The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-27

ly--ft demonstrate as Il Coils mat the
Democrats party. whenever IL has had
an opportunity 20 act upon TINS great
question has fallen down and 1aiieo
TO act, and that whenever the Repupncan
party has been called upon TO sct II mas
performed its promises TO the people on
this question AS upon any other-i Will
demonstrate that every intelligent Ameri-
can citizen on this proposition. on tne oth
day Of November next, votes the Repuo-
lican ticket. Tremendous applause NOW:
/ had occasion To investigate our Ifiends
record upon this proposition served
on this subcommittee on trusts as mem
Der Of the committee on Judiciary with
Hon. Jesse Overstreet, of this district, ana
l want to say that on this committee ne
discharged his duty with great ability and
capacity lApplausel, and took occasion
to- look up our friends record and IL seemed
10 me that If the octopus and the 1ugger-
naut and the zimmerman darkness were
about to destroy the Republic and the
Democrats had chance to relieve the Re
public of this awful danger, of course the
Democrats did it and of course the candl-
cate in this district against Jesse Over
street did it. Well, We will see how ne and
they did 1t.
well. now, 1 looked up the session of
1888, when they had Democratic Con-
gress, a Democratic speaker and Demo-
cratic committees, and found that sixteen
different bills to regulate and control trusts
were introduced into that House In 1888.
Sixteen chances to get at the octopus and
nail the hydra-headed monster and STAY
the juggernaut. How many chances do you
took in that Congress Of 1888? Not one
during the whole session.
Mr.. Littlefield here recounted the appoint
nent of a committee, composed OF such
prominent Democrats Bacon, OF New
York; Bynum, of Indiana, and Breckin-
ridge, of Kentucky, to investigate trusts.
They deliberated six months and day
and then reported the number of trusts TO
have increased TO such an extent that they
were unable to furnish list OF them, re-
porting further that the subject should be
referred to the next Congress. Mr.. Little
field declared boldly that the failure or the
Democrats to take decisive action on the
trust question when they had an oppor-
tunity was because of ignorance or cow
ardice, and he invited any Democrats In
the audience TO take either horn Of the
dilemma he chose, "for," said the speaker,
II going to discuss this question more
or less as / campaign this country. in Or
der that the truth may be known lGreat
applause.]
A LITTLE REPUBLICAN HISTORY.
Continuing the speaker said: Let
give you right here little Republican his
tory so that carry it right along-in 1855
no platform had ever before been adopted
by either party denouncing trusts. but in
the platform of the Republican party in
1888 there appears a plank which declares
that it is the duty of Congress and the va
rious state legislatures to enact laws con-
tfOllnS ana regulating anu prohibiting
trusts that enter into combinations in re-
straint of trade for the purpose of oppress-
ing the people. Now, that plank was drawn
by a great lawyer. member of the House
of Representatives, a patriot, man of
character and intelligence, man that the
Republican party has been proud to honor
and that 1t proposes TO honor in this cam
paign-W:lliam Mckinley, jr. Tremendous
applause.] While our Democratic friends
xr-..r tr1xra ffQrof TnD m a
unassuming but able and courageous gen.
tleman from the State of Ohio went to the
| city of Washington and procured copy or
| the agreement which these gentlemen mad
| unearthed and with which they did not
| have the courage to do anything, and took
| that copy back to the State OF ONO,
| that agreement and the courts of Ohio In
| that suit rendered a judgment declaring
| that contract void and ordering the Stand
| ard Oil Company to proceed no further
| Hereunder. That man was Hon. ID. IL.
| Watson. the Democratic attorney general
| of the State of Ohio, and, while the Demo-
| cratic party in 1858 labored and did not
| even bring forth mouse or SO mucn as
| the tail of a mouse the Democratic attor-
| ney general ntigated the question in 1888.
| Now they turned the question over
to the succeeding Congress-to the next
| Congress. They knew what they dld pc
| cause a Congress had been elected by the
American people that does act-a Repub-
| lican Congress-and the very next bill IN
4
States-Senate document No: l, introduced
| by John Sherman, Of Ohio, the noblest Ro-
man OF them all Tremendous applauseI-
was the Sherman antitrust law, and IL
| met with this objection the floor of the
| United States Senate: Senator George, or
| Mississippi, and Senator Vest, of Missouri
\ both great lawyers and great Democratic
| statesmen, fell foul of this bill with the
stock objection of Democracy to all legis-
| lation that has been originated by the Re
| publican party in the line of progress and
4
| ming of the Republican party until now,
| and that was that ii was unconstitutional.
| That was their position on the floor of the
| United States Senate. Notwithstanding
| that it passed the Senate and II went down
| to the House. and when 1t came to be re-
| ported from the House by the judiciary
/ committee with amendments our Demo-
| cratic friends moved to 'sidetrack 1t in the
| interest of a silver bill-that ignis fatuus
| is to land every Democrat practically on
| that floor voted to sdetrack it, among
| others James D.. Richardson. who came
| here on that day in Indianapolis when the
| frost came and rendered that nomination
| IGreat laughter and applausel, and ten
| dered that nomination metaphorically on
| some public square in this magnificent city.
| COULD NOT BE SIDETRACKED.
Now that is the history of that legisla-
ton in the House, but the Democrats were
| not able to sidetrack it, because under
the lead of a distinguished Republican,
| William Mckinley, jr., prolonged APP
| plausel that bill was passed, not, however,
| until William L. Wilson had manifested
| disposition to assist in the enactment Of
| trust legislation by the assertion that that
| bill was being passed in answer to public
| clamor, and that no man knew what IL
| meant or could understand its terms, and
| Mr.. Enlow, another leading Democrat said
| that that bill was not worth the paper on
which Ii was written, and that 1t was of
| no earthly consequence or use and so I'M
oerstood-so anxious, mark you, were the
| Democracy in 1890 to give us antitrust
| legislation, and to slay the juggernaut and
| the hydra-headed monster, but notwith-
standing this opposition, Notwithstanding
| these cavils and objections that bill passed
| the Senate and the House, and when Ii be-
| came law ii had upon it the signature of
| one OF the ablest lawyers in the Republic
| and who resides to-day in the city of In
| dianapolis-Benjamin Harrison. [Tremen-
| oous outburst of applause and cheers.l
| THAT was in 1890. There is the record of
| the Republican party upon that legislation,
opposed by the Democracy, the Congress to
| which they turned this question
! over. Now let me go a little
| mite further. This resolution in
| troduced into the national platform, ad-
| vising legislation upon the part of the
States, was drawn. as said, by the Presi-
| dent Of the United States, and when ii was
| drawn and passed, antitrust legislation
existed only in three States in this Union.