Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-07-20

MR.. BRYAN ON THE TRUSTS.

MI. Di dils Sd . lIle NEW Ioi lldly
at his meetings in California, where he
has addressed nearly the whole popula-
ton of the state, while giving preced-
enee to the financial question, has not
neglected aether subjects of Importance.
His attacks upon the trusts have been
extremely foreible, because he has es-
chewed futile denunciation and restrict
ed his arrangement to the facts, which
are more eloquent than the most torrid
rhetoric. He has been careful to point
out that the sextortion practised by these
combinations that have monopolized the
country's natural resources and captured
its transportation system is not the worst
feature of-their blighting dominance over
industry and trade. The greatest evil
represented by the trusts is, as Mr.. Bryan
says, that they are changing the laws
which used to govern business success.
Who can dispute the truth of these state
ments:
In the olden days if man starting in
business had sufficient capital, had suffi-
cfent- Industry and had sufficient integ-
rity, you might expect him to make
success of business. Not necessarily
so today A man may have sufficient
capital man may be Industrious; he
may be honest: he may have business ex-
perience; yet in a moment he may find
his capital dissipated, he may find him
self a bankrupt. Why? Because the
trust will come to him and hold out before
him two propositions-either ask him to
become a member of the trust, a con-
spirator against his fellows, or threaten
him with bankruptcy on the other hand.
If h@prefers his independence, he is given
death, If he escapes death. it means
simple servitude to the trust to which
he attaches himself.
The cigarette trust, whose members
We're recently on trial In this city, is a
type of all trusts. The evidence showed
that no merchant could sell cigarettes
with profit Who did not become a slave
of the trust-buy alone from it and sell
at the prices fixed by it, or go out of the
business. Those are the conditions on
which an American citizen may deal in
oil. sugar or any article whose supply is
controlled by trust This sordid des-
potism is not destructive of competition
merely; it reriders independence in trade
impossible and degrades manhood. The
business men of the nation are either be-
coming trust tyrants or being reduced to
the place of laekeys to these masters of
the commercial field.
But Mr.. Bryan has not confined himself
to describing evils and defining perils.
H is a man of remedies.
1t is the province of wise men to fore
see. 1t is the sign of intelligent men to
prepare for danger before it comes imme-
diateiy upon them, and think the Amer
lean people ought to be awakened today
to the danger that the trust presents; that
through state legislation, as we'll as ma
tional, drive the trust out of existence
and give 1t warming never again to set
foot en- American soil. 1t can be done by
the enforcernen MT of the laws that now ex-
list. If new laws are necessary, they
must be devised; and IL the supreme court
finds that our constitution prevents the
determination of the trust, then the time
has come when we must SO change the
live themselves, even if by living they
must XIII the trusts
That the struggle which Is on between
the trusts and the people for the posses
sion of the courltry and its government
will end in the triumph of the people no
American who believes in the capacity
of men for self-government can doubt.
The democratic tide which has swept
away theories and hereditary nobility is
continent by dixie of oneybags The
men and not the dollars of this republic
will rule it.