Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-26
Sounded at Democratic Banquet in
st. Louis Last Night.
". ]. BRYAN ONE OF THE SPEAKERS
Silver Question Receives Scant
Attention From the Orators.
NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEETS

cratic antitrust banquet at the Coliseum in
| St. Louis last night.
| The first speaker of the evening was Har-
| ry b. Halves, president Of the jefferson
| Club, who delivered the address of well
| come. Mr.. Halves said in part:
| 1T was not intended that this dinner
| should be merely the means of affording
| entertainment. but it was believed by its
| promoters that the serious discussions to
| be held tonight will be the means of crys
talizing public sentiment against the en-
| croachments upon the liberties OF the peo-
pie of the giant monopolies and trusts. 1t
| is not sought or desired to push to the
| background the vital issues of 1886. nor to
| lessen in any particular the fight to be
| made upon the greatest of all trusts, the
| money trust, which, greater than all, is
| more dangerous than all. and by its exist
| cnce renders possible many combinations of
| wealth that, without it. could not survive
| The battle line must be drawn sharp and
| clear, with democracy on one hand and the
| trusts and The monopolies on the other. If
| the discussions here tonight will add TO the
| enthusiasm and determination OF the demo-
| cratic party to wipe out of existence these
| formidable allies OF republicanism, then the
| object of this meeting will have been accom-
| plished.'
| perialism. declaring that it and the acquisi-
| ton of foreign territory are foreign to the
| policy of the democratic party.
President Halves was followed by Champ
| Clark MIR Clark was greeted with ire
| mendous ovation. He spoke, in part, as
| follows:
| Having rendered the platform of 1896 an
| accomplished fact, 1t is eminently meet and
| proper that at this early date Missouri, ex
ercising her democratic primacy, should
| proclaim in no uncertain tone the unyield-
| ing principles of democracy.
| Stated generally in single sentence.
| these principles may be condensed fol-
lows: Equal rights for all; special privi-
leges for none or, in a still briefer form:
| More money and less taxes"
Applause for Mr.. Bryan.
| When Mr.. Halves arose to introduce Mr.
Bryan he was greeted with applause. and
| the applause which met Mr.. Bryan was OF
| the most fiattering description. The cheers
drowned the music. which struck up Hold
| the Fort as he advanced to the front of the
! rostrum. Mr.. Bryan devoted the greater
| part of his address to the trusts. He touch
| ed briefly upon the silver question declaring
! that it issue that must be met. The
republicans being pledged TO the gold
| standard. he said, We're opposed to silver
because it meant the giving up OF the stand
| ard which they had adopted.
| He then returned to the attack on the
| trusts, which he accused of lack of good
| faita toward the people. "A rich man." he
declared. who pays his taxes is as much
| OF a patriot any man who swims a river
| or who climbed up San Juan Hill"
| Among other things he said:
| AN actor who visited Nebraska recently,
| upon learning from a republican that con-
| hdence had been restored, remarked that
| he had examined WebsterS Dictionary to
| learn what confidence" meant and found
! confidence defined trust" and then he
| understood that confidence had been really
| restored.
More trusts have been formed during the
| last two Years than existed at the begin
| ming of the present administration, and the
mol iizar Of he N
| existence approaches. if 1t does not equal
| in amount, the worlds total supply of gold
| and silver. The influence Of these trusts
| has become so enormous that the people,
| without respect to party. are asking them
| selves how the evil can be remedied
After defining trust he continued:
| The Power tn Tax.
| ut has been said that the power to tax
| is power TO destroy. A monopoly pos
| sesses the power to tax; 1t can levy such
| assessments as 1t will upon the purchaser
| and we can no more afford to permit such
| power to be exercised by private individuals
| thar we could afford to authorize a private
| individual to use the machinery of taxation
| in order to enrich himself at the expense OF
| his fellows.
| The government would be guilty of gross
| neglect if it permitted an individual To Sc
| cure a monopoly even without legislative
assistance. but it is still more culpable If by
| legislative act il furnishes the means 10y
/ which a monopoly is secured. The corpora
| ton is the means now employed by those
| who seek to secure a monopoly. Since the
| corporation is fictitious person, created by
! law, the power that creates can regulate,
| restrain or annihilate. To say that the gov
| eminent is impOtent to prevent the organ
| iZation of trusts is to say that ii has called
| into existence fictitious person, and that
| the fictitious person created has become
| greater than the creator.
"One of the difficulties which has been en-
| fara N iG he
| trust hides behind the federal Constitution
| when attacked by state legislation, and
| shields itself behind its state charter when
attacked in the federal courts. No remedy
will be complete that is not coeXtensive
| with the federal government. If the extn-
| guishment of the trusts is left to state leg
| islation, the public at large will be victim
| lied as long as single state will furnish
| a robbers roost where the spoils collected
| in other states can be divided.
Menace to the Greenbacks
| Just now people startled by the prin-
ciple of monopoly, as Ii manfests itself in
| the industrial trust, and well may they be
| startled. The principle, however, is the
same that which manifests itself in the
| efforts of the national bankers to secure a
| monopoly of the issue of paper money. The
| greenback is rival of the bank note, and
| its presence is constant menace to the
banks of issue. Some who recognize the
evils that flow from soap trust seem in
| different to the dangers that attend the
| formation of paper money trust.
| THE principle of monopoly not only lies
| at the foundation of the attempt to destroy
| the cks. but it is the controlling
principle that underlies the crusade against
| silver as a standard money Between 1850
and 1850, when the production of gold was
| increasing and the production of silver was
| small, three nations demonetized gold and
| gave to silver monopoly of mint privil-
| eyes Early in the seventies the fnanciers
| became alarmed at the increase in the pro-
duction of silver and conspired to destr V
| silver as a standard money and give a
| monopoly to gold, the production of which
| at that time was stationary. The standard
| money trust is not only the parent trust
| but is in the hands of foreigners.
THE republican party is impotent to de-
! stroy the trusts. 1t is controlled by those
| who are interested in trusts. and its cam
paign funds and Sinews of war are supplied
1 by the trusts The policies for which it
| now stands disregard the interests of the
producers of wealth and give the money
| consideration which is denied to the indiyid-
| ual. Abraham Lincoln. in the very begin
| ming of his presidential career warned the
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