The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-28
DISCUSSES TRUSTS.
Sen. Beyeridge Talks Against
Bryan in Nebraska.

Columbus, Neb, Sept. 2S.-The town is
full of people today who came in to hear
Senator Beveridge and with those from
the city made up an audience which
taxed the speakers voice to reach. Mr.
Beveridge was given a most cordial re-
ception and was literally appiauded
throughout his address. He spoke in
part as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen:-Mr. Bryan
owns a farm. know this, because !
have read it in the newspapers. know
1T, because / have seen photographs OF
Mr.. Bryan on his farm. I am not a
farmer now. but was a farmer once.
And when l was a farmer. / worked at
the business. The difference between a
farmer who works at the profession and
the farmer who only works at the name,
is just the difference between a man
and his photograph. So think I can
talk to the farmers with more authority
than Mr.. Bryan. And as he talks to
them about trusts, I also will talk to
them about trusts. What is a trust? It
is a great combination of capital de-
signed to simplify and unity business, or
great combination of labor. designed
to simplify and unity industry. 1t is
easy to see, therefore, that there can be
good trusts and bad trusts, just as there
can be good men and bad men. A trust
is good trust when it performs the
work for which it has been organized,
and produces better goods at cheaper
prices and delivers them to the consum-
er more conveniently than a dozen diff
ferent concerns could do. The consumer
is the sovereign factor in civilization
The well-being of the masses is the re-
suit OF every industrial development
that endureS. A trust is a bad trust
when it raises prices dishonesty and
without other reason than to satisfy the
greed of its managers. A man is a bad
man when he steals; and when he does
that he ought to be put in JAIL A trust
is a bad trust when it dishonesty raises
prices; and when it does that it ought
to pc restrained or put out of existence.
But because one man steals is no reason
why all men should be put in Jail; and
because one trust is dishonest is no rea-
son why all trusts should be DESTROYED.
Mr.. Bryan is in favor of destroying all
combinations of capital. We are in IA
Vor OF destroying only such combina-
lions or capital as Cypress che people,
Just as you are in favor OF putting in
jail only such men as commit larceny or
murder or arson.
A TRUST OPERATED BY EVERY
FARMER
Let me give the farmers a perfect IL
iustration of a trust that every farmer
IN this country operates himself That
trust is the self binding harvester
got the job of driving the first self
binding harvester that was sent to cen
trail Illinois by the McCormicks Tt
was an old wire binder. 1t was a trust
1t was the only trust have ever had
anything to do with. 1t did what several
different machines and implements re-
CURED to do before. 1t enabled the far
mer himself to harvest and market his
grain at much less cost than he was
able to do before. The first season the
self binding harvester appeared in CEN
IraI Illinois, the same arguments were
advanced against it that are now ad-
Vanced against trusts. 1t was said that
1t threw labor out of employment. 1t
was SAID 1t would result in each farmer
becoming sort of independent landed
gentry like the great landlords of Eng
land, and that he would not need any
help from the day laborers whom he
f1rld h !, Il IL
ing. There were even talks of mobs to
burn up the self binders. But men who
though they were thrown out of employ
ment by it, found that they were not;
but that there were other employments,
easier employment and better paid en-
Payments in other directions than all
the hard work that harvesting by hand
afforded them; that the new conditions
created by this very elf-binder furnish
ed them other and better employment
Every 1abOr-saving machine is a me-
chan1cal trust, and yet more laboring
men are employed today, and at higher
wages and with shorter hours than ever
before in human history.
The se1f-bindey enabled the farmer to
mraket his grain cheaper than he was
able to do before. So the trust enables
the producers to produce cheaper than
they did before. The self binder therefore
increases the farmers profits because it
enables him to market his grain cheaper;
and that is right. The trust enables its
to produce cheaper than they
did before; and increase in profits COM
ing from that is legitimate, although
they have no right to all such increase of
profits
Better products at cheaper prices to
the consumer is the only justification
for trusts. If the farmers were able to
force up the price of grain dishonesty
and still increase their profits, that
would be wrong, and it ought to be
prevented Just so when a, trust is able
to dishonesty force up the price of it's
Tn+c TTrr11f ff-
be prevented. And that is what the
Republican party proposes to do. But
because the self-binding harvester in
creaseS the farmers profit by enabling
him to produce cheaper grain, is no rea-
son why the self-binder ought to be