The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-09-19

Chicago, Sept. 16-William ]. Bryan
began his address on the subject of
monopolies this forenoon before the
national conference on trusts and COM
binations. Every seat in the building
was filled and dense crowds, unable to
gain admission, filled the entrances to
the hail. A rousing reception was given
toBryan
AGAINST MONOPOLY.
This morning Mr.. Bryan, before ad-
dressing the convention presented to
the resolutions committee resolutions
,denouncing trusts and monopoies The
committee decided last evening not to
report any resolutions to the confer
ence. Bryan will endeavor with the
support of the radical element to push
his through the conference Bryan
made no attempt to reply to specific
arguments OF Mr.. Cochran last night,
but devoted his time to the discussion
of the methods by which monopolies
could be destroyed. National control of
! combinations and the withdrawal of
special favors were among his propo-
| sails.
II am glad" said he, that I live in
a country where people can differ from
each other, differ honestly. express their
convictions widely, and yet respect each
other and acknowledge each others
rights. If L have had political friends
| 1t is because people believes with me in
certain ideas, or rather that l believe
with them in certain ideas. 1t is the
| idea that makes the man. (ApplauseO
l come this morning to discuss in your
presence a great question, question of
great Importance to American people.
Trusts have grown so rapidly that the
people now feel alarmed about them
who did not feel alarmed three years
ago. If q curse, what remedy can be
applied to the curse? / want to start
with the declaration that a monopoly in
lprivate hands is indefensible from any
standpoint, and intolerable. There can
be no good monopoly in private hands
until the Almighty sends angels to pre-
side over us. The defense of the mo-
nopoly is always based on the ground
that If you will allow the people to con-
troll the market and fix the prices they
will be higher. In the first place 1 deny
that after a monopoly the price will
be reduced. In the second place if
after the monopoly the price is reduced
the objection to a monopoly from other
standpOints far outweigh the financial
advantage that the trust would bring
Money is the purpose Of the trust or
monopoly. The first thing Is to lower
the price of raw material. The next
thing is after you have bought up all
the factories to close a part of them
and to turn out of employment the men
who are engaged in them. 1t means
that If the people employed in one fac
tory are not satisfied with the terms
fixed by the employees, the trust can
then close that factory and let the en-
lployes starVe, while they go on in other
factories without loss to the manufac-
t,1V.A 4 NNrI, hpn l., ,,f l,,I .l,.tr
is entirely in the hands of one great
monopoly that one will fix wages as
it pleases. A trust or monopoly can
lessen the cost of distribution, but
when it does so society has no assur-
ance that it will get any benefit from
that reduction.
when the trust is rid of competitors
what is going to be the result? We
must recognize selfshness and we must
so make our laws that people shall not
!be permitted to trespass upOT the rights
of others. Let me say that the p 'imary
cause of the monopoly is the love of
Imoney, but I believe that falling prices
caused by a raising dollar has con-
tributed to this desire and intensified it,
Another thing, to my Judgment, that
has aided monOpolies is the high tariff
Now some have suggested that to put
everything on the free list which the
trusts make would destroy the trusts.
I do not agree with this statement as
it is made so broadly. For if an article
can be produced in this country as
cheaply as it can be produced abroad
then the trust could exist without the
benefit of any tariff bill at all, though
1t could not eXtort so much as 1t could
with the tariff. We cannot destroy
Imonopolies until we lay the AK at The
root of the tree and make monCpolies
impossible by law. (Applause0
EFFORTS TO UNITE.
Chicago, Sept. 16.-The Record says
this morning that anti-imperialists
have a conference planned to open Oc-
tober 18th in this city which will intro
duce resolutions calling on William ].
Bryan to drop the free silver issue and
make anti-imperialism the leading
point in the Democratic platform for
1900. 1t is expected that the resolutions
will pledge the support of the anti-im-
perialist league, already formed in the
United States, to Bryan If he accepts
the proposal. Bourke Cochran is said
| to have expressed his approval of the
plan for national organization of per-
sons opposed to imperialistic doctrines
| His appearance in a body which prom
ises endorsement to Bryan is supposed
to foreshadow a return to the fod Of
gold Democrats and points to g. re-
united Democratic party on a straight
anti-imperialistic platform.
|