The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1899-09-29
BRYAN ON TRUSTS.
Pemedy Recommended for the
Abatement of Monopoly.
The Dollar aud the Man-Prices and
Wages-E6ect Of High Tnrtn
Legislation Against
the Evil.

The closing session Of the trust con-
ference at Chicago Saturday, Septem-
Der Q, was rendered extremely inter-
,esting by the speech of William j..
Bryan on the subject of trusts, in the
course of which he said:
MIR. Chairman. Ladies and Gentlemen:
am glad that I live in country where peo-
ple can differ from each other, diner hon
.estly, express their convictions boldly, ana
vet respect each other and acknowledge
ca ch others rights. am not vain enough
however TO think that any good viii which
has been expressed by the people toward
me is due to any personal merit lf l have
had political friends, II Is because people
believe with me In certain ideas-or. rather,
that | believe with them in certain IDEAS.
II is the idea that makes the man. Gap
plause) The man is only important as he
helps the idea.
81 come to discuss in your presence a
great question, a question of growing I'M
portance to the American people. The trust
principle is not new principle, out the
trust principle is manttosting Itself IN so
many ways, and the trusts have grown so
rapidly. that people now feel alarmed about
trusts who did not feel alarmed three years
ago The trust question has grown In i'm
portance because within TWO years more
trusts have been organic d, when We come
to consider the capitaliZ ton and the mag
nitude Of the interests Involved, than were
organized in all the previous history OF the
country, and the people now come face 10
face with the question: Is the trust bless
ing or a curse? II curse, what remedy
can be applied to the cursor
II want 10 start with the declaration that
monopoly in private hands is indefensible
from any standpoint, and intolerable. ZAP
plauseD | make no exceptions 10 the rule
/ do not divide monopoiics In private hands
into good monopolics and bad monoplies
(App,auseD There is no good monopoly in
private hands. There can be no good mo-
nopoly In private hands until the Almighty
sends Us angels to prasde over US. ZAP
p,ause) There may be a despOt who is bet
ter than another dcspot, but there Is no
good dcspotsm. One trust may be less
harmful than another one trust magnate
may be more benevolent than another
but there Is no good monopoly in private
hands and do not believe it is safe for So
ciety to permit any man or group OF men 20
moropoliZe any article Of merchandise or
any branch of busirCss (App.ause)
what is the defense made OF the monop-
o,y? The defense OF the monopoly is always
placed on the ground that If you will allow
people to control the market and fix the
price they will be good to the people who
purchase of them The entire defense Of
the trusts rests upon a money argument.
a dollar less than the article viii cost under
other conditions, then, In ;he opinion OF
some, that proves a trust to be a coed thing
In the first place, deny that under a mo-
nopoly the price viii be reduced. In the
-secopd place. IL. under monopoly, the
price IS reduced, the objections 10 a monop-
oily from other standpoints far outweigh
the financial advantage that the trust
would bring.
Protests Against Dollar stnnda I'd.
But | protest in the beginning against
settling every question upon the dollar ar
sument. Applause and cheers) / protest
against the attempt to drag every question
down to the low level of dollars and cents.
applause
"In 1859 Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to
some people a Boston, and in the course OF
the letter he said: The republican party
believes In the man and the dollar, but in
case of conflict II believes in the man before
the dollar. (Applause)
mo- hing is more important than that we
shall. in the beginning, rightly understand
the relation between money and man ZAP
plausel Man Is the creature of God and
money is The creature of man. applause. }
Money is made to he the servant of man
'(applausob. ard / protest against all the
cries that enthrCne money and debase man
kind. prolonged applause)
"Wha: is the purpose of the trusts or the
fnOnODOltSG fOT WntN use the worn lfuSi
/ use it in ths sense that the trust means
monopoly, and what is the purpose of mo
nopoly? If you want to find out you can
find out from the speeches made by those
who are connected with the trusts.
Il have here a speech made by Charles X
Flint at Boston on the 25th day OF last May,
and the morning papers of the 26th, in de-
scribing the meeting, said that he defended
the trust before an exceedingly sympathetic
audience. and then added, for his audience
was composed almost exclusively of Boston
bankers (Applause)
EHect on Raw Material.
1.-THE first advantage of a monopoly is to
lower the price of the raw material fur
nished by the people TO that combination.
IApplause) Those plants which are best
Equipped and most advantageously stu
ated are run continuously, and in prefer
ence to those less favored. The next thing
is. after you have bought up all The fac
tories, to c'ose part of them and turn out
Of employment the men who are engaged
In them. (Applause) And, II you will go
about over the country, you will see where
people have subscribed money to establish
enterprises. and where those enterprises.
having come under the control of the trusts.
have closed up. and stand now a silent
monuments to the wisdom of the trust sys-
tenn. (Applause) In case of local strikes
and fires, the work goes on elsewhere. thus
preventing serious loss. do not the la DOr-
,ng men understand what that means? In
case of local strikes or fires, the work goes
on elsewhere. thus preventing serious loss.
What does 1t mean? IL means that IL the
people employed in one factory are not ga :
isfied with the terms fixed by the employer.
and strike. they can close down that fac
tory and let the employees starve. while
they go on In other factories without loss
to the manufacturers.
Drains mt n Discount.
"lwant to warn you that when the monop-
oily has absolute control brains will be at a
discount and relatives will be necessary to
NIL these positions. (Appause.) When
there IL competition every employer has to
get a good man TO meet competition: but
when there is no competition, then anybody
can sit in the Office and receive letters and
answer them when everybody has TO write
to the same house for anything he wants.
daughter and applause) There is no ques-
ton about II. A trust, a monopoly, can les
sen the cost OF distribution. But when 1t
does so, society has no assurance that IL
will get any OF the benefits from that re-
duction of costs In reduction Of price. But
you Will take away the necessity for that
skin, for those brains. You will take away
the stimulus that has given TO us the quick
ness, the alertness. of the commercial trav-
s.er and these men, these commercial
eyangelists who go from one part of the
ountry to the other carrying the merits OF
tneit respective goods. there will be no need
.or them, because, when anybody wants
Them all he has TO do Is TO write TO the one
man who has the thing for sale and say;
What will you let me have IL for to-dayY