The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-10-26
DEMOCRATS ON TRUSTS.
Mr.. Burt Has More Interests in
Them Than Any Other Man in
the Eighth District

81 don't see," said Saginaw DEM
ocrat the other day, "what our fell
lows are making such howl about
trusts for in this district. l ont
want you to shove my name in the
paper, but l would just as lief tel
Burt and the other fellows wat
am telling you. If it was in some
other place, the trust business might
pay US politically, but it should be
left alone here. Why, Burt has more
interests, one way and another, in
the big monied corporations that are
trusts, il there are any at all; than
any other man in the Eighth distrc',
Republican or Democrat. And bowling
against trusts is not gong to make
people believe that he wants to get
into congress to pass legislation that
is going 10 hurt his own pocket. He
is not chat kind of man; there are
no soft spots in Wellington X. Burr.
These fellows who are doing the most
shouting about trusts would be the
first to get into them IL they could.
Our paper makes me laugh. Do the
fellows who are running it think they
can fool people? They are just the
kind who would jump at the chance
CT getting into anything that had money
in it, trust or 10 trust, No, the trust
business may work in some parts of
the country, where people don't know
those who are working it quite so well
as they do in the Eighth. But it Coat
go here, and is not doing us any good
/ wouldn't mind getting into some
healthy, mopey-making trust myself
and there are Others
During the last five years we have
read and heard much regarding trusts
and monopoles," said n prominent
Saginaw Demo crat last week, land ie
OF the most grasping corporations with
which the people i'm this locality have
had to contend is the Ben telc
phone octopus. Where does the Bryan-
lie nominee for congress stand in the
matter of trusts in general, and this
one in particular? Some years ago,
it will be remembered, a number of
people in the Saginaw valley who had
become dissatisfied with the service
and the charges Of the Bell company,
among whom were F. w. Carlisle, j.
l.. Jackson, Il. G. Even, w. c. Phipps
and a number in Bay City, organized
an independent telephone company for
the purpose of giving the people relief
from what was regarded as the eXor-
bitant rates of the Bell company. The
people of Saginaw extended cordial
welcome to the new company and
gave them assistance and patronage,
and il is today one of the few indepon-
dent companies in the country. Does
any one believe that the telephone
rates would remain where they now
are If there were but one company
doing business in the valley? 1t does
not appear that the Bryanite nomi-
nee for congress did anything to as
sist the lowering Of telephone rates
in the valley. And when the commOl
council attempted TO assist the local
independent company did rot Mr..
Burt take an active hand in opposing
the movement? In fact, he champoned
the Bell company from first to last.
Now l do not intend to be understood
as assuming that Mr.. Burt had no
right to do as he did, il was q matter
of his own choosing as a private citi-
zen, but when he poses as the candi-
date of political organization which
denounces trusts and makes opposition
to trusts one of the cardinal points in
its campaign, it strikes the most casual
observer that its candidates ought to be
consistently lined up on such ISSUES.
Now l am satisfied that the people
would get no relief from the trusts If
w. X. Burt should get elected 10 con.
gress. He is receiving $4,000 ANN
ally from one Of the biggest trusts
in the country, and why shouldn't lie
n ha THING nv tnpm0u