Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-09-21
COCHRAN TALKS OF TRUSTS.
Immense Audience Listens to the
New York Orator.
PUBLICITY TO CURE THE ILL.
He Urges the Abrogation OF Franchises
and Special Prlvileges-William Jen-
nings Bryan Will Address the Confer
ence Today-Speakers Yesterday.

eral question or industrial com Dina
ton, and so skillfully were his remarks
adapted to his hearers that every out
burst provoked by him was one of en-
thusiastic applause. On the same plat
nings Bryan of Nebraska, and in the
midst of his speech the New York man
paid such a tribute to his reputed OPP
ponent in the conference that the audi
ence for several minutes gave itself up
to cheering.
At the conclusion of Cockran's ad-
dress Bryan was called for and re-
sponded briefly. He said that he had
had a meeting with Cochran and the
managers of the conference upon his
arrival in Chicago and that it had
been decided, in order that the ap-
pearance of joint debate might be
avoided that he should not speak until
today.
Cochran argued that a statute re-
quiring complete publicity as to the af-
fairs Of the great corporations would
be sufficient to abolish their evils fIa
ernmental favor to individuals or COM
kinations and demanded free sway for
the principle of competition. He held
that strikes were a grave menace to
the country and that they might be
prevented by permitting action TO lie
against every corporation employing
labor if a strike took place among its
-
or any one whom they chose to repre-
sent them looking to a settlement II
the trouble
No use of the word trust" occurred
in CoCkran's speech, except where he
paused to say that the term once had
perfectly respectable significance, but
of late had fallen into disrepute zap,
parently because Of its association WITH
InilliOnaires. He said he refused tc
be alarmed by the word Socialism" OF
any other expression or image tina,
might be conjured. He declared tina
every serious discussion must be at
tended by some vague, sonorOus anc
meaningless phrases and that
cloud of passionate defamation" dl
rected against a situation was likely
''to obscure its outlines and often mag
Nifty its dimensions"
In his reference to corporations thai
enjoy governmental favor in any form
the speaker said that when he wanted
to denounce them he "envied Texas hel
breezy rhetoric" He declared that the
story Of the management of corpora
lions afforded the blacklist page in al
our history" and that public wrath be.
cause OF the crimes Of dishonest RAN.
ayers was visited upon the stockhold.
eTs in corporations and upon corpora.
tons themselves. Worst of all, he said
the men who committed the swindleS
and robberies in this connection "helG
their heads high in the world of re.
spectacle finance"
1t was admitted by Cochran that
some men might be thrown out of EN-,
ployment or transferred to other en-.
Payments by industrial combination.
out he said that the march of progress
could not be suspended on their ac-
count. We would better pension
IL,
And he added, until the pension of.
flee was opened I hardly think many OF
such men would materialize."
The complimentary reference to Bry-
an came while the speaker was illus
trating the difference between free and
restricted competition. He said that
in the convention in Chicago three
years ago young man sprang into
leadership in his party because of the
operation of the principle of free COM
petition. He declared that if the man
ayers had their way-that is, il there
had been restricted Competition-that
young man could not have got on the
platform. LAS it was" he averred,
the convention nominated man best
equipped to represent it in every fiber
Of its thought and feeling"
At the conclusion of Cockrans ad-
dress there was wild scene of enthusi-
asm, lasting until the orator had re-
peatedly bowed to the people.
Single-taxers, socialists, laboring
men, avowed antitrust organizations
and conservatives on the trust ques-
ton had a voice in the morning and
afternoon sessions Friday. There were
no Interruptions of speakers that
amounted to anything, and there was
what delegate called "a remarkably
catholic distribution of applause"
However, it was noticeable that every
demand for rigid trust regulation and
public ownership of public utilities
was Endorsed with peculiar vigor and
Spontaneity.
At the morning session Friday Louis
F. Post of the Single-Tax league de-
.ivered an address, Thomas J. Morgan
spoke on THE Trust from the Social
lists Point of View" John w. Hayes,
secretary of the Knights of Labor:
Henry White, general secretary Of the
United Garment Workers of America;
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor, and NJ.
NJ. Garland, ex-president of the Anal
gamated Association of Iron and Steel
Workers, delivered addresses, giving
labor's side of the trust problem.
In the afternoon David Ross of the
Illinois bureau of labor statistics and
M. L. Lockwood of the Antitrust
league delivered addresses. Edward
Keasbey spoke on New Jersey and
Trusts" Prof. Bemis outlined his
views, after which Prof. John B. Clarl
OF Columbia spoke.
The evening was occupied by an ad
dress by William Dudley Foulke Of In
diana, who was followed by Edward