Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-08-31
MR.. BRYAN AND THE TRUSTS.

Mr.. Bryan's remarks on public ques-
tions are very different from those of
the smooth gentleman in the White
House, who never has any opinions to
offer and never in his public utterances
deals in anything but the most intan-
gible generalities, while Mr.. Bryan rare
ly ventures an assertion that he does
not accompany with definite reasoning
and reinforce with solid fact For ex-
ample, In his attacks upon the trusts,
which will be with Imperialism one of
the most prominent issues of the COM
ing campaign, Mr.. Bryan does not deal
in mere wordy and glittering general
tiles, but gets right down to the marrow
Of the question and points out in his
opinion the best method of snppressing
the trusts by law. His plan is briefly
set forth in an interview at Upton, Mo-,
on August q, which we reproduce from
the New York World:
aff1niufre is no question but we can control
the trusts if we want to. The American
people can do anything. Now as to the
plan have suggested, the national licens-
ing of trusts, the idea is that the govern
ment should say that no corporation should
do business in any State in which it was
not Incorporated except under the license
issued by the Federal authorities. This IL
cense should be posted in the trusts plant
in a conspicuous place and kept there, and
it should be penitentiary offense for any
one to do business with a corporation not
having such license. The license should
be issued under such restrictions as would
make monopoly impossible. Organizations
should be prohibited from watering their
stock; the capital should be limited, and
they should be compelled to file statements
OF earnings, expenses, profits, etc. as a
railroad does. 1t would be such an easy
matter then to regulate the capitalization
and business that monopolization would be
impossible. The State cannot handle this.
We must strike at the root of theOhing
and make monopoly of anything an i'm
Possibility The Federal Government must
take up the question and bring it to a sue
cessfuI elimination"
As the World suggests this is an i'm
provement on Mr. Depews plan to sup
press the trusts in that it looks to the
protection of the people against op-
preston and extortion. while Mr.. De-
pew's scheme was for the protection OF
trusts stockholders only. Both gentle
men, however, rely on publicity as the
main remedy and call upon the national
government to enforce publicity. 'reM |
There is no question of the constitu-
tional power of the government to reg
illate trusts in this manner As our
New York contemporary says, "the reg
ulation of the railroads by the Inter
State Commerce Commission has estab-
lished an exact precedent for this, and
1t has also demonstrated something
of the practicability of such regulation.
AT present there is almost a complete
notification of the laws against indus
trial trusts and other monooolies be-
cause Mr. McKinley's Attorney General
holds that the States alone have power
over them, while the State officials plead
that they are vulnerable only to Fed
eral attack. Mr.. Bryan's plan would
afford an interesting experiment"
In the absence of something better
the American people will endorse Mr..
Bryan's plan and meanwhile they will
probably follow it up by putting Mr..