The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-15
LAST BATCH OF SET SPEECHES.


Feb to the large
number Of would-be speakers all did not
have time to display their oratory at the
closing session of the antitrust confer
ence. and their speeches were left with the
secretary for publication.
John r. Commons, Of New York. was
the first speaker to-day. He said. in con
clusion: 1.-The only direct legislation neces-
sary to control trusts is factory legisla-
ton and that which fixes a minimum wage
for employees and protects employees from
blacklisting and intimidation. Otherwise.
the remedies for trusts. which strike at
their causes and not their effects. are free
railroads, free land and free
Free does not mean gratuitous. 1t means
free to all on equal terms. 1t means equal
opportunities"
Prof. Edward w. Bemis. Of New York.
said there were about six hundred trusts
with a capital of so. 900, OOO. 900. He favored
changes in the patent laws, reduction Of
the tariff, elasticity in the money system.
adjustment of discrimination by railways
and publicity of the affairs of all corpora
lions engaged In interstate
Bruce A. Campbell, of Illinois, thought
that If producers would rise in their might
at the polls they could kill off the trusts.
Charles E. Chadman, of Ohio, said the
"evil of trusts is in the fact that the few
ton, of the labor-saving combinations.
The remedy for this evil should no more
be the destruction of combination. OF
invention and cooperation, than the rem
edy for tyranny should be the destruction
Of society and government.
William p. Black. of Illinois, suggested,
as a method "of checkmating the corrupt
ing practices of the managers and depend
nntS Of tho 0nrnnro tim " tho Q6nnfinn 0f
the initiative and referendum. Such re-
form, he believed, could be adopted and put
in operation. and> once in operation, the
people could. by legislation. which the
courts could not annul, dominate the whole
question.
William N. Osgood. Of Massachusetts,.
proposed a plan of Incorporating "a ma
tional fraternal and nonsecret organiza-
ton, or liberty trust" in favor of the peo-
pie. The chief reason he advanced for this
was the inability of the individual citizen
to accomplish anything alone. His indie
pendence and self-reliance were, In fact, a
source of weakness and enabled his or
ganized foes, the trusts. to operate sue
cessfully against him and deprive him of
his liberty"
Mr.. J. B. Herboldsh;mer. of Illinois, told
How to Emancipate the People"
lie Grande Byington. of Iowa. spoke on
1.-The Genesis of Modern Trusts, and How
to Prevent Them"
STANDARD OIL IS KING"
Edward H. Jennings, of New York. de-
nounced the Standard Oil Company. The
capital of the Standard Oil, he said, is
S97, 900, 900, quoted at over $50, making it's
market value over s4O0, 0OO. 600. Its clear
profits" he said, "are about $500 900 a
year, mostly going to nine trustees" In
conclusion, he said: Are we to be carried
around in the vest pocket of a cowardly
combination in New York city? Now, why
are these things so? The answer is simple.
We have a king. Forty years ago cotton
was king. Cotton was d~ethroned. To-day
oil is king. The president of the Standard
Oil is king of America, not in name, but
in fact. He has no title, but his power is
absolute and unQueStioned.'
d. A. Petre, of Duluth, thought the plat
form of the Socialist party provided the
remedy for trusts.
Dwight S. Prentice said: These trusts
are not at all a brotherhood OF men. They
do not as men love each other, but they
do love dollars, and they have undoubtedly
designed a far more effective plan to Sc
cure them from the public than either the
war of competition or the peace OF COM
bination to keep up prices. 1t is the ideal
brotherhood, the absolute and perfect
equality of dollars. The wealthiest individu-
ais in the Nation have formed and entered
the trusts. These trusts are the result of
the great peace conference of dollars.
The formulating of a bill of the nat
ural and inalienable rights of man by your
convention might more clearly point out
the duties of government and hence the
fer than will be possible without a clean
recognition of these rights"
DR.. Abner L.. Davis. of Findlay, O.,
thought 1.-The only remedy for the present
political disease is direct legislation by and
through the people. under that system of
government known as the initiative and
referendum and proportionate minority
representation"
Andrew ]. Osborne, of Illinois. spoke
about 'The National Banking System, a
rowin Monopoly" He said: Banking
and loaning bank notes as money is a
bunco game, and a financial expert who
is advocating corporation control Of money
is a bunco steerer. The lOaning of bank
notes as money, when clearly understood,
is a confidence game for which every per-
son engaged in it should be tried for and
convicted Of getting property under false
pretenses. . . The ruling dynasty,
Hanna, Mckinley and Gage, supported by
a Wall-street majority in Congress-. have
for a number of years been industriouSly
forcing upon the Nation, in partnership
with the financiers of England, that labor
robbing scheme known as the gold stand
trust copied from England's banking sys-
TEN. When this is done, one short step
more-to invest Mckinley with the powers
OF an emperor, establish the gold stand
ard, pass the banking law that Is now be-
fore Congress-. let it become rooted in our
commercial systems, and the English aris-
tocracy will lave gained a foothold In
America. Money will rule the Nation, in
dustrial serfdom will prevail; the masses
must then learn to spell masses without
the m"
A PREACHERS AWFUL PICTURE.
The Rev. c.. H. Rogers. of Elgfn, ILL.,, dis
cussed 1.-The Proper Adjustment of Present
Unequal Conditions" In the course Of his
address he said: do not these heartless
.despoilers Of human strength-these pro-
moters of unnamable crimes-virtually
feed upon the living tissues of these living
victims of their avarice and greed? Abom-
Unable dens Of death and prostitution are
fostered and developed under the unholy
.despoilers of the common people. Under
gality and faithfulness are being driven
into obscurity or are dying in the home
of virtue. Hence wealth is forever increas-
ing in the hands of the few, while I'M
trammeled manhood Is dying. .
Three classes seek to control the govern
ment for different purposes. The monopolist
desires to control for the sake of franchise.
The politician for the sake of the offices.
The criminal classes for immunity from
punishment. These three classes are lead
ers in the opposition TO the reforms which
are crying for recognition to-day. The mo-
nopolies furnish the Doodle. The politician
furnished the management; the liquor
shops furnish the voters. Against the en-
croachments Of such as these we must edu-
cate, educate"
Thomas E. Will. Of Kansas, said the peo-
pie must make the trust public property.
I'VE must fight the devil OF monopoly with
the fire of public ownership" he said. LAS