Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-18
Answers the Recent Argument
of Bourke Cochran.
Denies That the Trusts Have in Any
Way Lowered Prices.
Urges Wage Farmers 10 Resist Oppression but
Unite With Farmers.

Saturday night. was packed from pit
to gallery, when William j. Bryan de-
livered his reply to w. Bourke Cock
ran on the trust question.
1t was reported that Mr.. Bryan had
a get of resolutions up his sleeve pre-
sumably antagonistic to trusts as they
now exist But the Nebraskan denied
this when seen by reporter. Il have
none prepared" said he. and | am not
sure whether | shall prepare any for
presentation
Mr. Bryan was introduced by Gov.
Stanley of Kansas, who acted as chair
man of the opening session. Wild APP
plause greeted the Nebraskan. w.
Bourke Cochran listened intently, and
Joined frequently in the applause. Mr..
Bryan spoke in part, as follows:
within TWO years more trusts have
been organized than in the previous
history of the country, and the people
now come face to face to this ques-
ton: Is the trust a blessing or a curse?
If a curse, what remedy can be ap-
piled to the curse?
Monopoly in private hands is indie
feasible from any standpoint and in
tolerable. | do not divide monopolies
There can be no good mnopoly in prl-
vate hands until the Almighty sends us
angels to preside over US.
There may be a despot who is bet
ter than another despot but there is
no good despotism. The defence of the
monopoly is always placed on the
ground that if you will allow people to
control the market and fix the price
they will be good to the people who
purchase of them.
1.-The entire defence of trusts rests
upon money argument.
IF trust will sell an article for 81 less
than the article will cost under other
conditions, then in the opinion of some
that proves trust to be a good thing.
I'm the first place / deny that under
a monopoly the price will be reduced.
In the second place. if under monop-
oily the price is reduced. the objections
to a monopoly from other standpoints
far outweighs the financial advantage
that the trust would bring.
But 1 protest against settling every
question upon the dollar argument.
In the early years of Lincoln'S adj
ministration he sent a message to Con-
gress. warning his countrymen against
the approach of anarchy. He said he
saw in the attempt to put capital even
upon AN equal footing with labor IN
the structure of government the ap-
proach of monarchy.
Lincoln was right. Whenever you
nut capital upon an equal footing with
labor. or above labor. in the structure
Of government. you are on the road to
aid q government that rests not upon
reason but upon force.
Nothing is more important than that
we shall, in the beginning, rightly IN
derstand the relation between money
and man.
MAN is the creature of God and
money is the servant of man, and |
protest against all theories that en-
throne money and debase mankind.
""If you will go about over the coun-
try you will see where people have sub
scribe money to establish enterprises
and where those enterprises. having
come under the control of the trusts.
have been closed up and stand now as
silent monuments to the wisdom of the
trust system. In case of local strikes
and fires, the work goes on elsewhere,
thus preventing serious loss.
when branch of industry is entire
" in the hands of one great monopoly
so that every skilled man in that in
dustry has to go to the man for en-
Dloylnent, than that one man will fix
wages as he pleases and the laborlne
man will then share the suffering OF
the man who sells the raw material.
II want to warn you that when mo-
nopoIy has absolute control. brains VIII
be at discount. We have not had
vet a taste of a complete trust. But
when the trust has rid itself of all com
petitors what is going to be the result
NV friends. all you have to know i:
human nature God made men selfish
ION the farm we used to protec
property from the hogs by puttint
rings in their noses. Why? So tina
while they were getting fat. the!
would not destroy more than they wer'
worth.
"One of the great purposes OF gov
erGment Is to put rings IN the noses
hogs If l were going to try TO hn'
the root of the monopoly evil l woul'
80 back to the Bible for an eXplana
ton, and would find it in the decla
ration that the love of money is tn
root of all evil.
Falling prices, caused by fish,
dollar, and the high tariff have con
tributed the desire to secure the frult
of monopoly.
Some have suggested that to pu
everything on the free list that trust
make would destroy the trusts But
do not believe that you could destro
all trusts by putting all trust made ar
ticIes on the free list. because If a
article can be produced in this countr
as cheap as it can be produced abroa
then the trust could exist without IN
benefit of any tariff at all, although
could not eXtort so much.
DETERMINATION by railroads has aic
ed trusts. That can be remedied b
laws which will place producers o
equal footing. But the remedy mu:
be complete enough to prevent the OF
sanitation of a monopoly. We diffe
more in remedy than we do in OF
opinion of the trust
Few people will defend the trust g
principle. AS to the remedy. bot
state and nation should have concur
rent remedies
In the first place every state has
should have, the right to create ar
private corporation which. in the ju
ticeH OF the people of the state, is col
ducive to the welfare of the people
that state. I believe that we can SAT
~ htrust to the people of state Il
settlement of uuacfio,, u,biob no,