The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-04-11
MEYERS & TUCKER. Publishers.
The New Issue Not a Party
Issue, !

The New Issue Not a Party
Issue. s. sSa.
The leaders of democracy have bee n
persistently announcing that they will /
have a brand new issue for the next
campaign. A new issue is always an
Imperative necessity for the democratic
party. They have never yet been able
to find an issue that would stand the
test of two campaigns. Every time
they are forced to announce almost an
entire new bill with added specialties
and new caste, Democracy is sort
of repertoire company, with a change
of bill every night. Free trade, tariff
for revenue With partial protection,
| free silver, anti-expansion and now
finally anti-trusts. With their new
theory we have no fault to find. We
are as mucn opposed to oppressive
trusts as any democrat can be- The
only fault we have to find is with the
effort they make to saddle the trusts
upon the republican party.
The republican party is responsible
for trusts in only one way. BY restor-
ing confidence in our monetary system
and the solvency and soundness of our
finance, it has encouraged the capitalist
to bring his money from its hiding
place and to invest it in business cutter
prises. By restoring good times it has
inspired monied men with confidence
enough to place their money in active
business. There is no more money
now in proportion to our own popula-
ton than there was during the times of
panic. No one heard OF trust being
formed then, the money was there but
it was idle, business conditions were
so demoralized that the main object OF
the manufacturer was not to plan for
new business, for it needed every effort
to prevent bankruptcy.
The times have changed, thank God
for that. The republican party is large
ly responsible for the change The
change has restored business activity
Business activity has brought the large
enterprises and combinations called
} trusts. Further than this the republi-
can party can we'll deny any greater
responsibility than that of the demo-
cratic party, for trusts and combina-
tions. We assure the people that if
they are willing to go back to the coli
J dition of 1898 and the two years follow
! ing they can soon be rid of the vast ma
jority of these hated corporations.
That the protective tariff is crea, OF
of trusts is disproven by two facts, first
that they exist in free trade countries
and second that in this country they
: areIuot in any wayconfined to protected
industries. 1t is only in the general
v way that protective tariff promotes
prosperity and prosperity promotes con
. fidence and enterprise that the tariff
produces trusts.
Trusts and strikes are incident t6
good times. No one ever heard of a
trust being formed on prosp ctlve
Q falling market, or a laborer striking on
. an empty stomach.
t There is a multiplicity of antitrust
!. acts on our statute books. The Difficult.
r ty is in enforcement, and we acknowl
n edge that in this both democratic and
2 republican administrations have beer
. alike weak. The republican admin
!. stration has the at least partial excuse
' that it has been confronted by state
q of war, demanding the Presidents az,
tention during nearly every waking
hour. The last democratic admialstra
ton had no troubles save those brought
about by its own incompetency Every
antitrust law on our statute books was
. placed there by republicans. Law is
but an instrument placed in the hands
OF the people Ii they fail to ust
1t it is not the fault of the law-maker
We are with the democrats on the
trust question and 80 are all good re
!, publicans. Let us all work together
7 it is common ground upon which we
. can all unite and it is not party issue
$ in any sense of the word. Ii democracy
!, is sincere it will unite with republican
l ism to do away with this evil LII it is
, insincere 1t will try to make it a part,
issue and to place party advantage
above the accomplishment of t. e de
I SIRED reform.
: The Tramp Question.
We do not believe the board of super
ViSOrS was right in its ruling concern.