The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1900-07-26
TRUSTS AND IMPERIALISM
The Cause of a Prominent Republican
Merchants Change TO Bryan.

J Merchants Change 10 Bryan.
Matt 4. Roberts, of Independence,
Mo, a hardware merchant and a
lifelong republican, announces that
he has left the republican party and
will vote for Bryan and Stevenson.
Nobody has better opportunity
to become acquainted with the meth
DDS OF the trusts than have, said
| Mr. Roberts. They are the enemies
of the people, and a party that abetts
them in their robbery of the people is
not the party for me. Take for in
stance a few lines of goods that
| handle in my business. There are
| binders and apers-sOmething that
every farmer must have. During the
past year they have increased in price
upwards of II per cent as the result
of the formation of a trust All
other farm implements have increas-
ed upwards of % per cent during the
same period. Barb wire and nails
have been forced up 70 per cent by
the trusts and are liable to go high
err
GREAT ADVANCE IN BUILDERS HARD
WARE
Suppose a man wants to build a
house or barn or any other build
ing. He will find that builders hard
ware has advanced during the past
year 30 per cent, that bolts have adj
vanced - per cent; that tin plate
and sheet iron have advanced 30 per |
cent and that oils and paints have
gone up % per cent. All these aG- |
vances can be traced to the trusts
which are encouraged by the repubE-
can party and which are pouring out |
their ill-gotten gains to swell the re-
publican campaign fund.
And the republicans point to the
farmer and laborer and exclaim dra-
matically: See what prosperity they
enjoy 1t is true that the farmer is
getting a good price for his products
and the laboring man is getting
good wages. But when they come to
my store and go to that ofmy neigh
bors, the grocer and the dry goods
dealer, they have to pay from 80 to
10 per cent more than they did a
year ago for what they buy. That
kind of prosperity doesn't ben
eft the farmer or the nottingham or
anyone else except the trust mag
mates.
LOVES AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS.
Il have always been a republican,
but | love my country better than
any political party. Were such men
as the martyred Lincoln in control
Of the government there would never
be any dissatisfaction with members
Of the party such as | feel. The
greatness of this country depends in
is feality to free institutions and |
;an not see but that the position of )
5he republican party on Imperialism
S a menace to those institutions.
While some things Mr.. Bryan advo-
,ates are Objectionable to me they
ire as nothing compared to the anti
American views of the Mckinley ad-
a
The democratic party speaks out
boldly in its platform in defense of
American institutions while the re- )
code of principles promul-
'ated at Philadelphia is character
zed by evasion and lodging. Mr..
'ryan's honesty is not doubted by
ven his political enemies, while Mr.. t
ickinley, though in my opinion, t
onest, has fallen into the hands ola t
ompany that, in my opinion, will h
urn the republic into an empire if W
OF checked. In view of these condi- d
ions shall support Bryan and a
tevenson, firmly believing that in a
DING so l am laboring for the per- Il
etuatiOn of the free institutions of tl
~ country. ca