The Forrest City times., 1899-09-29


protect the people against monopoiics.
"A. @. CHANDLER,
Governor of Georgia"
II regret very much that official APP
pointments prevent me from attending
convention. The attorney general is alb
sent from the state l am in cordial sym
the conference, and hope your delibera-
'iens may be fruitful of good r~sss:
MURPHY J. FOSTER,
Governor of Louisiana"
Atty.-Gen. Smith of Texas offered a
resolution, which he asked to be sent to
the committee on resolutions without de-
bate. IL was as follows:
Resolved, That we believe that all
combinations between individual partner
ships or corporations to regulate or to fix
the price OF any article of manufacture,
merchandise or commodity of any article
and anything whatever, Is unlawful and
will deprive the people of their funda-
mental rights to sell and buy in an open
market which should be regulated by
competition as 1t existed before the day
and formation of pools, trusts and COM
bines.
Second. That we favor both state and
national legislation prohibiting such COM
binatfohs and trusts, and in this confer
ence We emphasize the Importance of Sc
curing as nearly as possible uniform leg
islation in the several states on the SUBJ
Ject or the Incorporation of private cor
porations. and of doing business by CONT
" In other states than in those where
Incorporated, and particularly to the end
that combinations. pools and trusts shall
not be permitted to do business in any
state
on the request of the author of the reso-
luton, 1t was referred to the committee
on resolutions without debate.
Gov. stephens Paper.
Following this. Gov Stephens of Mis-
souri, read paper. He said III part:
Missouri brings glad tidings to her sis
ter states to-day. Trusts no longer hold
sway in her Jurisdiction. Ever since 1888
the MISSOURI Legislature has been nnldinp
a system of laws which should prove eff
helent TO stamp out pools, trusts and
conspiracies' Like all new laws. intend
ed to check and punish new effenses, the
first attempt proved defective, and Ii has
taken four acts, enacted by four different
sessions of the legislature. to evolve a
system able to inculcate a lesson to all
of those who scoff at all constitutions
and laws which stand In the way of their
concentrated wealth and selfish pur-
poses. The power of the state. the mai
esty of the law, and the rights of the
people have been indicated in Missouri.
am democrat, and differ with Mr.
Griggs. | believe the federal government
has ample and the only efficient power 20
so legislate as to effectively stamp out
all trusts and pools. This is self-demon-
strable. The United States and the sew
eral states, in this regard, are like the
human body. The states are the limbs,
the arteries and the veins. The national
government Is the trunk-the heart. If
disease strikes the body, the heart pumps
the DlOOu through the arteries
to the uppermost parts of the limbs. and
the whole system is affected and withers
Letting the diseased blood out of the
limbs will not cure the disease, for new
blood will be constantly pumped from the
heart The remedy must be applied to
the seat of the trouble. So with the trusts
They have diseased the whole body DO
litic. One state may lop off its diseased
limb, but 1t can not force a sister state to
do the same, nor, under the interstate
commerce laws of the United States, can
II stop the flow of the diseased blood from
the body aggregate.
las Mr.. Bryan said in his late Chicago
speech: When you prosecute a trust in
the United States court, 1t hides behind
state sovereignty; when you prosecute 1t
In the state court, it rushes to cover under
federal jurisdiction
Two remedies appear to me to be avail
able for the existing trust evils: First to
gress, and the state legislatures who will
enact suitable laws like the Missouri
statute. to break up, punish and prohibit
all trusts, pools and conspiracies; or, sec
ond, to abolish all corporations, and there
by emectually weed out all trusts.
THE remedy is heroic. but the disease is
acute and is fast becoming chronic, and
the trust cancer upon the body polite
must be cut out by the roots.'
At the afternoon session a telegram was
read from Gov. McLaurin of Mississippi.
saving that he had been unavoidably de-
tanned at home, and that any action taken
by the conference against trusts would
meet with his approval
After the committee on order of busi-
ness had reported, Mr.. Heffner, who rep
resented Washington on credentials from
the attorney general of that state, COM
menced calling on this one and that one
for speeches.
Gov. Thomas of Colorado.
Gov. Thomas of Colorado was the first
speaker. He said that, in his opinion a
discussion of the subjects of trusts. sucE
as was contemplated in the call for the
conference, would prove beneficial to the
public. He studied trust for Is years
and yet did not feel able to offer a remedy
that would destroy them. Trusts were not
new things. Combinations of capital be-.
gan 20 years ago in the consolidation of
transportation companies and gradually
evolved into the trusts of the day which
are but consultations of capital There
were but two questions to consider: First
Are trusts injurious? Second how to de-
stroy or control them.
The duty of those in public positions is
greater than ever. 1t is time to call a halt
on trusts, II halt can be called. believe
that the people have the power to save
themselves from the evil which threatens
their happiness and to engulf their gov
err ment. The government and the states
should unite.
Il hope that the question of dealing with
trusts may be kept out of politics, for, In
my opinion, that means speedy relief I'm
less II can be kept out of politics cooper
alton can not be secured. The whole oiles-
ton should be considered on the lofty
scale of American citizenship But If the
question can not be kept out of politics
then l hope the party that opposes this
great evil may win
GOV. shaw of Iowa.
Gov. Shaw of Iowa next spoke. He first
offered the following resolution which
was tabled when he ceased speaking:
THAT q committee consisting of the gov
ernor of Missouri. the governor of Ten
nessee and the attorney general of Texas
be appointed 20 draft and formulate a bill
such as. in their opinion. may safely and
advantageously be passed by the legisla-
lures of the several states, and which
will. in their opinion, as far as possible
remedy the evil so universally acknowl-
edged"
IN n sarcastic speech of Is minutes. he
attacked the speeches of Governors Saw
ers and stephens. and in particular sought
to ridicule Missouri's chief executive He
said that when he left home he did not
suppose that the conference would resolve
itself into a political convention: that i'm
his opinion II would be best for all con-
oerned If national issues We're formulated
in national conventions.
Gov. Jones of Arkansas.
Gov. Jones of Arkansas said ne did NOT
believe il was the intention of any ono
present to turn the conference into a no
litcal convention. The question OF deal
ing with trusts concerned repuhlicans
populists and democrats alike He could
not see how any man who loves his home
and his country could defend thaca o,a~a