The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-16

Chicago, Sept. 15.-The exciting Joint
| debate looked for tonight between
| William ]. Bryan and Bourke Cochran
on trusts did not take place. Central
Music hall was packed with an eager
| audience, but the people present had to
content themselves without the oratory
| of the famous Nebraskan, who, how
| ever, occupied a seat on the platform
Mr.. Bryan reached Central Music hall
! early in the evening. He went direct
| to room upstairs, where he was
| greeted by Chairman Franklin Head,
| Congressman Gaines, Ralph NJ Easley,
members of the programme committee
| of the civic federation on trusts Mr.
Bryan surprised the committee by de-
| clining to speak at the night session
with W. Bourke Cochran, in accord
ance with the programme previously
arranged. Mr.. Bryan explained that he
did not wish to let the impression go
| out that he was to enter into debate
with Mr.. Cochran For that reason.
he said, he would not speak with Mr..
| Cochran at the same session. Mr. Cock
ran was sent for and ne and Mr.. Bryan
! discussed the situation. The commit
| tee withdrew to allow the two orators
| to settle the dispute among themselves.
| Mr.. Bryan asserted that he never said
he would follow Mr. Cochran with an
! address on the same evening. If the
! committee got that impression from
conversation he had with them over the
| long distance telephone Thursday he
said they misunderstood him. Mr. Cock
| ran wanted to talk at the same session
| with the noted Nebraskan and offered
to flip coin to determine who should
| have the privilege of delivering the
| closing address. Mr.. Bryan would not
! accept this proposition. Mr.. Cochran
then agreed to appear at any time the
i committee desired. The programme
/ was tonight changed to meet Mr..
! Bryan's wishes. Mr.. Bryan said he was
! anxious TO address the conference and
| repeated that his only reason for chang
! ing the programme was to avoid any
indication of a public debate with Mr..
Cochran. Mr. Bryan will speak at to-
| morrow S session.
AT the close of his speech the New
| Yorker won the hearts of his listeners
by paying William ]. Bryan a few well
| chosen compliments, which the demo-
| cratic leader blushinglE acknowledged.
| MIR. Cochran Hkened Mr.. Bryan to
monopoly and claimed he was a bigger
| monopoly as the leader of the demo-
cratic party than any financial corpo-
|
| for about two hours and when he con-
cluded cries for Mr.. Bryan came from
| all over the house. Finally Mr.. Bryan
arose and said that for the good of the
conference all partisan feeling should
be eliminated from the gathering, and
although he agreed with Mr.. Cochran
in many of his arguments, II was
necessary that his side of the contro-
| versy should be given tomorrow,
Though disappointed in falling to see
| such a spectacle as Bryan and Cochran
pitted against each other, the audience
| enjoyed a rare treat, as Mr.. Cochran
was at his best and his speech was
| punctuated with frequent and pro-
longed applause, When Mr.. Bryan made
| his appearance at the entrance it was
the signal for tumultuous cheering.
which lasted until the Nebraskan had
taken his seat on the speakers stand.
Mr. Foulke of Indiana, who was in the
| middle of an address when the out
| burst occurred put the audience in
| good humor by remarking:
Il guess you came here tonight to
| hear somebody else speak"
Mr. Foulke was followed by Edward
| Rosewater of Omaha, whose address
| received notably close attention from
| his hearers. The chairman then intro
| duced Hon. w. Bourke Cochran of New
| York.
Mr.. Cochran said, in part.
Bourke Cochran.
Il shall endeavor, for the purpose of
establishing an intelligent basis of dis
cussion, to define certain items over
which men have become moved to pas
sionate defamation. / shall define
prosperity as an abundance of COM
modities fairly distributed among those
who produce them.
I'VE must have commodities to dis
tridIltP before them
in the form of wages or of profits. If
this definition of prosperity be correct
| it is perfectly plain that there is no
reason why sensible man should grow
excited either at the approval or re-
sentiment at a combination merely as
| such. A combination may be good or
| bad, according to its effect. Any in
| dustrial situation which operates to
| swell the volume of production should
be commended; anything that operates
| to restrict it should be suppressed.
Now, whether any of these combina-
tions of capital or combinations of labor
operate to raise prices or reduce them is
a subject about which there is a wide
diversity of opinion. There are some
combinations which operate to reduce
prices and which operate to depreciate
them. Now. ladies and gentlemen, l
think it is a simple one, perfectly clear.
The test is to ascertain whether the
through government aid or without it,
for, my friends, you must see that any
industrial enterprise which dominates
the market without aid from the gov
ernment must do so through cheapen-
ing the product or as II is commonly
called, by underselling competitors. An
industry which at one and the same
time reduces and swelIs Its own profits
must accomplish that result by increas-
ing the volume of its production. on
the other hand, an industry which DOM
| mates the market by the favor of the
government. direct or indirect. cannot,
in the nature of things. be forced to
cheaper prices. because if it could dom
mate the market by underselling COM
petitors in an open field without favor,
1t would not need the government IA
vor, (Applause).
THE interference of the government
would be an injury and not a benefit
to 1t. An industry or combinati tion of
Il