The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1899-09-20
DELEGATES CONSIDER THE TRUST.
PROMINENT SPEAKERS.
Bourke Cochran Favors Combinations Tor
Good-labor Leader Declares That
Ms Union Is Not Trust.

Prominent delegates from each state
and representatives from different or
ganizntions are now In session at Chi
cago considering the trust problem.
| The speeches are arousing great in
terest and viii have considerable bear
ing on coming campaign issues.
| Clarke of Columbia university, at
Saturdays session of the trust confer
| ence, furnished the remedy for trust
oppression In the suggestion that trusts
| or combinations be compelled to sell
| an buyers at same price. thus prevent
ing the familiar practice of killing
| competition by undersellng IL cumpeti-
| tor In n limited area.
Mr.. Bourlte Cochran declared the
| speeches before the conference for the
past three days convinced him the OBJ
| Iect of the gathering Is an honest search
| for truth.
| AS I listen," said he, 4" to the CON
! ceptions OF economic law, which mark
| every address delivered by representa-
| ives OF organized labor I become con-
WINGED that the laborers who spoke to
| us understood these laws much better
than their employers. indeed, | believe
| that some recent events In our history
would have been impossible II both
| SIDES OF these labor controversies un-
derstood the economic laws governing
the relations of producers to consumers
as Wen as one side showed that II un-
dertood them this very day.
"a combinations" proceeded Mr..
Cochran. may be good or bad. accord
ing TO its effect. For instance, n com
| blnation for prayer IL n church All
good men would subscribe to the sue
cess OF II. Haughter) A combination
ior burglary is conspiracy. All good
men would call out the police TO pre-
vent IT, uaughter) Any industrial
system which operates to swell the vol
uihe or production should be com
mended; anything that operates to re-
| strict II should be suppressed.
An industry or combination OF cap-
ltal or anything you may choose to
call II that dominates n market through
restricted competition that delivers
the consumer to II on its own terms
necessarily depends upon narrow
output and large profits, extorted, not
from the excellency or It's service, but
from the helplessness of those with
whom II deals"
w. j. Bryan made his speech before
the trust convention on Saturday.
Mr.. Bryan's main proposition was
that congress- should by law license and
regulate corporations that desired TO
do business outside the state that Gre
ated them. He summed up thus:
fltst-That the state should have
the right to create whatever private
corporations the people of the state
think best.
"Second-That the state has or should
nave the right to impose such limita-
tions upon an outside corporation as
the people of the state may think neces-
sary for their own protection. That
protects the right OF the people to say,
first. what they shall organize In their
state as corporation. and. second,
what they shall permit as n corporation
10 come from other states who do busi-
ness In their state.
"Thrd-That the federal govern
ment has. or should have the right to
impose such restrictions as congress
may think necessary upon any corpora
tion which does business outside OF the
state In which II Is organized.
Now. / am not sure the remedy 1
propose Is unconstitutional | am not
sure that the Constitution would prohi-
DIT such an act of congress as | sug-
gest. suppose congress should say that
whenever a corporation wanted to do
buiness outside OF the state IL mus; ap-
ply to and receive from somebody Gre
ated by congress for the purpose,
license to do business. Suppose the
law should provide free commissions
upon which the license should be Is
sued:
First that the evidence shall show
that there Is no water In the stock
Second, that the evidence should
show that this corporation has not in
the past. and Is not attempting now, to
monopolize any branch of industry, or
branch OF any article of merchandise
and
Third, providing for that publicity
which everybody has spoken of, and
about which everybody agrees. Sup
pose such law would be unconsti-
tutional?"
John w. Hays, secretary of the X.
of L., maintained that the great combi-
nations are an assault on the inherent
and constitutional righs of the citizen;
that the real and vital advantage to be
gained Is despotic control over labor.
THE methods of the trusts are the
methods OF the invader. They are the
enemies OF society, and as such should
be destroyed. The trust being an ag-
gressive combination for purely selfish
objects, attacks the Individual, and by
overthrowing his mutual rights seiZes
upon his field of opportunity and pro-
duction. This field having been con-
quered and the trust strengthened in
its financial power. the aggressive spir-
1t of selfish greed looks for conquests in
allied fields, which are soon invaded
and monopolized, or other combina-
tions, seeing the success of the first at
tempt, enter upon the same campaign
Of conquest. Soon the individual Is
overwhelmed and every field OF pro-
duction Is monopolzed by trust"
The trust conference at Chicago end
ed with addresses by w. J. Bryan and
w. Bourke Cochran last Saturday.