The Topeka state journal., 1900-09-17
TOOK FOR HIS TEXT
The Words: ssIs the Young
Man AbsalOm Safe 7"
Hall Seating $4,000 People
Was Packed to the Doors.
Standing Room All Taken and
Many Turned Away.

the reception accorded him in St Louis
Saturday night He spoke here at the
Coliseum hall. under the auspices Of the
national Democratic committee Of COM
mercial travellers The hall is said to
seat 1900 people. Not only was every
seat occupied, but every available foot
OF standing room was also covered
There were no vacancies anywhere when
the hour for calling the meeting to order
arrived, but others continued to seek ad-
mission for some time afterward-
Mr.. Bryan read his speech from man
uscript- The points in the address were
cheered, and frequently during the de-
livery Mr.. Bryan was compelled to wait
for some time until the applause died
away In part, Mr.. Bryan said:
The lament Of David over Absalom is
one Of the most pathetic passages Of the
Old Testament The fact that the son
was in rebellion against civil as well as
parental authority did not shake the
fathers affection, and the anxious query
rs the young man. Absalom, safe
fingers in the memoir OF all who study
the life Of the great Hebrew king. And
yet the interest which David felt IN his
son. Aosaiom has its parallel in the
more than 10000. 900 families which make
up the American people
APPEAL TO PARENTAL DEVOTION
I would call the attention OF every
father and mother TO present political
L
them to analyZe these conditions IN
Testigate their causes and their ten
dencies- / would press upon them this
question: Is the young man. Absalon,
safe?'' Are you satisfied with the posi-
bilitfes and the probabilities which now
open before your SOM
Is he safe when foreign or domestic
financiers are allowed 10 determine the
monetary system under which he lives2
Is he safe when national banks con-
troll the volume Of money with which he
does business2
Is ne safe when the bond holding class
determines the size Of the national
debt upon which he must help to pay in
tereSt2
Is he safe when by means OF taxes laid
almost entirely upon consumption he is
compelled to contribute according to his
wants rather than according TO his pos
seSSiOnS2
Is he safe when corporate interests in
fuence as they do today the selection of
those who are TO represent him in the
senate OF the United States
II he is a wage Garner. and you do
not know how soon he may be- even If
he IS not now, is he safe when he is la
bic TO be deprived Of trial by jury
through the system known as govern
ment by injunction2
Is he safe. II a laborfng man, when he
is denied the protection OF arbitration
and compelled TO submit TO such hours
and terms as a corporate employer may
propOse2
THE REIGN OF MONOPOLY.
But L desire 10 call special aLTGlLlOn
to the growth Of the trusts, and to ask
you. whether your son is safe under the
reign OF private monopoly If you can
not leave him fortune, you can leave
him something more valuable than
money. viz: the freedom TO employ his
own brain and his own hands for the
advancement Of his own welfare When
there IS Industrial independence. each
citizen IS stimulated 10 earnest endeavOr
by the hope OF being able TO profit by his
own genius. his own energy his own
industry and his own virtue. But when
private monopoly reaches its full de-
velOpment each branch OF industry will
be controlled by one, or a few men. and
the fruits of monopoly, like the divine
right Of rule. Will be kept within the
possession Of few from generation to
generation, while the real producers of
wealth viii be condemned to perpetual
clerkship or servftude- When private
monopoly reaches its full development,
your son will buy the finished product at
the price which monopoly fixes; he will
sell raw material at the price which
monopoly fixes; and, II he works for
wages. he viii work for such compensa-
tion and upon such conditions as monop-
oily may determine
Charles r Flint Of the Rubber Goods
Manufacturing company. in a speech de-
livered in Boston on May %, 1899 out
lined the trust programme with great /
4rankness- In speaking Of the advan- !
tages TO be derived from the trust svs-
tenn. he said
OUTLINE OF TRUST PROGRAMME |
4
titles is secured at lower prices When, |
Tor instance, one man buys all the wool. 1
the price OF wool be lowered, and all /
who produce wool viii sell at the price 1
nxeo BY the trust a large proportion OF 4
our people are engaged in the production 4
OF various kinds OF raw material and Il
they are thus placed at the mercy of the i
combinations.
The second advantage is that chose 4
plants which are best equipped and most
aovantag geousiy situated are run contfn- /
uouSly and IN preference to those less IA
vored"
This means that factories can be closed /
In the smaller towns and business con-
centrated in the large centers 1t means
also. that whenever there is a surplus ~,
hand part OF the factories can be closed
and the burden Of maintaining prices
thrown upon the wage workers There
are already scattered throughout the
land idle plants. which stand as silent
monuments to the evils OF the trust svs-
tenn
The next advantage mentioned is that
In case Of local strikes and fires the
work goes on elsewhere. thus preventing
serious loss
This means that a monopoly can an
solutely control its Workingmen. for if 4
q strike occurs in a factory in one state
the factory can be closed down indef- ]
1nitely while the employees are starved
into submission, and as the trust can |
do the work in some other factory with |
cut serious loss, II is quite independant |
OF the employees, and can absolutely xlrt-
scribe the terms and conditions upon
which they shall live The more com
plete the monopoly the more oppoee,5 !
the managers viii be TO arbitration he
cause. IN case Of any contest hetxees,, |
the trust and its employees the trust will
have every advantage and the employees
VII be perfectly powerless
A1othAr advantage cited By 1rr. Flint