The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-10-26
pRx.yv AND BURT ON TRUSTS.

~
The assertion has been repeatedly
made by W.J. Bryan-was made in his
speech in this city Oct. 11-that the
Republican party had done nothing,
attempted nothing, and could he rx.
pected to do nothing TO protect the
American people from trusts.
In Chicago, in September, 1899, al
the antitrust convention, Mr. Bryan
said:
believe congress has, or should
have, tile power to place restrictions
ANA limitations, even 60 the point a
prohibition, upon any corporations
organized in one state that want TO
do business outside the state. am
in favor of an amendment TO the con
stitution that will give to congress
power to destroy every trust In the
country.
At the first session of the fifty.
sixth congress the Republican majority
of the house judiciary committee re.
ported a constitutional amendment
exactly in line with Mr.. Bryan's plar
of dealing with trusts, as follows:
To lodge in congress the power tt
define, regulate, control, prohibit q
dissolve trusts, monop olies or combina-
tions.
On the roll call on the question Of
submitting this constitutional amend.
ment for ratification by the various
states of the union the vote was as
follows:
Republicans-For, 149; against, ..
Democrats and Populists For, 8;
against, 129.
And right here the Chicago Tribune
gives this bit of history:
In 1883 the Democrats were In con
troll of the house. They authorized the
committee on manufactures to investi
rate and report recommendations in
reIa tion to trusts" That committee
investigated from January TO July,
1898. and then IN ade partial report,
setting forth in substance that it had
discovered there was large number
of trusts and sent in some testimony
as to the extent of the business done
by the Sugar and Standard Oil trusts.
After July it continued it's investi
cations, and while thus engaged the
Dem ocratic national convention
adopted q plank in it's platform which
denounced .'trusts," but suggested no
remedy for them and made no promise
of correcting them. The committee
kept on investigating the trust
among them the Standard Oil, sugar,
cotton bag, and whisky, until Sept.
1, 1888, and it reported on March 2,
1889.
Then, If ever, was the opportunity
n m 4 a. Osrif u m n
to deal the octopus" renchant blow,
Its committee had traced the monster
to its lair, knew all its methods, and
caught it in the very act Of "throttling
business" and grinding into the earth
unfortunate women and children" It
reported that 1t had taken some damag-
ing testimony affecting the whisky
and cotton bag trusts, that the number
of trusts formed and still forming was
large, that they "affect q large portion
of the important manufacturing and
industrial interests OF the country"
and that "old ones are constantly ex-
tending their relations, so as to cover
new branches Of business and invade
new territories" No list of these
trusts" no remedy suggested, no
recommended ton Of antitrust legisla-
ton, mo nothing" After having con-
Quoted an investigation for over year
and after the Democratic majority in
congress had filled the air with the
threats of what they would do when
they had the power, now had come the
opportunity to make good their
Or omises. What did they do? They
accepted the suggestion of this com-
mittee that the tes"-1ony taken should
be Submitted to the careful considera
ton of future congresses" knowing
that the next house would be Repub-
lcan, as it's members had already been
elected, and that the next senate would
he Republican also. The only legislation
growing out of this investigation was
the introduction of bill appropriating
S11,96S for the expenses of this COM
mittee, which had lone nothing but to
submit the regulation of the "trusts"
to Republican congress. That con-
gress did pass the first antitrust law,
being the one which Senator Sherman
introduced.
But the Saginaw News says that
Mr.. Burt is in direct accord with the
noiicy of Mr.. Bryan on the subject
of trusts. The foregoing chapter of
history shows where Bryan has stood
on the trust question, and his friend
Rurt can be relied upon to do no
more in that direction than Bryan has
done.