The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-09-01
TRUSTS AS A POLITICAL ISSUE.

The question of the regulation and
control of the trusts will enter largely
into this years campaign Both of the
great parties refer to the trusts in the
national platforms. The Democrats
unequivocally condemn all trusts and
pledge themselves to make an unceas-
ing warfare upon them. The Repub-
Leans assert that there are good and
bad trusts and "recogniZe the necessity
and propricty of the honest co-opera-
ton OF capital to meet new business
conditions. and especially to extend
our rapidly increasing foreign trade"
The Democrats favor the placing of
the products of trusts upon the free
list and amending the tariff laws. The
Republicans do not.
1t is not denied that the trusts are
the backbone of the Republican party
and that funds in unlimited quantity
will be given by them for the rc-clec-
ton Of William Mckinley. during
whose administration they have at
tanned an unprecedented growth.
There are now about four hundred of
them in this country, thirty of which
are of gigantic magnitude and have
capital aggrcgating over two billion
dollars.
Congress and twcnty-one of the
states have passed laws for the pro-
hibition of trusts, and yet the trusts
have increased more rapidly since
these laws have been enacted. Nc
Kinlcy's attorney general declares that
the laws cannot he enforced, and hence
he has folded his arms and allowed
them to have full swing. The attorney
general of Ohio. Mr.. Monnett, bearded
the Standard Oil company, but through
the manipulation of Mark Hanna he
was not reelected to continue the
good work. Mark Hanna believes that
trusts are excellent things and wants
them to be let alone.
William ]. Bryan has frequently ar.
raigned the trusts while William Nc
Kinley has remained eloquently silent.
In his famous antitrust speech the
formereXplained the voracity of trusts
as follows: 81 was riding through
Iowa and saw some hogs roofing in a
field. The first thought that came to
my mind was that those hogs were
destroying great deal in value, and
then my mind ran back to the time
when lived upon n farm and we had
hogs. l thought of the way in which
we used to protect property from the
hogs by putting rings in the noses of
the hogs; and then the question came
to me, why did we do it? Not to keep
the hogs from getting fat, for we were
more Interested in their getting fat
than they Were; the sooner they got
fat the sooner we killed them; the
longer they We're in getting fat the
longer they lived. But why did we
put rings in their noses? So that while
they We're getting fat they would not
destroy more than they We're worth.
And then the thought came to me that
one of the great purposes OF govern
ment was to put rings in the noses of
hogs. 1 don't mean to say anything
offensive, but we are all hoggish. In
hours of temptation we are likely to
trespass upon the rights of Others"
1t was the other day that Richard
Croker, the Tammany chieftain, spoke
interestingly against the trusts,
though Republicans accuse him of be-
ing Il stakeholder in the American Ice
company. which has an alleged capital
of $60,0OOO00. Whether Croker is a
member of the ice trust or not. we
have no means of determining; but he
certainly said it was Roosevelt's duty
as governor of New York to prosecute
Mayor Van Wyck and get him expelled
from the Office he had disgraced. Ted
dy has not done so, nor is he likely to