The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-16
MIR. BRYAN SAID NO
Continued from First Page.

what might be called the llelu u pollt
| ical controversy that the provision Is
claimed that the exclusion OF foreign
competition in some way OF other devel-
| ops domestic competition much Keener
! in some mySteri ous methods, more BEN
| eficent / do not understand his logic, but
1 think that is a fair statement OF his
principles. Now, the tarin has peen
| thought out in this country for some Ell MT
or ten years Thare has been universal
debate on it. and the question Is stu I'M
settled. We cannot hope to do muc 1l1
| towards its adjustments here so we Will
pass from the tariff.
There is still third and serious .ques--
! ton with which think we can deal, ana ana
| in its results than this tariff in favor OF
| trusts And l refer to those favors which
| are extended to certain industries OF
great. corporations enJoylng. goHerni lenl
franchises, which are none-the-less gov
eminent agencies, because Their STOCK a har IS
| owned by private Individuals. Ana heIe
we are brought face to face with s e =
| Gus difficulty. First. l must assume IL d
serious difficulty because 1t is almost I'M,
possible to describe 1t. II Is surroundeo
| by secret. That it is extending ana ooss
exist everybody believes. But for the ne
purpose of philosophical discussion II IS
| impossible to try 20 follow that Whi2h
you cannot even fully describe, ana the
which perpetrated, against acertaln class
| of the community is that 1t is shrouded
! in mystery.
FRANCHISE FAVORS.
But, my friends, you must remember
that no person can enjoy a favor at the
! hands of a New York company enjoying
| a public franchise except at the expense
! of another 1t is rue of every Instance
| where government faVors an 1ndiVIdual
| | have said in many places, ana l say
! here that the government cannot at one
and the same time be fountain OF gen
erosity and of justice. (Applause.)
Government cannot create anything
1t cannot cause the boards that constltu e
| this determination to take their places
| and become useful article of furniture.
! 1t cannot call the elements OF this SUI
come a building; it cannot cause Two
blades of grass to grow wnere out e one
! grew before, or make the barren held
Fruitful. Now, if the government cannot
| create anything, it has nothing of its own
to bestow.- If It undertakes to :, enrich
one individual, the thing that It gives TO
plause.) A government cannot be just
! and generous at the same time, for II 1t
be generous to one it must De oppressive
to another. If it do favor, 1t must nave
a victim. And that government only Is
just and beneficent which has neither Ia
vorites nor victims. A.
1.-THE most that you can expect 10
make of a perfect government IS a Just
one That is to say, an Impartial gov,
eminent Government is always just ana 1
always benefcient when it IS apsoluteslly
| impartial, but not merely must 1t by rs
own hands be impartial. but. TO para "a
phrase Lord Beacon. The hands of It's
| hands must be impartial; not merely
must it's laws be impartial. It's courts .aI
| Impartial, its executive officers Impartial.
| but the agencies that it empowers TO dlS.
charge functions essentially pubic mus
be impartial in that service TO every NJ NJ
| man being within the MINUS VI lile oV''"'
| (Great applause) ,u
Now. I have said that these favors
are extended by the common benet' lli a
| ] have said and acknowledged that II
| one person attains rates that are eXccS"
| sively favorable, if his goods are trans
| ported at q loss, why other men using
| the same facility must make good Ire
Ioss. If goods are transported from Chi
| cago TO New York for anybody tor less
than they cost. why that must be MADE
up by the commerce of hundreds o. QUIZ
| ers who pay too much.
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.
srWhat is the remedy? A simple enc. |
! believe Some gentlemen have suggested
! municipal ownership. (Applause.) Id
dies and gentlemen, I have no quarrel
| with the applause of the municipal own
! ership. I concede the principle OF 1T. ZAP
| plause) The government has no right to
! empower any private agency to perform
| a function unless it be one which the
| Government would be bound itself to per-
form if that agency were not to be found.
(Applause) The only excuse for empoW-
ering a private corporation to dlSchafge
a public function is the excuse that ina
| service will be more efficient. Inc Dues
1 ton them of municipal ownership Is
| mere question of eXpediency Can Il gov
/
pany or street railway as we'll as pri'
vate individuals with that strong. power
full incentive in the shape Of a nope OF
profit, and with the peculiar capaclty
rience? I will not debate 1t here Tor TINS
reason. that if it be remedy, 1tlssuc n n
remote one that a discussion OF IL IL
| would be a discussion of the interests OF
our children rather than of ourselves.
| daughter and applause) There are
| many grave questions to be conslQered
Il 0iTN
reduced to practical operation. even
though we would now set about the task
| There are questions, for instance, as TO
the rate of valuation, Wo vi we 9an ne
| them or at their earning power? II you
say that you will take them at 1t t 5aeiI
earning power, I tell you you would \ nai e
doubtful if you could take them if the
government could take them, capltailzed
at their present rates, and make thenl
| cost to reproduce them you are brouGflt
face to face with the question as TO
whether you have any right, after the
state stood by and encouraged the orig,
| inai owners of these franchises. to sell
| the capital which was issued upon them
to innocent holders at the value 11lat
might be put upon its earning t1s,,l po wv =
| and then take 1t back from thelil Oh d
| different valuation. 90 4L;o. ond
| "Outside of the question OF eth1cs ana
| justice, you have questions OF cohsI 7a
| fional law to udy and on the whole
consider the suggestion of municipal
| ownership as highly ingenious and h1ghly
| interesting but the suggestion OF con
| stftutionaI convention to frame new
Constitution for the United States Is
| Somewhat remote. (Applause).
| NOW, is there any practical remedy
that this conference can Suggest tl 1L; can
be put in force tomorrow by any legisai 5t
| ture that happens to be in session MY
friends, it seems to me to be very, sim
pie matter. The fact is you would not not
o-yyi ,1J low n
rates to individuals-that is the, law to-
| day The remedy, then, is simply to de-
| fine a practical penalty-a serious one
| and then provide for publicity, and pro,
| vide the proper statute Of publicity, and
| YOU need not enforce the penalty. An Of
| ficer of a corporation granting special
favor to any person who mas rlght TO
use that possession on equal terms with
everybody else, ought to be held guilty of
a serious felony (applause)
| SECRECY BADGE OF FRAUD.
.'To all this, my friends, the remedy, 1
repeat, is publicity. statute which
would modify but slightly. if at all, the
existing laws of every state, would make
| this species of fraud impossible, and
while believe that it is possible that this
| conference may reach unanimous con-
spoken upon the subject-the professors
| of political economy from the colleges,
| the master of the national Grange-every
! person who has discussed the problem
| has agreed that publicity is the remedy
| for this species of corporate fraud and for
unfair and unjust determinations among
| those who are compelled to use them.
What objection can there be to it? Why
they tell you it is private business. Never
private business when you are, called
| upon to discharge a trust on behalf of
| those who are not always at your elbow
to see how that trust is discharged Zap
plause) No honest man ever yet, dis
| charging a duty for another, claims the
| cloak of secrecy. That is the badge of
| fraud (applause).
| mo corpora ion has right to secrecy
| in the discharge Of its duties. Whenever
| any person seeks to lure YOU UP a dark