The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1899-09-22
THE TRUST CONFERENCE.
Col. William ]. Bryan the Magnet
of Attraction at Saturdays
Session in Chicago.
HIS VIEWS ON TRUSTS AND MoNopolIEs.
The People Brought Face to Face
with the Question, Ii the Trust a
Blcssing Or Curse.-If Curse.
What Remedy Can be Applied to
Eradicate the EVIL.


Eradicate the EVIL.
Chicago, Sept. 16.--The Civic Fedora
ton Trust conference at Central mu-
sic hall was addressed by Col. w. j.
Bryan. The hall was packed in an
ticipation of Col. Bryan's reply to
w. Bourke Cochran on the trust ques-
ton.
1t was reported that Col. Bryan had
a set of resolutions to present, pre-
sumably antagonistic to truts as they
now exist. He, however, denied this,
saying: Il have none prepared, and |
am not sure whether l have time to
prepare any for presentation"
The speaker was introduced by Gov.
Stanley Of Kansas, who acted as chair
man of the opening session.
Col. Bryan spoke in part as fol-
lows:
Mr.. Bryan's speech.
1.-THE trust question has grown in i'm
portance. Within the past two years
more trusts have been organized, when
we come to consider the Capitalization
ana the magnitude Of the interests in.
previous history of the country. and the
people now come face TO face with this
question: Is the trust blessing or a
curse? If curse, what remedy can be ap-
piled TO the curse? | want to start with
the declaration that monopoly in private
hands Is indefensible frcm any stand
point and intolerable. Cne trust may be
less harmful than another. One trust
magnate may be more benevolent than
another; but there is no good monopoly
In private hands, and / dolnot believe IL
group of men TO monopolize any article
OF merchandise or my branch of bust
ness.
The Defense of Monopoly.
THE defense of the monopoly is always
placed on the ground that If you will al.
low people to control the market, and fix
the price, they will be good to the people
who purchase of them. The entire de-
tense OF the trusts rests upon money
argument. If the trust vii! sell to a man
an article for dollar les; than the arti
Gle will cost under other conditions, them
In the opinion of some, that proves a trust
TO be a good thing In the first place. I
will be reduced In tie second place, IL
under monopoly the price is reduced
the objections to monopoly from other
standpoints far outweigh che financial ad-
vantage that the trust would bring
Lincoln's Warming.
I'm the early years Of Lincoln's admins.
trat1on he sent Message to congress-
and in that message he warned his coun-
trymen against the approach of monarchy
he said 1t was the attempt to put capital
upon an equal footing with, IL not above
labor in the structure oe government ami
In that attempt he saw the approach OF
monarchy. Lincoln was right Whenever,
you put capital upon an equal footing
with labor. or above labor, in the struc-
ture OF government, you are on the road
TO aid government that rests not upon
reason but upon force.
Nothing is more iinpo ttant than that
we shall, in the beginning rightly UNDER
stand the relation between money AMI
man.
The Purpose of Trusts.
What is the purpose of the trusts or
the monopoly? For when / use the word
trust, | use il In the sense that the trust
means monopoly, and what Is the purpose
OF monopoly?
to lower the price OF the raw material
furnished by the people to the combina-
ti6n.
The next thing is. that after you have
bought up all the factories, to close a part
of them, and turn out OF employment the
mer who are engaged in them, and, IL
you will go about over the country you
will see where those enterprises, having
come under the control of the trusts. hAys
been closed up, and stand now as silent
monuments to the wisdom of the trust
system. In case of local strikes and fires,
the work goes on elsewhere, thus prevent
ing serious loss. What does IL mean? "
means that ii the people employed in one
factory are not satisfied with the terms
hxed by the employer, and strike, they
can close down that factory. and let the
employees starve while they go on in
other factories without loss to the manu-
facturers.
Some of the Effects.
"When a branch Of industry Is entirely In
the hands OF one great monopoly. so that
every skilled man in that industry has to
60 to one man for employment then that
one man will fix wages as he pleases and
the laboring men will then share the suf
fering of the man who sells the raw ma
terial.
"Whetn the monopoly has absolute con-
tro', brains Will be at a discount and rel
atives will be necessary to .ill these posi-
tions. There is no question about It. A
trust, monopoly, can lessen the cost of
distribution.
In the Hands of One Man.
There will be no need for commercial
travellers. because when anybody wants
goods all he has to do IS to write to the
one man who has them for sale, and say:
What will you let me have IT for to-day p
He can not only fix the price of what
he sells. but he can dix the terms upon
which he sells. You have to trust to that
mans generosity and his decision upon
what is fair when he Is on one side and
you on the other
What Is the first thing to be expected
OF trust? That 1t Will cut down ex-
penses. What Is the second? That Ii will
raise prices. We nave not had in this
country yet taste of a complete trust a
complete monopoly, and we can not tell
what will be the result of an attempt "a
secure complete monopoly. because In
the attempt 10 secure q monopoly the
monopoly has been lowering prices in or
der To rid itself of competitors; but when
II has rid itself of competitors what is go-
ing to be the result?
Human Nature.
MY friends. all of you have TO know IS
human nature. God i1ade men selfish.
Seifishness is merely the outgrowth of an
instinct of self preservation. Ii Is the alb
normal development Of mans desire ~
protect himself. We must recognize sell
fishness, and We must SO make our laws
that people shall not be permitted to tres.
pass upon the rights OF others in their
Efforts TO secure advantages for them
selves. j believe that society Is interested
In the independence of every citizen. So
city is interested I'm this because IL a man
dies and leaves no provisions for his wife
and children. tbs burden falls upon So
eiety.