Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1899-10-20
BRYAN ON M0NOPOL 7
His Address Before the Trust Con.
ference at centraI5Music i
Hall, Chicago 8
SAYS MONOPOLY OHEAPENsBR AIMS,

Declares That All Monopol1es Are Evil
Would Place the Rights of Man Before
the Rights of Money-Every Unjust Law
Is a Form Of Larceny, and All Toilers
Are Inseparably Related.
In addressing the conference on
trusts at Central Music Hall, Chicago,
Col. William J. Bryan spoke as fol-
lows:
''Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle.
men: l come this morning to discuss
in your presence a great question:
question Of growing Importance to the
American people. The trust principle
Is not new principle, but the trust
principle is manifesting itself in so
many ways and the trusts have grown
so rapidly that people now fee!
alarmed about truS It's who did not feel
alarmed three years ago.. The trust
question has grown III Importance, be-
cause within two years more trusts
have been organized, when we come to
consider the capitalization and the
magnitude Of the interests involved,
tban We're organized in all the previous
history of the country, and the people
row come face to face with the Qnes-
IT curse. what remedy can be ap-
piled to the curse?
Il want to start with the declaration
that monopoly in private hands is in
defensible from any standpoint and in
tolerable. l make no exceptions to
the rule. l do not divide monopolies
IN private hands into good monopolies
ana bad molopOlies. There is no good
monopoly in private hands. There can
be no good monopoly in private hands
until the Almighty sends us angels to
preside over us. There may be- a des-
pot WHO is better than another despot,
out there is no good despotism. One
trust may be less harmful than an
other. One trust magnate may be
more benevolent than another, but
there is no good monopoly in private
hands, and do not believe it is safe
Tor society to permit any man or gorup
or men to monopolize any article of
merchandise or any branch of bust
ness.
; Objects to Monopoly.
IF the trust will sell 10 n?cn an
article for dollar less tl:ln th*4 :lrtrl:.
will cost under other conditions. then
III the opinion Of some that proves tie
trust to be a good thing. In the first
place l deny that under a monopoly
the price will be reduced. In the sec
ond place, if under a monopoly the
price is reduced the objections to a
monopoly from other standpOints far
outweigh the financial advantage that
the trust would bring. But l protest
in the beginning against settling every
question upon the dollar argument.
'1n 1869 Abraham Lincoln wrote
letter to some people in Boston and in
the course of the letter he said: 'rhe
Republican party believes in the man
and the dollar. but in case of conflict it
believes in the man before the dollar
In the early years Of his administra-
ton he sent message to congress,
and in that message he warned his
countrNmen against the approach of
monarchy. And what was it that
alarmed him? He said it was the at
tempt to put capital upon an equal
foting with, if not above, labor in the
structure of government, and in that
attempt to put capital even upon an
equal footing with labor in the struc-
tnre of government he saw the ap-
proach of monarchy. Lincoln was
right. Whenever you put capital upon
an equal footing with labor or above
labor. in the structure of government
you are on the road to aid a govern
mont that rests not upon reason but
upon force
"M2n is the creature Of God and
money is the creature of man. Money
IS made TO be the servant of man
and protSt against all theories that
and protest against all theories that
enthrone money and debase man.
Trusts Get the fcIicfit,
But | want now to read to Won 2
few Of the advantages to be derived w..
the trusts from the trust system. frorI,
speech made by Charles r. Fli,t n
Boston on tn" 10Th day Of May !::s7.
before an audience OF bankers: '..}",::.
material bought IN large quantities is
secured at lower prices.' Tint is; t;l..
hrst advantage. One 1,i:irt tu l,uy WOO,
for all the Woolen manufacturers
That means that every man v1:c Sails
wool must sell it at the price liked ~
this one purchaser in the UnitedS;2,e;.
The first thing is to lower the price CT
raw material. The great majority of
the people are engaged in the produc-
ton OF raw material and in the DUR;
chase of finished products. It is but
Coulpdldtl\eIN lew VINO can stand at
the head of syndicates and monopolies
and secure the profits from them.
Therefore. the first advantage of a mo-
nopoly is to lower the. price of raw ma
terial furnished by the people to that
combination. Those plants which are
best equipped and most advantageous
~ situated are run continuously and in
preference to those less favored.
''The next thing is, after you have
bought all the factories, to" close some
of them and turn out of employment
the men who are engaged in them
and if you will go about over the
country YOU will see where people have
subscribed money to establish enter
prises, having come under the control
OF the trusts, have been closed and
stand now as silent monuments to the
wisdom OF the trust system
Monopoly Cheapens Brains.
"'There is no multiplication is the
Dext statement, Of the means of dis.
hibution and better force of sales.
men takes the place of a large MN.
ber.' l want to warn you that when
the monopoly has absolute control
brains will he at a discount Qua ~