The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-11-02

4
Mr.. James q. Blaine has ut last dIscov.
| cred that trusts are not by any meaus the
harmless affairs which he declared them
70 be a few weeks ego, when, fresh from
the hospitalities Of Carnegie and the
splendors Of Cluny Castle, he put himself
at the head Of the party whose members
speak Of him as "the greatest combina-
tion Of heart and brain In the world, ;" and
''the object Of our (their) undying affec-
tion." He Is now persuaded that some of
them ought to be dealt with by the gov.
ernment, and that President Cleveland
was not so much In error after all in de-
nouncing. them as conspiracies against
the people. This Is a change Of mind
which shows what can be done In the
course Of an educational campaign.
II Is interesting TO note the stages
through which Mr.. Blaine's mind has
passed In It's progress toward truth on
this question. First off, IL will be re-
membered, he scoffed at the president and
the Democracy for finding fault with
trusts and lightly dismissed them from
further notice es private affairs. That
this would not do he learned as soon as
II was shown TO him that the effect Of the
trusts was TO increase the cost of living
and diminish wages. He then favored us
with the announcement that, though
trusts might be objected to, still they
were not in any degree due to the SO
called protective tariff, and, in proof Of
this, told an astonished world that Eng
land was also afflicted by similar organi-
zations. II was something gained to
have the great man admit that they were
not good things. even II he persisted in
ignoring the cause of them.
For time Mr.. Blaine sought TO occupy
middle ground He acknowledged i'm
plicitly that trusts were evils, and that
federation of them In other countries was
not an adequate reason for toleratinQ them
here. since the European addiction to aris-
tocracies and standing armies has never
been deemed q reason for setting up q
royal family and vast military establish
ment In the United States, but contended
that the state governments and not tho
Federal authority ought TO correct them.
That he could not long adhere to this po-
sition was clear enough to every person
capable of consistent thought
In the town Of Goshen, Ind, he practi-
cally abandoned all his previous pleas and
undertook to show not as in the past that
trusts were private affairs with which the
federal government had nothing to do, or
which ought to be left to the state gov.
crnments, but were evils for which DEM
ocrats were largely responsible. This,
the reader perceives, changes the whole
character Of the discussion. The ques-
tion now Is not whether trusts are evils,
but who is to blame for perpetuating
them. At last Mr.. Blaine is In accord
with the Democracy on the main matter,
and differs only in regard to certain facts
and persons. He no longer asserts that
the crime charged against his client Is no
crime, but turning round on the accusers
he says; "Yes, q crime has been COM
mitted, but the guilt is with the plaintiff
and not the defendant"
1t Is now agreed that trusts ought to be
suppressed. What the people have to de-
eide Is, to which party may the work of
surpressing them be committe with most
hood Of having justice done. Shall
the commission be given to President
Cleveland, who has from the beginning
consistently denounced the wrong, or to
the representative Of Mr.. Blaine, who be-
gan by telling the country that trusts
were harmless, and had no word Of cen
sure for them till he learned that the
people were resolved to crush themf To
this question the average man will be able
to render all the answer necessary
Brooklyn Citizen.