The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-09-20
Trust COnferen ce.

CHICAGO, Sept. 14-The civic feder.
alton conference, which opened in Cen.
trail Music Hall to-day, was attended by
about two hundred delegates. 1t is
not expected that many of national
reputation will attend. The west
northwest and southwest are repre-.
| scented in force. 1t is already evident
that the Democrats are out for cam
paign material and hope to get it from
the deliberations of the conference.
The conference became involved in a
squabble at the start which was more
ludicrous than serious in some of its
aspects.
Dudley Wooten, q Texas delegate,
stirred up enthusiasm of camp-meet-
ing variety as he made bitter arraign-
ment of trusts. He said in part
"Accepting in good faith that amend
ment which the heroic legions of the
South resisted unto death upon thous.
and ttlefields, we believe that mel
Their slavery nor involuntary servitude,
except as punishment for crime, shall
exist within the United States or any
place subject to their jurisdiction.
And we confidently assert that the
being rapidly imposed upon the toll
and talents of 10000, 900 American Cit
liens by the syndicated wealth of few
great corporate monopolies is more
dire and dangerous than the slavery
which bowed the heads and burdened
The backs of 100000 Southern black
men. When we are told that CONNER
cial combination promises golden re-
wards to the present tendencies of our
economic system we remember that
no republic has ever survived the
mercenary despotism of merchants and
money changers"
Governor Atkinson of West Virginia
sai6: "Some sorts of combines are,
think, economic necessities which
grow out of our complex civilization as
a nation. The great manufacturing
establishments of the world, covering
all branches of industry, had very small
beginnings; and we, in large measure,
owe the progress we have made to men
of means who combined or united into
what we call corporations to make this
advancement possible. But there is a
vast difference between a corporation
and trust. say that every citizen of
q country who possesses ordinary COM
mon sense should be favorable to cor
porations. Nevertheless, we have
thousands and tens of thousands who
seem to hate corporations and fight
them on every hand, Notwithstanding
the fact that they secure from them
reasonable compensation for their toll,
and by means of which they secure the
necessary means with which they sup
port their families and those dependent
upon them. With this class of people
l have no sort of sympathy. l wish TO
be written down as friend and hacker
of corporations, because no State can
be developed without them, and there
can be no growth and development if
they are inhibited by law or are not
supported by the people,"
William Fortune, president of the
Indiana State Board Of Commerce,
made an earnest plea for conservative
procedure as more hopeful court G
than the application of revolutionary or
too radical measures to an evolutionary
problem. He suggested the danger
capital might bring TO itself by heed
less abuse of it's power, and indicated
the importance to il of seeking proper
regulations which would make trust
methods acceptable rather than obnox
ious to the people, by whose permits
sion and federation only could their ex-
| istence continue.