The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-07-22
SAVED BY DEMOCRATS.
Legislation Against Monopolistic
Combinations Furthered by
Republicans.

But for democratic action in con-
gress a stringent national law against
| trusts would be in force to-day. Re-
| publicans passed the law in 1890. DEM
| ocrats destroyed il in 1894 and defeated
it's reenactmcnt in 1897. The proof is
easily within the reach of everyone.
1t is distinctly set forth in the laws
passed by congress and is too plain to
be disputed. In the Mckinley tariff
law of 1890 was the following section:
"Evcry contract, combination in the
form of trust or otherwise, or conspir-
| acy, in restraint of trade or commerce
among the several states, or with for
cign nations, is hereby declared to be IL
legal" Any person engaging III such
combination was to be deemed guilty
of misdemcanor, and, on conviction,
fined not to exceed $1,000. or impr's-
oned for not more than one year, or
! both in the discretion of the court. The
| law containing this most sweeping
provision against trusts was passed in
1890 by vote of 164 to 142. Every vote
| for it was republican and every vote
against it, except two, was democratic.
1t passed the senate by II straight vote
of 40 to 20. The only bill ever passed
by congress i'm the direction of tearing
up the trusts by the roots, in every
| state in the union, and in every shape
and form, received almost unanimous
democratic opposition.
In the next congress the democrats
controlled both houses and proceeded
TO extend to the trusts the greatest act
of friendship they have ever received
from any source. No one was more
prominent in this deed than William j.
Bryan, who was n member of the ways
and means committee, and one OF the
trainers and champions OF the Wilson
| tariff law of 1894. The Wilson law
| killed the complete and effective pro-
| vision against trusts in the Mckinley
law, substituting the following Sec
ton, which is of no practical use what
ever: Every combinatiu1, conspir-
acy. trust, agreement or "'ntract is
! hereby declared TO be contrary 10 pub
lie policy. illegal and void. when the
| same is made by or between two OIL
| more persons or corporations either Of
whom is engaged in importing any ar
ticle from any foreign country into the
! United States" The Mckinley law
placed a heavy penalty upon trusts OF
every kind and everywhere in The Unit
ed States; the Wilson law swept this
full safeguard away and limited the
penalty to importers alone. Mr.. Bryan
worked and talked for the Wilson bill
necessarily. lie and his fellow demo
Gratis in congress tore down the wall
that shut ont trusts, and they calno
trooping ir all over the country as tie
result of the democratic overthrow "!
the law of 1890.
More than this. the democrats in the
last congress prevented the rc>toratio:
of the provision against trusts in the
present, or Dingley, tariff law. The re-
publicans had no majority in the sen
ate and democratic senator's would not
permit the antitrust clause of the Me
kinley law to be inserted in the Ding
ley law. The new congress is repub
lcan in both branches. For the lirst
time since 1890 republicans have tho
power to put back into II tariff law the
section which they passed before and
which declared all trust combinations
no matter what their form or location
to be illegal and subject to a fine Of
$4,000 and Imprisonment for one year
a comparison of the Mckinley law oil
1890 and the Wilson law of 1894 will
convince any investigator that tho
democratic party, with Bryan us one OF
its most prominent and Jealous lead
ers, stepped in and saved the trusts al
the most critical time in their history
The Official evidence is within the reach
of all, and it is Observation-Disclosures
Louis Globe-Democrat.