Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-02-11
WIZ STAND By GARLAND.


The Fight Against Monopoly.
WASHINGTON, Feb. THE concerted
hue and cry raised against the admins
tration by the Bell telephone monopoly,
through its influential lobby here and
hired caluminstors in New York, has had
quite different effect from that intended
and expected. Instead of provoking
general stampede 1t has greatly strength
eiled an administration already firmly
planted in the consciousness Of it's own
recitude. Through all the vituperation
of the past week the immediate object of
these attacks, Attorney General Garland,
has maintained dignihed silence. The
sterling character of Secretary Lamar has
turned the poisoned shafts aside TO re-
bound on those who hurled them,
Solicitor General Goode has gone about
his business, and that business has been
the arduous task Of running mine
under the money-manned redoubts
Of the Bell Telephone Company.
Behind these outposts of the
administration stands President Oleve-
land, firm as rock. So far from fall
tering in his duty TO the inonopoly-ridden
people of the United States he has given
his assailed subordinates close and con-
slant support from the beginning and is
prepared to see them through to a legal
conclusion of the issue. That issue he
recognizes ia not between few bowling
political mountebanks and his Attorney
General, but between giant monopoly
and the whole business public Of the
United States-between corporation that
has become immensely rich and insolent
enough to attempt the coercion of the
government of the United States by sys-
tematically attacking the character Of its
high representatives, and the great people
who stand behind that government with
hands on their pocket-books and the foot
of the Bell corporation on their necks.
THE PRESIDENTS FIRM STAND.
In this stand the President has already
had tangible evidence of the good will
and Endorsement of the country at large.
From all sections he has been the daily
recipient of warm expressions of conf
dence and exhorted to sustain his cabinet
intact against the assaults of monopolies
Of every description. II these assurances
come only from the holders of Pan
Electric stock, that hitherto unknown
commercial commodity must be the most
popular ever issued. But they do not
because the Pan Electric stock never was
marketable commodity. The fact
is, this fight Of the Bell mon
opoly on the administration has
stirred up hornets nest of astonishing
dimensions. An inkling of this was
given the president of the Bell Telephone
Company, and he hastened to Washing
ton to try to counteract it. He called at
the White House and begged an audience
with the President. He assured Mr..
Cleveland that neither he nor his COM
pany was hostile to the administration.
They were making war on nobody, he
said, but only wanted their rights. The
President assured him that he had nothing
to do with the newspaper controversy
and wished also to see that every citi-
zen of the republic had his right
secure in that which belonged to him. To
better insure il in the case in poiut he in
dorsed the action Of his immediate sub.
ordinates of the departments of justice
and interior in putting the matter into
competent tribunal, where eyerybody's
right could be fairly tested. All men,
rich and poor, were equal before the law
and this was matter involving indirectly
and directly the whole people of the
United States. Those who had their
claims founded on justice need have no
fear of the law. This administration
would try and see the laws properly ad-
ministered and no amount of vituperation
and personal abuse would serve to turn il
aside from that issue.