Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1900-07-13

Republican party in state and ma
ltional platforms is conclusive proof
Of the truth Of the charge that the
trusts are the legitimate product Of
Republican policies; that they are
fostered by Republican laws, and
that they are protected by the Re
publican administration in return
for campaign subscriptions and po-
htical support. We pledge the
Democratic party to unceasing war
fare in nation, state and city
against private monopoly in every
form. Existing laws against
trusts must be enforced
and more stringent ones must
be enacted, providing for pub
licity as to the affairs of corporations
to show, before doing business out
side of the state of their origin,
that they have no water in their
stock and that they have not at
tempted and are not attempting to
monopolize any branch of business
or production of any articles of
merchandise, and the whole consti
tutional power of congress over in
terstate commerce, the mails and
all modes of interstate communica-
shall be exercised by the enact
ment of comprehensive laws upon
the subject of trusts.
The tariff laws should be amend
ed by putting the products of trusts
on the free list, to prevent monop-
oily under the plea of production.
The failure of the present Repub-
lican administration, with absolute
control over all branches of the ma
tional government, to enact legis-
lation designed to prevent or even
curtall the absorbing power of
trusts and illegal combination, or
to enforce antitrust laws already
on the statute books, proves the in
sincerity of the high-sounding
phrases of the Republican platform.
Corporations should be protected in
all their rights and their legitimate
interests should be respected, but
any attempt by corporations to in
terfere with the public affairs Of the
people, or to control the sovereign
ty which creates them, should be
forbidden under such penalties as
will make such attempts impossible.
We condemn the Dingley tariff
law as trust breeding measure,
skilltully devised to give the few
favors which they do not deserve
and to place them upon the many
burdens which they should moi
bear.
We favor such enlargement ot
the scope of the interstate com
merce law as will enable the com
mission to protect individuals and
communities from determinations
and the public from unjust and un.
fair transportation rates.
The Financial Question.
We reafirm and endorse the prin.
ciples of the national Democratic
platform at Chicago in 1896, and
reiterate the demand of that plat
form for an American financial sys.
TEN, made by the American people
for themselves, which shall restore
and maintain the bimetallic price
level, and as a part of such system
the Immediate restoration of the
free and unlimited coinage of silver
and gold at the present legal ratio
of 10 to /, without waiting for the
aid or consent of any other nation
We denounce the currency bl
enacted at the last session of con.
gress as a step following in the Re
publican policy which amounts TO a
discredit of the sovereign right Of
the national government to issue all
money, whether coin or paper, and
bestow upon the national banks the
power to issue and control the vol
ume of paper money for their owr
benefit. A permanent nationa
bank currency, secured by govern
ment bonds, must have a perma
nent debt to rest upon, and if th'
bank currency is to increase will
the population, the national deb
! must also increase. The Republi
, can currency scheme is therefore