The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-09-20
LETTER OF BRYAN.
He Formally Accepts the
Presidential Nomination.
RAvORS LAWS AGAINST THE TRUSTS.
Recon mcnds Free Coinage OF silver
mt Ratio of 10 to 1-Advocatcs Es-
tablisbment of IL Department of
Lnbor-ConJemns I'm mpcrialism.

NEW YORK, Sept. 1S.-Wiliam J
Bryan, presidential candidate on the
Democratic national ticket, has present.
Cd his letter accepting the nomination.
Mr.. Bryan leads his text with his views
On the trust question. He touches on
interstate commerce and reviews the cur.
rency issue, the labor situation and de-
votes considerable space to expansion
and imperialism.
In regard to trusts he says:
"The Kansas City platform very prop
erIy gives prominence to the trust ques-
tion. The appalling growth of combina'
uons in restraint of trade during the
present administration proves conclusive.
y that the Republican party lacks ell
ther the desire or the ability to deal with
the question effectively. II as may be
fairly assumed from the speeches and
conduct Of the Republican leaders that
party does not intend to take the peo-
pies side against these organizations.
then the weak and qualified condemna-
ton of trusts to be found in the Repub-
fcan platform is designed to distract
attention while industrial despotism is
completing its work. 4 private monopo-
" has always been an outlaw. No de-
Tense can be made of an industrial sys-
TEN in which one or a few men can con-
troll for their own profit the output or
price of any article of merchandise.
Under such system the consumer
suffers extortion, the producer of raw
material has but one purchaser and must
sell mt the arbitrary price fixed, the la
borer has but one employer and is pow
erless to protest against injustice either
in wages or in conditions of labor, the
small stoekholder is at the mercy of the
speculator, while the travelling salesman
contributes his salary to the overgrown
profits of the trust. Since but small
proportion of the people can share in
the advantages secured by private mo-
uopoly 1t follows that the remainder of
the people are not only excluded from
the benefits, but are the helpless victims
Of every monopoly organized. 1t is diff
hcult to overestimate the immediate in
justice that may be done or to calculate
the ultimate effect of this injustice upon
che social and political welfare of the
people.
Our platform, after suggesting GER
tain specific remedies, pledges the party
10 an unceasing warfare against private
monopoly in nation, state and city. l
heartily approve of this promise If
elected, it shall be my earnest and con-
slant endeavor to fulfill the promise in
letter and spirit, l shall select an at
torney general who will without fear or
favor enforce existing laws, l shall
recommend such additional legislation as
may be necessary to dissolve every pri-
vate monopoly which does business out
side of the state of its origin, and if, con-
trary to my belief and hope, constitu-
ional amendment is found to be neces-
sary / shall recommend such an amend
ment as will without impairng any of
the existing rights of the states empower
congress to protect the people of all the
states from injury at the hands of in
dividuals or corporations engaged in in
terstate commerce.
"The Democratic party makes no war
upon honestly acquired wealth. Neither
does it seek to embarrass corporations
engaged in legitimate business, but it
does protest against corporations enter
ing politics and attempting to assume
control Of the instrumentalities OF gov
srnment A corporation is not organized
for political purposes and should be COM
PEELED to conhne itself to the business
described in its charter. Honest cor
poratons engaged in an honest business
will find it to their advantage to aid in
the enactment of such legislation as will
protect them from the undeserved odium
which will be brought upon them by
those corporations which enter the po-
litical arena"
The currency question:
1.-THE platform reiterates the demand
contained in the Chicago platform for
an American financial system made by
the American people for themselves. The
purpose of such a system is to restore and
,tn
and in order that there may be no un-
certainty as to the method of restoring
himetallism the specific declaration in
favor of free and unlimited coinage mt
the existing ratio of 16 to 1 independent
Of the action of other nations is repeated.
In 1896 the Republican party recognized
the necessity for bmetallism by pledging
the party to an earnest effort to secure
an international agreement for the free
coinage of silver, and the president inn
nediately after his Inauguration by au-
thority of congress appointed commits
sion composed of distinguished citizens
10 visit Europe and solicit foreign aid.
Secretary Hay in letter written to Lord
Aldenham in November, 1898, and after
ward published in England declared that
at that time the president and majority
II his cabinet still believed in the great
lesirability OF an international agree
nent for the restoration of the double
standard, but that it did not seem op.
perfume to reopen the negotiations just
then. The financial law enacted less
than year ago contains n concluding
section declaring that the measure was
not intended to stand in the way of the
restoration of bimetallism whenever il
could be done by cooperation with other
nations. The platform submitted to the
iast Republican convention with the in
lorsement of the administration agair
suggested the possibility of securing for
sign aid in restoring silver.
"Now the Republican party for the
irst time openly abandons its advocacy
If the double standard and indorses the
monetary system which it has so Otter
md so emphatically condemned. Th,
Democratic party, on the contrary, re
mains the steadfast advocate of the golC
and silver coinage of the constitution ant
IS not willing that other nations shal
determine for us the time and manner
of restoring silver to its ancient place al
standard money. The ratio Of 16 to