The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-17

It's SesSioH mere to-day IN blaze or
oratory, in which Colonel w. ]. Bryan
and w. Bourke Cochran We're the CEN
trail figures MIR. Cochran followed the
noted Nebaskan, but disclaimed any in
tention of debating the conclusions of
his immediate predecessor and declar-
ing his complete concurrence in what
| Mr.. Bryan had said.
Mr.. Foulke of Indiana, commenting
| on the speech, made assertions which
Mr.. Bryan desired further to discuss.
He was requested to take the stage and
complied for the second time, facing
a wildly enthusiastic house. At the
conclusion Mr.. Cochran arose and OBJ
served:
| Just a few words"
The spectators wanted more and re-
fused to subside until he had taken the
platform. He agreed with Mr. Bryan,
he said, but he wanted information.
The crowd which greeted Colonel
| Bryan when the doors were thrown
open amounted almost to mob. Cen
| tral Music hall was jammed from pit
to gallery with admirers of the Ne.
! braskan When he had concluded his
! speech so per cent of the audience de-
| parted, leaving a few struggling spec
tators to listen to the remaining speak
ers and the report of the committee en-
| resolutions.
Ex-Governor Luce of Michigan was
| chairman of this committee, and he rig
| idly adhered to the resolutions passed
! yesterday, in which 1t was resolved that
| opinions giving the sentiments of the
| conference on the trust problems
| should be presented or considered.
| Mr on SI Il
Der of the committee, declared that he
| had spoken with Colonel Bryan, and
| that the latter had given 1t as his opin-
| ion that the nature of the conference
| made discussion expressive of senti-
| ment on the problem out of place. He
| proposed that to the original resolu-
| tions be added something to the effect
| that the conference had been of bene-
| fit to the delegates, had cleared their
| minds of many doubts and enlightened
| their understandings. These resolutions
were not considered. The decision of
| the committee, as submitted in Chair
man Luce's report. was adopted, as was
| a motion put before the house thank
| ing the Civic Federation for its en-
| tertainment of the delegates.
| Other speakers during the day We're
| j. H. Raymond, G. w. Northrup jr.,
| and Professor David Kinley, T. B.
| Walker, w. w. Howe, ex-President
| Black of New Hampshire, Attorney.
| General T. 8. Smith of Texas, j. b. Dill
| A. Copeland, w. D. Foulke, while many
others took part in the discussion which
| closed the conference. 1t was decided
| those who had prepared but who had
| not been allowed time to deliver ad-
| dresses should deliver them into the
hands of Secretary Easley, to be pub
lished in book form, together with those
which had been delivered from the
stage.
At the adjournment many of the anti
trust delegates met in the Sherman
house to formulate resolutions express
sive of their views.
In beginning his address, Mr. Bryan
said:
THE trust question has grown in i'm
portance. Within the past two years
more trusts have been organized, when
we come to consider capitalization and
magnitude of interests involved, than
were organized in all previous history
of the country. and people are now face
to face with this question: Is the trust
blessing or a curse? If curse, what
remedy can be applied to cure the
curse? I want to start with the decla-
ration that monopoly in private hands
is indefensible from any standpoint and
is intolerable
The entire defense of trusts rests
upon money against argument. If
trusts will sell an article for a dollar
other conditions, then, in the opinion
or some. that proves the trust to be a
good thing. In the first place, l deny
that under monopoly the price will be
reduced. In the second place, if un-
der monopoly the price is reduced, OBJ
jections to monopoly from other stand
points far outweighing the financial
advantages that the trust would
bring
Continuing. Bryan said that when
ever you put capital on an equal footing
with labor or above labor in the struc-
ture of the government, you are on the
road to aiding a government that rests,
not upon peace, but upon force.
Effects of Monopoly.
1.-THE first advantage of monopoly"
said Bryan sis to lower the price of
raw material furnished by the people to |
that combination. The next thing is |
after you have bought up all the fac |
tories. to close part of them and turn |
out of their employment men who are |
engaged in them. In case of local |
strikes and fires, work goes on else /
where, thus preventing serious loss.
What does it mean? 1t means that |
if the people employed in one factory |
are not satisfied with the terms fixed |
by the employers and strike, the fac
tory can close down and let the en-
ployes starve, while other factories go
on without loss to the manufacturers. /
When monopoly has absolute control,
brains will be at a discount.
What is the first thing to be ex-
pected of a trust? That it will cut
down expenses. What is the second?
That 1t will raise prices. We have not
had in this country yet a taste OF
complete trust complete monopoly, and
we cannot tell what will be the result of
complete monopoly. By looking at the
results that have followed the attempt |
to secure monopoly, because monopoly |
has been lowering prices in order to rid !
itself of competitors, but when it has |
rid itself of competitors what is going !
to be the result?