Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1900-12-05
WEDNESDAY,. DEC. 5, 1900.
LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT.

Talleyrand said that language was
given to man to bel p him conceal his
thoughts. That must be the use of
language for republicans during cam
paigns. We all know how they spoke
for International bmetalism in 1896,
aud then claimed the result as a ver-
dict for the gold Standard. They
meant gold standard all the time, but
used language 20 conceal that thought
till the people had voted. This year
we accused them OF working for a
large standing army. They denied
It, but now they claim the result rs a
verdict in favor of what they denied
they meant. We further accused them
Of standing for trusts. They used up
a great deal of language to conceal
their Thoughts on thu at subject They
even went so far as to use some Of that
language in the form Of a constitu
tional amendment ostensibly aimed at
trusts, and then poured out torrents
Of language to prove that it was the
wicked democrats that favored trusts,
because the democrats voted against
that amendment. We knew of course
that they we're only Generating their
thoughts, but many people were fooled
by it. Now the result is claimed as
an endorsement Of the very thing the
republicans said they wanted to legis
late against. Henry Clews, the oracle
of w all street, said that one of the
things settled finally by this election
was the liberty Of corporations in re-
spect to the exercise of their powers.
He evidently knew that the republic
cans did rot mean to restrict til at Ii berty.
Chas. r. Flint IN an address before
the Outlook Club at Montclair, n. j.,
on Nov. %, said:
And this new ''consolid alton era
has me to stay. Let no young man
think otherwise. That fact was settled
in our recent presidential election
The justice and wisdom of cOmblna-
tiOn in business, the ''trust,' was as
distinct an issue as the single stand
ard, and it wa as emphatically rati-
fed by the people. They refused to
be uisled on this question as clearly
they refused to be mioled on free
silver,
That man was not fooled by the
language of the republicans. He k' ew
it only concealed their ,ho' gifts.
The Minneapolis Journal Of NOy
rs, in commenting on Mr.. Flint's re-
marks, says:
"Mr. Flint is right in a measure.
In negative way truss may be said
TO have been indO,sed at the recent
election The people refused to listen
to advocates Of their dest uction.
This does not mean that the people
agree with Mr.. t'I;nt's implied theur,
that trusts, like kings, Can do no
wrong. But it does mean that the
peop understand that co operation
instead of competition is a natural
"utgrowth O. conducting business on
d large scale, that it IS vast i'm
provement in business organization
over any thing that has preceued it,
and that the application OF the cor
uorate princlpIe has made easy bust,
ness undertakings which won d not
have been thought possible twenty
ears ago. The people, while smart
ing under some Of the st'ngs so need.
'e~sly iutllctel by some Of the little
men at the head of Big companies,
were still calm enough aud cool
enough not to destroy these gre It
business organizations because they
have made errors and are often times
enemies tD the welfare of the public.
The truth is that these mammoth cor
pOrations which are now casting d
shadow over the lAnd-in the estlma-
tion of many good and thoughtful peo-
ple-prOmise to be the industrial sal
| walton of America in the twentieth
century. They promise to be even
more than that, for ,hty are prepared
| 70 do mighty part in making America
the leader in the commercial wars
which will distinguish the incoming
century.
Great Britain owes her commercial
supremacy in the nineteenth CENTURY
to the fact that she led other nation
by many years in establishing 1ht
| factory y! stem.
TIE United States wi be supreme
in the twentieth century because It
leads all other ma ions in the central
ization of capital and the organ "a
! ton Of business and industry.
Germany is likely 10 b. cur nearest
rival because the whole G. rman en-
pire, under the policy Of the present
emperor, is vast t. ust organized for
the purpose Of: promoting German
trafe, and consequently German in
du~try.
If by uDwise legis ]ation we cripple
the great organizations VIII CHI are pre-
pared to enter the lists II nd battle for
American snprt macy, we shall have
t" yield t" Germany.
Rtpre--ive trust Legislation is quite
H. much to be feared as the trusts
Such legislation a. is required wi
lO''k to the projection Of the people
from the exercise Of the great power
for evil, which the trusts admittedly
have -
If repressive trust legislation is to
be feared why did the republicans in
their constitutional amend ent pro-
pose to give congress the power to
prohibit and dissolve trus 8?
Why didn't the republican papers
come out as boldly in defending the
trusts before election?
All, b fore ection language had to-
be used IT, conceal their tn lights, for
II the people could have OWNED those
thoughts the republican party would