Evening star., 1899-03-27
ARE NOT AN ISSUE
Neither Party Willing to Advocate
Trusts.
BRYAN'S OPPONENTS DIVIDED
Some For and Some Against Ter
ritorial Expansion.
A POLITICAL OUTLOOK

Great interest is manifested among bust
ness men who are in part politicians in the
question whether there Is to be any anti
trust agitation in Congress next winter and
of how far the trust will become an issue in
the next campaign. The first impression
was that all classes of democrats might get
together on an antitrust issue and make
the campaign largely on that. 1t is well
understood among the leading Bryan demo-
Gratis now that this is not to be done Their
policy will be not to treat the formation Of
trusts as forming issue. but to insist that
these trusts are merely the consequence of
the present financial and economic policy
of the country, and that the evil cannot be
cured by any sort OF legislation aimed di-
rectly at the trusts Therefore it is not eN-
pected that any demand for antitrust legis-
lation at the next session of Congress will
come from the minority as party.
On the other hand, the republicans. 1T is
suggested will not desire to run the risk
of putting themselves on the defensive by
entering upon the subject in a way to make
the question of trusts national issue and
the general conclusion is that ii will not
play anything like as prominent a part in
campaign discussion as at first glance
seemed probable. The democrats will be
content to hold up the trusts as horrible
example OF government under a policy
which does not meet with their approval,
and the republicans may get all they want
out of the subject by showing that the OPP
position does not propose or even grant the
possibility of legislation for the curtallment
or control of trusts, and that, as far as fed
eral power can go. the republicans nave
legiSlated in the enactment OF the sherman
antitrust law.
With no party advocating trusts. 1t is
conceived that ii will be difficult to make
trust issue
Bryan's Opponents Divided.
The gold democrats who were willing TO
join the regular democratic party in such
an issue may attempt to organize indie
pendentIy on that and similar propositions,
such as outlined by Mr. Watterson, but
there are two serious difficulties in their
way unless their only object should be to
help Mr.. Bryan by drawing a few votes
away from the republican presidential can
didate. In the first place, ii is pretty well
understood that some of the most active
trust promoters in the country are men
whose support would have to be relied upon
to sustain party constructed according TO
the suggestions of Mr.. Watterson. In The
second place, this same set of men who
agree that Bryan democracy is not their
democracy. and that President Mckinley is
wrong III almost everything. are themselves
hopelessly divided on the question of eX-
pansion.
Many of them would be willing to support
MCKINNEY Tor another term II II were NOT
for his expansion policy. Others agree with
him entirely on that point, but declare that
they cannot stand his tariff views and the
fact that he is d republican. Therefore,
while, for one reason or another, they are
opposed to existing political organizations,
and would be willing TO declare for free
trade and sound money. with a little dash
of antitrust sauce, the question of expan-
sion threatens TO keep them divided and to
prevent their putting an Independent ticket
in the field in 1899 to make an antitrust
free-trade-g -gold-standard campaign.
These peculiar conflicting circumstances
1t is believed, are conspiring to keep the
antitrust issue in the background in spite
of all the interest it is exciting at present
II is likely to be relegated to the position
of a local state issue.
+~" Expansion as an Issue
Ii is thought by many. too. that the anti
imperialism cry that Mr.. Bryan is hitching
/ in double team with silver will fall short ss
a party issue. for the reason that every Do
litieal party or organization in the coun-
try has in it both eXpansionists and anti
eNpansienists- Many Chicago platform
democrats and silver republicans who are
IN the Bryan combination believe in holding
the Philippines and everything else in the
way OF territory that We have our hands
on, and "A considerable number of the ca ST.
ern republicans, who believe earnestly in
protection and gold. are as radically oD-
posed to holding the Philippines as is Mr.
Bryan 1hiS. in turn. to great extent de-
prlves the question of expansion of the
qualities necessary 10 a loading na rt,,