Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1899-08-18
DEADLY TRUSTS.
Psiicy of the Democratic and Repub.
hcan Parties1Aptly Compared.

The Democratic platform pledges
tue party to renewed efforts to sup
press the trusts 1t declares in favor
of an amendment to the anti-trust
statute now on the statue books maxi
ing nonenforcible any contract made
BY any trust, or any member of any
trust, with view to- fix or regulate
prices or control production. In other
words, no trusts, and no member of
any trust or combination, shall be per
mitted to recover in the courts of the
commonwealth the price of any article
that is the product oE any trust
THE trust is among the greatest. OF
the evils of the time. Trusts are
formed and operated through corpors-
tions. The corporation is a creature
OF the government. Theoretically all
corporations are created for the. rub
lie good. When they abuse their priv
ileges and menace the public welfare
laws should be enacted to prevent the
abuses or to revoke the privileges
abused.
"The tendency Of the trusts OF this
day is to produce condition like, that
which was produced by what was
known as the feudal system in Europe
400 and 500 years ago. Our histories
teach us that in that time and under
that system nearly all wealth-which
then consisted largely in fand-was
owned by a select class known as the
nobility. The great body of the people
were tenants and servitors upon the
land, many passing with the land like
the cattle upon it. With the deyelon-
ment Of constitutional liberty the feu-
dal system disappeared. The trust of
this day tends to impoverishment of
the many to enrich the few. It means
corruption of government, the pur-
chase Of special privileges and use of
the power thus acquired to plunder
the masses of the people. It enables
its operators to control both produc-
ticn aud consumption. 1t robs pre-
Queer, consumer and enploye alike. II
means what the concentration OF
great wealth in the hands of the few
has meant in all ages and in all coun-
tries-the making of mere dependents
of the great body of people, depriving
them of all hopes of progress or indie
pendence. 1t is founded in heartless
greed, ana is at war with fundamental
principles or republican institutions
and the dearest rights of mankind. Re-
publican government can not co-exist
with complete dCmina ion of the trust.
Carried TO its logical c"&clusion, the
trust is more destructive of Individual
independence thar a monarchical form
Of government. Either the people
must control the trusts or the trusts
will rule the people.
"The chief means through which
trusts are established and maintained
are the single gold standard and a high
protective tariff. The Democratic par
ty is and always has been unalterably
opposed to both; the Republican party
is responsible for both. Applause
"The so-called Sherman antitrust
law enacted by congress contains a
section declaring that no proceeding
shall be instituted under it except
upon direction of the United States
district attorney for the district In
which the proceeding is brought, or
upon the direction of the attorney gen.
eral of the United States. No grand
jury can act independently under the
law. The law has been a dead letter
ever since its enactment. 1t never was
intended to be enforced and never will
be by a Republican administration.
"Mr. Attorney General Griggs has
publicly declared his reason for his
failure to enforce the federal anti
trust statute to be that the federal
government can not suppress them,
and that the trust question is one that
must be dealt with by the states them
selves.
eat the last session of the Kentucky
general assembly the Democratic ma
jority of the house of representatives
passed an anti-trust bill, offered BY
Mr. Bradburn of Bowling Green,
which, IL my judgment. would have