The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-14
"ALTGRLD's CONTRACTION"

The esteemed San Francisco Examiner
has caught the sAltgeld contagion," and
it lifts its voice in the song of ''down with
the trusts and monopolies." meaning cap
ital employed in industrial enterprises.
The Chicago platform sounds the key note
OF the song, but somehow the signers
leave out the burning words in snowy
rhetoric which tell of the beauties OF Sec
tarianism. The Examiner should sing the
whole song, and incidentally it might refer
TO the bloated shipbuilder who adorns
the tail of the Bryan ticket. But polit-
zeal campaign that Is waged on sectional
lines, and which denounces certain sec
tons of the country and applauds others,
will hardly find favor with the people OF
the United States. 1t is unquestionably
the right of the Democratic party to pre-
sent its candidate to the country and ask
the peoples support, but it has no right
to set State against State and business in
Jerest against business interest. 1t was
hoped the party had enough OF sectional
ism during the National administration
which followed James Buchanau's retire
ment from the Presidency to last 1t for all
time.
There are trusts and there are monopo-
lies in this country, as there are and have
always been in every country. but no trust
nor monopoly was ever heard of that had
in mind such a combination of selfish as
well as destroying purpose as the platform
of the Examiners party contemplaIes in
its interior States" scheme for monopo-
liZing the commerce OF the country. II a
gigantic monopoly Is not contemplated.
and if it is not the purpose of Altgeld &
Co. TO control Government appropriations
for internal improvements in the interest
of the interior States-the mississippi
Valley country-to the neglect and harm
of the balance of the country, then why
was that particular plank so wordedP But
| as to the so-called trusts and monopo-
lies having come TO the support of Nc
Kinley because he is their friend, why
that kind of talk belittles the intelligence
of the people. 1t is true that employed
capital is identifying itself with the Re-
publican party, and so is mechanical
| skill and Drawn coming to the support of
Mckinley, and very naturally so because
each feels that it needs to be protected in
its rights against Altgeldism. The skill
of the mechanic is his capital Just as the
dollars of his employer are his capital, and
they are willing to trust" each other in
this great battle for the best interests OF
both.
| No doubt it is true that all the great cor
porations are coming out for Mckinley.
They are employers of workingmen and
they know that if Bryan is elected their
employees will be forced into idleness and
their own capital threatened. If business
firms and companies and chartered organi-
cations are coming TO Mckinley it is be-
cause they fear that the triumph of Alt
| geldism would bankrupt them. There is
no sentiment in commerce, nor is there
any in money. 1t is a matter of no ccnse-
ouence to either who is President OF the
| United States. All they want to know is
that they will be protected against those
things which destroy commerce and
threaten the safety OF money. The decla-
ration of the party which Mr.. Mckinley
represents is that all interests, from the
opportunity of the laborer to the mann
moth industrial plant, shall have ample
protection and encouragement without
Discrimination or favoritism. The decla.
ration of the party which Mr.. Bryan rep
resents is that sectionalism shall obtain
| that certain States, together with their
trusts, monopolies and capital combina-
tions, shall have precedence in the care oil
the Government. If such policy were
carried out no ooubt great good would
come to the favored States, but that kind
of government would be dangerous tC
people and industries beyond the confines
of the favored belt. In view of these
things cannot the Examiner see that self
preservation Is what is sending the bust
ness and labor interests of the country tc
the support of Mr.. McKinley2 The whole
matter resolves itself into plain, com
nonsense business proposition.