The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1899-03-07

having an aggregation Of wealth be-
hind them. The result OF 1t Is that
few men can control prices of all arti-
cles produced in the United States or
manufactured in the United States (;
they can regulate the sale of them,
they can make the price one thing tc-
day aud another thing tomorrow,
and If one of you undertakes to go in
business in competition with them
they can come next door to you and
sell for half what you sell for, until
they break you up and run you out Of
the business. They are doing this all
over the country; the retail stores are
being driven out OF the land, that
those who are the masters and have
their own shops and clerks are being
driven out, and those who are masters
are being made servants. The result
OF it is that the labor and industry of
the country instead of being preserved
to whom it belongs by inheritance
and by right, is being made the prop
erty of The organized wealth OF the
United States, and say to you that 1t
ie true in the light of the history of
trusts In the United States in the last
few years that the organized money
power of this country has become a
public enemy and ought to be treated
as such; I say that it ought not only
to be prosecuted, but it ought to be
destroyed.
"The danger of the thing is that
these trusts would not exist in the
United States were it not for the fact
that parts of the public Administra.
ton have been corruptly diverted tc
stand behind them and protect them
If the laws of the United States were
administered as they are made nc
trusts could exist in this country; bu'
the danger is that some of the execu'
tive aud legislative departments have
been corruptly diverted in a position
favorable to them, and, instead o.
crushing them out Of existence, arr
undertaking to support and maintain
them; and it comes to the Courts ant
the Courts alone for their destruction
, and it must be by grand juries in tn
Courts throughout this country tina
trusts are to be destroyed, if they cal
be destroyed at all.
"We have these trusts in Kentol
, county. There is an insurance comb
3 nation in this county--indictment
3 were returned by the last grand jury
1t is the duty OF the grand jury to ex
/. anime into this matter, and II satisfied
Q from the evidence that an illegal com
D bination exists under this statute thel
D it is your duty to find indictments
a and / hope when the trial juries com
: to dispose of the matter that they G
n further and inflict jail sentences a
! well as fines. hope and believe tn
q next Legislature of Kentucky wi
t make the commission of these acts
a felony, in order that the doors of th
0 penitentiary may be opened to receiv
f the men who are guilty of these CON
. binations. 1t say it is your duty
indict these people if they are Ell
gagged in that business. In Frankfol
81 of them were indicted and fined
number of individuals, agents, wei
tried. and one man on a jury of
saved them from going to Jail.
Georgetown the other day they tri0
40 odd of these companies who ha
! entered into this illegal, unjust an
oppressive insurance rate, TO max
/ YOU pay more insurance than yo
ought to pay, for their benefit,
! other words, sYstemalized robber
, and there they werelfined by the pet
jury, and probably will continue to
: fined until they abandon it. The pu
e pose of it is that those in certain bus
! ness will fix certain prices, and yo
, can't get it unless you pay that pric
and that thing exists in Covingtc
: and Kenton county to-day, just as
II does at Georgetown and Franktol
I and 1t devolves upon the grand jun
!. OF this county to say that it doesr
.. exist any longer.
: "If the grand jury finds that Il
), brewers in this CITY and county a
u under contract or agreement tn
!. comes within thesterms of this statut
then it is your duty 10 return indie
Z ments against them. My opinion
= that one or two jail sentences will