Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-05-31
Miseellameults geading.
BRYAN ON TRUSTS.
Democratic Doctrine at a Big Democratic
Rally.

Rally.
There was big Democratic anti
trust banquet at St. Louis last Thurs.
day night. A number of prominent
Democratic leaders made speeches |;
but the principal speaker, of course,
was Hon. VIM. J. Bryan. MIR. Bryan's
remarks were in part as follows:
An actor who visited Nebraska re-
Gently, upon learning from Republi-
can that confidence had been restored,
remarked that he had examined Web
ster's Dictionary to learn what "confi-
dence" meant, and found confidence
defined as "trust," and then he under
stood that confidence had been really
restored.
More trusts have been formed during
the last two years than existed at the
beginning of the present administra-
ton, and the nominal capitalization OF
the trusts now in existence approaches,
|if it does not equal in amount, the
worlds total supply of gold and ell
YER.
The influence of these trusts has be-
come so enormous that the people,
without respect to party, are asking
themselves how the evil can be rem
edied.
The purpose of the trusts is to con.
troll the product of some article OF
merchandise, and the methods employ
ed are, first, the union of all individual
factories under one management or in
one corporation, and, second, the
crushing out of new rivals. A monop-
oly, when once completed, not only
dictates terms to those who buy the
product, but it also dictates terms to
those who sell the raw material and
to those who furnish the labor. If the
trusts are permitted to continue we
shall find an industrial aristocracy
growing up in the United States which
will prove as destructive of our ideals
as landed aristocracy would.
The principle of monopoly is incom-
patible with our institutions. Mans
necessities compel him to become a
purchaser, and where there is but one
seller the purchaser is completely at
the mercy of the seller. Where there
is competition between producers the
purchaser is sure to obtain what he
wants at a reasonable price. When
competition is eliminated the price is
controlled, not by reason, but by the
greed of the one who possesses the
monopoly.
1t has been said that the power to
tax is a power to destroy. A monop.
oily possesses the power to tax; it can
levy such assessments as it will upon
the purchaser, and we can no more af-
ford to permit such power to be ex-
ercised by private individuals than We
could afford to authorize private indi-
viduals to use the machinery of taxa
ton in order to enrich himself at the
expense of his fellows.
The government would be guilty of
gross neglect if it permitted an indi-
vidual to secure a monopoly, even
without legislative assistance, but it is
still more culpable if by legislative act
it furnishes the means by which mo-
nopoly is secured. The corporation is
the means now employed by those who
seek to secure a monopoly. Since the
corporation is a fictitious person, Gre
ated by law, the power that creates
can regulate, restrain or annihilate.
To say that the government is impo-
tent to prevent the organization of
trusts is to say that it has called into
existence a fictitious person and that
the fictitious person created has be-
come greater than the creator.
One of the difficulties which has
been encountered in opposing trusts is
that the trust hides behind the FEEDER
al constitution when attacked by state
legislation, and shields itself behind
it's state charter when attacked in the
Federal courts.
No remedy will be complete that is
not co-extensive with the Federal
courts. If the extinguishment of the