The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-08-31
MR.. BLAINE AND TRUSTS.

Democratic newspapers are just now
raising great howl over an extract from
q speech by Mr.. Blaine in which he said
many trusts were private AFFAIRS in which
President Cleveland nor any private cit
rfzen has any particular right 10 inter
fere. OF course none of the howlers 60
on to quote the further remarks of Mr..
Blaine, but take this extract and pro-
coed to clamor that the great Republic
can is an advocate of trusts. Nothing is
farther from the truth. and everybody
knows it. The fact is, the time is past
when Democratic lying does Mr.. Blame
any harm.
But we might as well get to the bottom
of this matter, and we will do SO by
quoting in full the remarks Of Mr..
Blaine. He did not by any means go in
to the trust question in detail, but only
noticed it to cay two things, both plainly
true. One, that there were many trusts
that were not monopolies-private bust
ness affairs. There is no more doubt
about that than that there are other
trusts that do interfere with private
rights and should be visited by the heavy
hand of the law to reduce the plethora.
The other point was that trusts were not
peculiar to countries under high tariff
protection-but that they abounded IN
England. 1t Is abouttwo matters of fact,
both obvious, that the Democratic news
papers and speakers are making clam
or. The Democratic policy is to raise a
dust and make noise to cover the dam
gerous movement of changing front un-
der fire. Here is, in full, what Mr..
Blaine said:
when President Cleveland delivered
his message, he had something to say to
to the American people about the danger
of trusts l think there have since
been no Democratic papers in the coun-
try, whether they understood the mean
ing of the word or not, that have not
been constantly warming the people as
to the horrible danger of trusts.
laughter. Well, shall not discuss
trusts this afternoon. shall not ven-
ture to say that they are altogether adj
vantageous or disadvantageous. They
are largely private affairs with which
neither President Cleveland nor any prl-
vate citizen has any particular right to
interfere.
aside from that, the point which l
wish to impress upon you is that trusts
are not the outgrowth nor in any way
the incident of the protective policy, as
the President charges; that protective
policy no more breeds what the Presi-
dent considers the pestilence of trusts
than does the veriest free trade country
in the world, which is England; for
England is literally plastered all over,
under her system of free trade, with
trusts. The very day before sailed for
home, just q fortnight ago, cut from a
London journal the announcement that
all the manufacturers of collins and all
the undertakers OF the United Kingdom
had gone into trust llaughter]; that 1t
was to consist of 81, 00O. 900 capital, which,
in the language of the English financial
market, was to have large number OF
preferential bonds, and that the yearly
semi-annual dividend of twelve per cent.
TLaughter.1 Now, think, my friends,
that we might safely bury all the Presi-
dents predictions of evil from trusts in
this country, in the graves in which
those collins are about TO go, preferential
bonds and all, and zoe might do this safely
by showing that 80 far from, The protective pol.
icy generating trusts, an utter free trade poll
Gu generates them IN far greater number
[cheers], and thus I tedve The q,rstion."
1t is plainly seen that Mr.. Blaine's
particular object was to refute the oft re-
peated statement that protection affords
an opportunity for the foisting Of
"trusts." This was the burden Of Mr..
Cleveland's constituencies on the subject,
although he was entirely oblivious of
the fact that every time his Cabinet door
opens the stencil of the great Standard
Oil trust belches forth. and that trust
money procured both his nomination
and election. Mr.. Blaine very clearly
as well as forcibly proves that there is
not an iota Of truth in the assertion that
trusts are part of protection, and shows
that they are evils which flourish even
better in free trade than protection soil.
The Democratic opposition and denun-
citation OF trusts is ludicrous spectacle
viewed from any side, and 1t is difficult
to treat 1t In spirit of seriousness.