the national committee.. It will be provided to the newspapers, and because 'the Governor Is a big enough "man to make his -emanation news it will get printed. To give the same speech anything like the same circulation through other channels -would cost an Immense amount - of money. It has been said that It costs 2200,000 to place a single piece of lit erature in the hands of all the voters in the , country . after the article is printed and the m-alllns;. JJsts-are Tb telnedFjirJIss0O' addresses the postage at one cent would be I1SO.00O. Because they save tbls postage ex pense, which Is a cruel and Inevitable exaction on the campaign treasuries, the tpeeches of members of Congress are most useful. It does not seem to be generally known, but tt Is a fact that ths government furnishes only free postage on these speeches that le. when they are "extracts from the Congressional Record." The Oovern- 3d. Rutherfordton, Tuesday, September . ' 26th. . - - ' ' , - ' ' ' ' - . .. HON. W, T. CRAWFORD. AND ' , HON. T W. BICKETT. p Columbus, Saturdsy, August ' 29th. v" f Henoersonvme, . Monaay August list.. 'I. ' : v---:-'.:- .:' -;. "vs.. .-..vi-;" Brevard,- Tuesday, September x 1st . ' Ashevllle, Wednesday, - September : 2d. -V' " - '' ,'"'-.-- - w WeavervUlej Thursday, Septerobey'f Wsynesvllle, . Friday,. ' September : 4th. v 1 ' Webster, Saturday, September : 6th. , , Robblnsvllle, Monday, ,; Septstuoer J 7th. ' ' ' Andrews (night) Monday, Septem ber 7th. ' . ----- - - . - Hayeevflle, Tuesday; September 8th. Murphy, Wednesday, September th. . . ''-' .- - ' -'- Bryson City, Thursday, September , ; 10th. ; ."-'- . . ' '' ., -'- ,- lnkliBk-Sattrrdiy, : September lltfi. - - ' ' ' -.- vr - -... . ' Old Fort Monday. September 1 4th. Marlon, Tuesday, September 15th. Forest City (night) Tuesday. Sep- ' tenjber 15th. ' All ritlxens are invited to be present at the above appointments and . hear the Issues discussed, - '-' A, H. ELLER. Chairman State Democratic Exeen. . tive Committee. , - A - " ALEX. J. FEILtV " ' Secretary,''- - - ' ' . - ' v V. -1
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 26, 1908, edition 1
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