Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-10-10
STIRRING ADDRESS.
Continued from page ~

You know it is said in Holy Writ that
the Lord commanded his people to do
| righteousness; not to talk righteous
ness, but to do it. That is what we
want to see in our people.
THE last paramount issue that
seems to have been developed on the
other side is the issue of trusts. I am
only going to ask your attnton for
just one moment to that BY trust is
of course is now meant the great ag-
gregates Of corporate wealth which al
though not technically trusts, are such
as we commonly understand the word
in speaking one to another 1t is idle
to say that all these great corporations
do evil. If you knew them well and
understood the circumstances under
which they exist you would never in
| the world go back to some of the con-
| ditionS that preceded the present sys-
| TEN of consolidation. Take for in
| stance the great railway lines in my
| own state of New York. At one time
in order to get from New York to Buff
| falo. you had to change cars five times
and get on five different lines. 1t was
four times as uncomfortable and three
times as costly to travel and ship
freight then as now. a measure of
greet positive benefit came from the
consolidation. The whole development
of our highly specialized and highly
complex modern industrial civilization
has tended t. produce these great ag-
| gregates of corporate wealth. In their
development there has been good and
there has also been evil. The man
who denies the evil is just as foolish
| n no WI, "a ~ oil owl.
| There have been evils, and there are
now evils: they have got to be suit
aut; and they are going to be cut out
not by oratory but by common sense
and resolution. Incidentally one of
| the first things to do is to make up
your minds that while getting rid of
the cancer. you wish to avoid killing
the patient. The very fact that the
problem is complex. means there can
! be no immediate solution. There will
probably have to be national action to
cure it, At present il has to be left
largely to the different states under a
decision Of the Supreme Court. In
accordance with the provisions and
! purposes Of the constitution. the states
now have complete control of the cor
| por2tions. ! am not familiar with the
situation here in your state. | am
familiar with it in my own state. TWO
years ago | ran for Governor Of New
York. Against me ran an eXJudge,
Van Wyck He was nomiraly the
man who ran. The real master and
| leader of the Democratic party in
| New York. the party under which our
| home Imperialism has reached such
all extraordinary development was the
Hon. Richard Croker. Mr.. Van Wyck
and MI Croker were extreme in their
| dcnunciation Of trusts and corpora
lions They went ouch farther than |
vas willing ~ ZIP, because ! was ham
pered BY the tact that I intended my
deeds to square my words. Well. l got
elected.
The greatest evil in New York at
| that time in connection with corporate
wealth. was the fact that some corpor-
ati0ns which We're among the wealth
lest. and which had gotten franchises
that gave them practically all their
wealth from the public. made no AIDE
quate return TO the public Such Were
the street railway companies and other
corporations using the streets.
we took hold of that problem in no
vindictive, in no denlagogic spirit. We
took hold of it in the only spirit in
| which it is safe to deal with a corpora
ton or private individual, either
! with a rich man or a poor man, the
spirit of doing justice and eXacting JUS
tice in return. We put on the statute
book a law which will doubtless need
some modification as experience may
dictate. but which in its essence has
come 10 stay 1t is q law called the
franchise tax law, under which We put
upon assessment rolls nearly S2O0,0oo,
O0O OF property which hitherto had inn
| properly escaped taxation. Now that
did not mean that we have solved the
problem connected with the corporar-
| tons: but it did mean that we had tax
en- a longer single stride toward its So
luton. so far as | am aware, than had
been taken in any state.
THAT was done while we had con-
troll At that very time Mr. Van Wyck
in speeches, and Mr.. Croker. in inter
views. had been denouncing trusts in
language altogether too extreme for me
to be willing to use, and a the very
time that they We're thus denouncins
trusts. they We're in the process OF be
coming two Of the largest stockholders
in the most iniquitous trust in the
United States-the Ice Trust That is,
the yadded to public denunciation of
trusts private ownership in them.
II see here the veterans of the Civil
War. the men who wear the button that
shows that in i'll times that tried men 5
SOULS. they proved their truth by Their
endeavor. You. the men of the civil
| war. let me ask if you recOllect certain
incidents Of the year 1861 to 1864. Dc
you remember when you were called
Lincoln Hirelings?" Yes, we have
we have heard more recently of ouI
soldiers having been called hirelings
A million men in blue We're then known
as "Lincoln's Hirelings." Do you re-
member the people who cried Peace
peace" when there was no peace. Who
said that the most righteous of wars
was worse than the most unrighteOus
peace? That the bloodshed that was t.
follow would more than offset any gaiT
that could came? Do you remember
that? Do you remember that some PEG,
pie who stayed at home in the Nortf
| refused to hold up their hands to a &c
YOU. but furnished aid and comfort by
their actions to the enemies OF the nag