The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-10-06
BOURKE COCHRAN
Extracts From His Reply
to w ]. Bryan.
Corporations Cont, oil the Elections
and How They Themselves May
be Controiied by Congress-.


among the members of the convention
which considered the subject of trusts,
Mr.. Bourke Cochran of New York
made an eloquent speech In reply to |
Colonel Bryan. 1t is reported that he |
brought the audience to it's feet with |
given of this speech:
THE American people are entitled !
to the best system on every subject |
/ do not believe it necessary for us to
sit down quietly and permit great
aggregation of wealth to strangle ev-
cry competitor. / do not believe that
| it is in accordance with our dignity as
a people, or in accordance with the
rights of the people, to say. because a
| great corporation is organized that
| therefore it should be permitted to go
into the field of a new corporation. I'M
dersell it until it bankrupts II, raising
the money by higher prices somewhere
else. / don't think IL is necessary for
us to do that. / have only suggested
a plan. II may not be the best plan.
L
it. If there is any amendment that you
can think OF that will improve IL. sug-
gest it. l am anxious to accept any
thing"
Let me suggest one other thing
that / believe will be n step in the
right direction. The great trouble has
been that while our platforms de-
nounced corporations, corporations
control the elections and place under
obligations to them the men who are
elected to enforce the law. Applause
Let me propose a remedy-not a rem
edy, but step, / think in the right
direction. Let the laws, State and Ma
tional make Ii a penal offense for any
corporation to contribute to the cam
paign fund of any political party.
Continued cheers and applause Ne
braska has such a law passed two
years ago. Tennessee has such a law
passed two years ago. Such n law was
passed, or was introduced. in the State
of New York, but so far IL has not
J reached the stage of actual law in the
State of New York" tApplause.l
You remember the testimony Ia
7 ken before a Senate committee a few
years ago, when the head OF the Sugar
Trust testified that the Sugar Trust
made IL it's business to- contribute 10
campaign funds, and when asked 10
which one 1t contributed replied that
il depended upon circumstances.
ITO which fund do you contribute
in Massachusetts, was asked.
, To the Republican fund
ITO which fund in New York; TIC
the Democratic fund To which fund
in New Jersey?' and the man said
Well, will have to look at the books
That is a doubtful State"
IF there be monopoly that op-
presses, l believe that there is no con-
, stitutional limitation. there Is no pro-
: vision of government, there Is nc
power on earth against these people
redressing a wrong when IL becomes
a wrong. The question to which
think the attention of these confer
ences should be directed is whether
7 this one exists. and where IL Is.
II said yesterday that we have beer
| suffering through every portion o
this discussion from that dangerous In
toxication of phrases which seem to b,
sufficient to sustain magnificent pc
RODS, and when all Is over, none OF u:
quite know what we have been talk
ing about. This was in allusion e
SpttCA.I
Now who is hurt and where Ia!
this octopus got possession OF some
body? On whom is 1t acting? Wher'
is its lair? / am free to- confess tina
when you call an aggregation OF CAPT
tai, a combination, a hydra-heade'
monster, an octopus, IL doesn't cas-
any light upon Ii that illumines m,
pathway. / can understand how tn
use OF these phrases can have some ef
feet. as nothing frightens people $
. much as incomprehensible noises
Laughter and applause1. Let nois
be heard here now that none OF u
understand and we will all be goin
out of the window" tApplause.l
Now men can be put to intellectua
|. and physical flight by the terrifyin
noises of sound. What IS that W
hear? Are not we doing pretty well
Well. we have had here representa-
tives OF labor organizations who hav
been telling US that wages are highs
today than they ever have been. CeI
tainly they do not seem to suffer. W
are told that IL Is not the dollar ths
we want, but we want the man. Wei
= what is the purpose OF the dollar eS
~ cept to improve the condition OF IN
- man.?
1t may not commend itself TO yo'
If you have something better / sha
accept it in place OF this which / al
about to suggest. But the method ths
- occurs to me Is this:
That Congress should pass a la
providing that no corporation organ
lied in any State should do busine:
outside of the State In which IL Is OF
X ganized until IL receives from SON
IS, power created by Congress a licen:
w authorizing ii TO do business outside {
IS, its own State. GApplause.1 Now
ID the corporation must come to this bod
I'd created by Congress to secure permi.
| sion 10 do business outside the Stat