The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-07-22
MR.. BRYAN ON TRUSTS.
Describes the Great Evil and PoiLts
Out q Remedy.

Describes the Great EVIL and Points
Out q Remedy.
New York Journal.
Mr.. Bryan, at his meetings in Cali
fornia. where he has addressed near
~ the whole population of the State,
while giving precedence to the finan-
cial question, has not neglected other
subjects of Importance. His attacks
upon the trusts have been extremely
forcible, because he has eschewed fu
tile denunciation and restricted his
arraignment to the facts, which are
more eloquent than the most torrid
rhetoric. He has been careful to
point out that the extortion prac-
tised by these combinations that
have mOnopolized the country's nat
ural resources and captured it's trans
portation system is not the worst
feature OF their blighting dominance
over industry and trade. The great
est evil represented by the trusts is,
as Mr.. Bryan says, that they are
! changing the laws which used to gov
ern business success. Who can dis
| pute the truth of these statements:
''In the olGen days If man start
ing in business had sufficient capital,
had sufficient industry and had suff
| cent integrity, you might expect him
| to make success Of business. Not
necessarily so to-day. A man may
have sufH Gent capital; a man may
be Industrious; he may be honest !;
he may have business experience; yet
in a moment he may find his capital
dissipated, he may find himself q
bankrupt. WY? Because the trust
| will come to him and hold out before
him propositions-either ask him to
become q member of the trust, con-
spirator against his fellows, or threat
en- him with bankruptcy on the other
hand. If he prefers his independence,
he is given death. If he escapes
death, it means simple serv;tude to
the trust to which he attaches him
| self"
The Cigarette Trust, whose mem
bers were recently on trial in this
| city, is a type OF ell trusts. The evil
| dence showed that no merchant could
sell cigarettes with profit who did
not become slaye of the Trust-buy
alone from it and sell at the prices
| fixed by 1t, 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 a trust This sordid
| despotism is not destructive of com
petition merely; it renders independ
| ence in trade impossible and degrades
manhood. The business men of the
nation are either becoming trust
| tyrants or being reduced to the place
| of lackeys to these masters of the
| commercial field.
But Mr.. Bryan has not confined
himself to describing evils and defin-
| ing perils. He is man of remedies:
at is the province of wise men to
foresee 1t is the sign of intelligent
men to prepare for danger before it
| comes Immediately upon them, and
think the American people ought to
be awakened to day to the danger
that the trust presents; that they
ought to arise in their might, and
through State legislation, as we'll as
national, drive the trust out of exist.
ence and give it warning never again
to set foot on American soil. 1t can
be done by the enforcement of the
laws that now exist. If new laws are
necessary, they must be devised; and
II the Supreme Court finds that ouI
| Constitution prevents the extermina
ton of the trust, then the time has
| come when we must SO change the
Constitution as to permit the people
to live themselves, even if by living
they must kill the trusts"