Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-10-27
A PARTY OF TRUSTS.
THESE COMBINES TIGHTEN
THEIR GRIP ON HANNA.
Vain Appeals Of Leaders Of the Participation
Of Ex-senator Washburn-Stand of the
United Commercial Travellers.
Walla Walla Argus.

United Commercial Travellers.
Walla walla Argus
The Republican party is slowly but
surely lining up in defense OF the
trusts. In speaking of the Chicago
antitrust conference Mark Hanna
said recently: Cochran asked Bryan
TO show him evidence that industrial
combinations were evil in their ten
dency. That's proper demand.
Show us the evidence"
Dollar Mark doesn't propose to lose
his graft OH the great trusts and mo-
nopolies that supplied him with an
enormous corruption fund in 1885,
The rank and file of the party are no
doubt opposed to trusts but they will
be whipped into line just as they were
when the party abandoned bimetalism
for the gold standard.
Some evidence as to the evil effects
of trusts is furnished by ex-senator
Washburn OF Minnesota, an old-line
Republican, who said in a recent in
terview:
"There is one thing that greatly
disturbs me. The Republican party,
whether justly or unjustly, is associat-
ed with trusts in the minds of the
masses. AS party we have reached a
crisis where we have got to call halt
The Republican party has got to dis
connect itself from trusts. 1t has got
to do something more than adopt plat
form planks against trusts. 1t has got
to put forth its full strength and legis.
late against them. The feeling against
the trust idea is intense in the west.
1t is so intense in the Republican party
that the party will break ranks unless
something is done. The undertow of
sentiment in the western Republican
States against trusts is not understood
in the East. The revolt may strike
us as early as next year.
at seems to me, after giving the
matter great deal of thought, that
the Republicans in Congress will have
to examine the subject thoroughly,
and whenever they find trust is de-
pending for its exorbitant prof IS
largely Oh protective duties it will be
the duty of Republican Congressman
and Senators to remove the duties at
once. We cannot stop short OF that.
The duties must be repealed when it
is shown that the trusts are benefiting
by them. This should be done with
the duty on steel rails and on tinplate
We can make steel rails at fair profit
cheaper than anywhere else in the
world, and the present price is out
rageous. The Republican party may
win at the polls in 1900 because of the
remarkable achievements of our army
and navy in the last two years, but
legislation against trusts should not
be delayed on that account.
"When / was in the Senate / did
my best to advocate heavy duty on
imported tinplate. believed that we
ahould establish and build up the in
dustry, the same as the iron and steel
industry had been built up. That was
the right thing to do, and the results
have justified the course adopted then.
But those duties are now being used to
put the price of tinplate up. There
fore. the only thing to do now is to
withdraw the protective duties. l
have no motive in this matter save
that Of good citizen, a good Republi-
can and lover of my country. The
attention of the press and the public
should sharply be called to the exist
ing conditions"
Additional evidence upon the bane-
full effects of trusts is given by John O
Fenimore, one of the organizers of the
order of United Commercial Travellers,
and editor OF the Sample Case, pub
lished at Columbus, Ohio. Mr.. Feni-
more has always been an active Re-
publican and in 1896 was chairman of
the large delegation of travelling sales
men who called upon William Nc
Kinley at Canton, Ohio, to pledge
their loyal support OF his cause. He
said few days ago:
"It is particularly with regard to
the effect of the trusts that the COM
mercial travellers of Ohio and of the
entire country are now agitated. 1t
should be understood that they are
only one class which are thrown out OF
employment by the formation of trusts
there are in this country more than
100000 commercial travellers. l
should say there were that many until
within the last year or two. Hundreds
and thousands of them in every Sec
ton are being cast out of employment
by the formation Of trusts. Ohio has
its share of these unfOrtunates. With
no competition it requires no hustle
and hustle of visiting representatives
of the great industries of the country.
Those commodities controlled by the
trusts can only be procured, of course
from the trusts.
$50 it is with labor in the factories
and the workshops. the wholesale
houses and the counting rooms. Com