Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-09-28
STEPHENS TALKS BACK.
Missouri's Governor Comes Back at
Gov. Shaw of Iowa for His
st. Louis TRADE.
He Defends His Speech Read Before
the ANTITRUST Conference of Cow
ern0rs and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Democrat He Couldn't Help
Talking Democratic.

attorneys general, SdlQ COF. STEPHENS,
''was,I think, a success in every respect.
| Twelve states were represented. The
representation was as good as was ex-
| pected. 1t is an extremely difficult
| matter to get so many governors and
attorneys general together as was
present upon this occasion. The gov
ernors general who responded preside
over the destinies of 100000 or more
persons. They have set in motion
forces which will sweep, within few
years, the trusts of America out of
| existence.
''Much good was done at the Chi
cago conference, but, unfortunately,
| no resolutions were adopted rejecting
the sentiment of the delegates-no de-
Gliding plan of future action was
agreed upon there. In this the Chica-
go conference make a mistake. The
| ST. Louis conference passed resolu-
lions representing the sentiments of
the governors and attorneys general
present on the momentous issue. They
will be sent to all the governors and
attorneys general and will be distribut-
ed widely throughout the United States,
and much good will result therefrom.
The proceedings of the conference will
be printed in full, and will be also
| widely distributed.
Offended Omcials.
"Gov. Savers of Texas suggested to
me two or three weeks ago, that I, as
governor of the state, prepare paper
to be submitted to the conference,
which I attempted to do. Gov. Shaw
| of Iowa and Atty.-Gen. Taylor of Indi-
ana affected to take offense at certain
| portions of my address, and, like ba-
bies at play, took their dolls and went
home. They were offended because
I said I was a democrat and differed
with Mr. Griggs; that ] believed the
federal government had ample and the
only power to effectually wipe out the
trusts and pools; and because / quot
ed also from Mr.. Bryan. They objected
also to that part of my address in
which I said the condition which con-
fronts us to-day finds deadly parallel
in the history of the early Roman re-
public, and my reference to expansion
paralyzed them-it was very ugly for
the governor of the great state of Mis-
souri, to make reference to anything
which was in any manner calculated
to disturb them. ] stated in my adj
dress that trusts and tramps were the
tandem team of imperialism; that
trusts, expansion and large armies
were the three inseparable insatiate
and inevitable forerunners of imperi-
alism; that these were the dangers
that confronted our country to-day.
They were deeply aggrieved at my in
cooperating in my address this quota
ton from a letter written by President
Lincoln in 1865:
81 see in the near future crisis ap-
preaching that unnerves me and causes
me to tremble for the safety of my
country As result of the war corpo-
rations have been enthroned, and an era
of corruption in high places will fol-
low, and the money power of the coun-
try will endeavor to prolong its reign
by working upon the prejudices of the
people until all wealth is aggregated in
few hands, and the republic is de-
stroyed. I feel at this moment more
anxiety for the safety of the country
than ever before, even in the midst of
the war;
ba919 Ok SE1tACASms
referring to this quotation of Mr..
Lincoln, I stated that we had, I be-
lieved, reached the crisis which I'M
nerved him and caused him to tremble
for the safety of his country; that we
felt the power of the corporations and
trusts and saw corruption in high
places, and found to-day one-half of
the wealth of the nation in the control
of 1000 men.
"These were the portions of my adj
dress at which the republican COVER
ney general of Indiana took offense.
ard which caused them to speak slight
ingly and sneeringly at me, and to fold
their tents and steal away.
ut is my opinion that these two gen.
tlemen came to this conference for the
purpose of preventing us from accom-
plishing anything if possible. They
came under instructions from Mark
Hanna. They soon saw, however,
the stuff that the governors and attor-
neys general of the west and south
were made out, of, and they left in dis
gust.
tions committee, the republican attor-
ney general of Indiana wanted to know
why committee on resolutions was
appointed-what necessity there was
for resolutions. He claimed that
all this speechmaking business was rot
and only for campaign purposes; that
he saw no necessity for speeches from
any of the governors or attorneys gen.
eral present. asked him if there was
to be no speechmaking, no resolutions
adopted, just what we were there for.
He did not attend many of the meet
ings of the resolutions committee.
Notwithstanding his opposition, every
representative present delivered adj
dresses and antitrust resolutions
were adopted.
"If one poor little governor, with a
little paper with a few references
therein to the evils of expansion, i'm
perialism, ETC., can bring about such
CONSERVATION in the ranks of the re-
pnAlicans, what will become of these
people later on when the air will be
full of cannon balls fired from the
demoeracy's breastworks? The repub-
licans claimed that they were sur
prised to find that they were in at
tendance upon a democratic meeting.
Republicans may make pretensions of
being opposed to trusts, but the ma
iorfty of them, in their hearts, are
not.
Democratic Talk.
There was not democrat present
ut the meeting who would not have