The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-09-16

another. it n true OF every instance
where government tavors an individ-
ual. ! have said tn many places, and
| say here. that government cannot
az one and the same time he o fountain
OF generosity and of Justice. Govern
meut cannot create anything Now.
II government cannot create any
thing # has nothing OF it's own TO be-
stow. n IL undertakes 20 enrich one
individual. the thing that IL gives 90
him IL must take from another Tha.
government only Is just and benehcen.
which has neither fayOrites nor vic
Tins
what is the remedy? A simple one
/ believe Some gentlemen have sug-
gested municipal ownership Ladies'
and gentlemen. have no quarrel with
the applause Of municipal ownership.
] conCede the principle of H. The gov
ernment has no right to empower any
private agency TO perform function
unless It be one which the government
would be bound itself to perform n
that agency were not 10 be found. The
only excuse for empowering "a private
corporation 20 discharge a public
function Is the excuse that the service
will be more efficient. The question
then. Of municipal ownership is a
mere question Of eXpediency. won't
debate It here. for this reason, that II
IL be a remedy IL Is such a remote one
that discussion OF IL would be dis
cussion OF the interests OF our chill
dren rather than of ourselves.
Now, is there any practical remedy
that this conference can suggest that
can be put in force tomorrow by any
legislature that happens 10 be I'm ses
sion My friends, Il seems 10 me TO be
a very simple matter The fact Is.
you would not have the task In law 20
denounce special rates to individuals
that Is the law today. The remedy.
then, is simply to define a practical
penalty, a serious one. and then pro-
vide for publicity, and you need not
enforce the penalty. An officer OF a
corporation granting a special favor to
any person who has a right to use that
possession on equal terms with every
body else. ought to be held guilty OF q
serious felony"
In the course OF his address Mr..
Cochran declared that "the manage
ment of corporations has been the
blacklist page in all history. And the
public Indignation. unfortunately.
which ought to be expended on the
corporate management which Is re-
sponsible for this abuse, has too often
been visited upon the stockholders
and the corporations themselves who
/ have been the victims of that infamy
You have only got to look back TO the
history of the panic of 1873 and the
history Of the panic of 1898 and the
corporate management that preceded
that panic, and you find corporations
wrecked and looted by those to whose
hands they We're entrusted Now, all
this story Of infamy and OF wrong and
of perfdy and of fraud has not brought
one hour of shame or humiliation TO
those who have perpetuted IT, They
are walking the streets today, their
| heads high in the world of finance"
At the close of his speech the New
| Yorker won the hearts of his listeners
| by paying Mr.. Bryan a we'll chosen
| compliment, which the Democratic
/ leader blushingly acknowledged. Mr..
| Cochran likened Mr. Bryan to a mo-
nopoly, and claimed he was a bigger
| monopoly as the leader of the Demo-
cratic party than any financial corpora
| tion in the world