Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-10-31
BRyAN's LAST DODGE.
He Has a New Remedy Fol
Trust Evils.
THE CONSTITUTION FoRB1Ds IT.

And an Amendment Would he Neces.
sary-wby Not stand Up For the Re-
publican Amendnent, which Covsr'
the Matter Fuiiy9
Mr.. Bryan has wabbled very much
on the trust question. Knowing in his
inmost soul that the proposition OF the
Republicans is the only one which can
settle the matter, and yet not having
the manhood to come out frankly in
its favor he has been, at different
times during this campaign, offering
different remedies for the alleged evils
of these combinations.
The latest of these is the proposition
he advanced at Rochester, N. Y, in
his tour of that state. 1t is to prevent
the sale of any trust products in for
eign markets, by imposing a high ex
port duty on all trust-made goods sent
out Of the country. He says, that
would stop the expectation"
For a man who processes such an
intense reverence for the constitution
of the United States, Mr.. Bryan betrays
vast ignorance of the actual provisions
of the charter of our liberties. If he
will turn to that document, article l,
section g. clause 8, he will read the
following: mo tax or duty shall be
laid on articles exported from any
state"
Hence it is plain that Mr.. Bryan's
latest remedy would require a consti-
tutional amendment to make it effect
i've. And suppose such an amendment
were offered and adopted. Would it
crush the trusts? By no means. OF
the more than 100 trusts in the United
States there are not ten that depend
in any degree upon their export trade
for their profits. The vast majority
of them were formed to control the
home market in the United States. The
Sugar trust is one. The Salt trust, the
Standard Oil trust and many others
might be named, which care not one
iota for the export trade. Against
them Mr.. Bryans new remedy would
be quite as ineffective as was the
popS puii against lhC IOliSt puSh III
the fourteenth century.
But if Mr.. Bryan is in favor OF
amending the constitution, why does
he not frankly come out in favor OF
the Republican proposition to put all
trusts under the absolute control of
congress? Last May the Republicans
introduced in the house Of representa-
tvs a resolution for such an amend
ment, Of which the following is a com,
plete copy:
Section l. All powers conferred by
this article shall extend to the several
states, the territories, the District OF
Columbia and all territory under the
sovereignty and subject to the juris-
diction of the United States.
Sec. 2. Congress hall have power
to regulate, define, prohibit or dissolve
trusts, monopolies or combinations,
whether existing in the form of cor
poration or otherwise.
THE several states may continue to
exercise such power in any manner
not in conflict with the laws of the
United States.
Sec. 8, Congress shall have power to
enforce the provisions of this article
by appropriate legislation"
Such an amendment would give to
the national government the power it
needs, but does not now possess under
the constitution, to regulate trusts. On
this resolution the vote stood: Yeas,
149 Republicans and Democrats
nays, 130 Democrats and Republic
ans. Not receiving the necessary two
thirds, the resolution failed of adop-
tion. The five Democrats who voted
yes were Campbell of Montana, Ma,
phen and Taylor of Massachusetts,
Scudder of New York and Sibley OF
Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Bryan can not escape this rec
ord OF his party, nor the fact that
when he vas in congress he voted for
the senate sugar schedule amendment
to the Wilson tariff bill, by which the
Sugar trust stole 1000, 900 out of the
peoples pockets.