The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-09-07

From speech delivered by Hon.
J. w. Blake, recent chairman of the
Democracy of Texas, at Dallas on
Labor Day, we clip the following on
trusts:
Another movement which is per-
haps even more dangerous to the
welfare of our country is the combi-
nation of capital, the formation and
operation of trusts and monopoIies.
/ dislike very much to discuss this
subject, because, of all men, / des-
pise the demagogue who psnders to
the prejudice of the poor by abuse
OF the rich. But no man can note
the encroachment of the money pow
er in this country on the rights of
the individual without feeling that
the time is approaching when the
issue between plutocracy and the
people will be forced to a trial. The
world has never seen nor has the
mind of man conceived such n1irac-
ulous wealth-gathering as are every
day tales to us. / do not denounce
the rich. In most cases their money
came and was acquired under forms
of law. 1t is the abuse of this amaz-
ing power of consolidated wealth
which brings the pressing danger.
When dozen men get together in
the morning and fix the price of .
dozen articles of common use, with
no standard but their arbitrary win
and no limit but their greed or dar-
ing and then notify the sovereign
people of this free republic how
much in the mercy of their masters
they shall pay for the necessaries of
life, then the point OF intolerahle
shane has been reached. Amy syn
dicate or trust in this country can
arbitrarily add % per cent to the
cost OF q single article of necessity
and safely gather forced tribute from
the people. Economists have held
that wheat grown everywhere could
never be concerned by capital and
yet man in Chicago by name of
Letter tied the wheat crop up in his
handkerchief and held it until la
boring man in this city had to pay
him SO cents tax on the sack of -four
which he bore home to his family at
the end of the weeks work. The
ezar of Russia would not dare to do
the things which are openly done by
the trusts of this free government of
ours. My countrymen, no argument
can defend them and no plea excuse
them when they fall on the men who,
toiling, yet suffer, who hunger at
their work and who often can not
get food for their wives with which
to feed the infant that hangs famish-
ing at their breasts. MIR. Jefferson
foresaw the danger of this federal
tendency and sought to avert it, but
1t has again been revived by the con-
ditions of our times and has been
aided by the government with its
grants of enormous powers and its
amazing class legislation. But what
are you going to do about it. Let
me urge you to protest with all the
earnestness of your souls against the
policy, the laws and the methods
that make these evils possible, and
instruct your representatives to
work for the repeal of this vicious
legislation.
How can you improve these condi-
tions? Exalt the kearthstone,
strengthen the home, build up the
individual, magnify and defend the
principles of local self-government.
The man who kindles the fire on the
hearthstone of an honest and right
eous home burns the best incense to
liberty. The germ of the best pat
riotism is in the love a man has for
the home he inhabits, for the soil he
tills, for the trees that give him
shade and the hills that stand in his
pathway"