The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-10-17

I lowed Oy the descending: gloom of luxury. decay
| and ruin.
Tie other Of ration w..--e the sil.r.: of TIE
pilgrim and the Iusrc::ot remains the living and
controlling force a1I;rrui:. that the Declaration ci
lcdrpenderr the farewell address ct tie Father o.
! l,is (ountr, and tie Monroe doctrine shall ne.ct
ncss into nnocuous desue;udc: &c, o;!ng its ener.
gics 20 the development ot the ia"niaustih.c re-
sources Of rs great continental territory sowing
the p-obicu, OF uni+crsal personal and political
liberty. OF a government by the consent OF the
governed where King. no c.ass and 10 race
rules but eaci individual has equal voice a:d
| power in the control Of all. where wealth ceraes
on, as the compensation for honest toll OF Eand
or brain, where public service is private dut:i; o
nation whose supreme value to the world lies net
III its power but IL its unfailing loyalty TO the
hich ideals OF its youth. its forever lifting its
strong hand not to govern, but to protect the
weak, and thus the bright shining which brlgthers
more and mc-e into the fadeless and eternal day.
From the Mouth of an Ass.
The other night in Chicago Mark
Hanna, following the example OF Ba-
laam's ass. opened his mouth and
spoke, and unless I miss my guess the
Republicans will regret Marks Grafton
only once, and that will be until the
end of the world.
Mark said, II would like for Mr. Bry-
an or any other Democrat to tell me
what trust is
Now. 1 am complaisant sort Of man
and always like to accommodate peo-
ple. even Mark himself, when search
ing and aching for information. A
trust is criminal conspiracy for the
sole purpose of robbing the people. and
the owners and managers of q trust
ought to be treated il the same man
ner in which other robbers are treated.
| hope this plain. blunt, unvarnished
definition Will satisfy Marks craving
for knowledge.
Then. Mark having set his tongue go
ing, made this astonishing declaration:
Il believe there is not trust IN the
United States" Now, If that is true
would like to ask Mark or any other
Republican few questions:
Pointed Questions.
f1) II there are no trusts in the Cnit-
ed States, why do the Republican lead
ers, such as General Charles Henry
Grosvenor Of Ohio, constantly boast
that the Republicans passed the Sher-
man antitrust law? G) What sense is
there In legislating against an evil that
does not exist? C3) When congress
passed that law, were the Republicans
in earnest or were they merely follow
ing their usual custom and playing a
bunko game on the people? a. IT there
are no trusts, why did the Republic
ans put a milk and cider, good Lord,
good devil, sore Of antitrust plank in
their platform at Philadelphia? %
Did Mark ever hear Of the Standard
Oil company, which is always cited.
even by Republicans themselves. as
the most successful trust in existence:
(6) Did he ever hear Of the anthracite
coal trust, which has just starved $780,
600 honest and industrious men into
striking for living wages? 90 Has
he ever heard Of the barbed wire trust.
which has raised the price Of barbed
wire 80 high that farmers have almost
Quit using it? ~ Does he not know
that the sugar trust has so increased
the price Of sugar in the fourth year
Of the reign Of William. the first king
Of the United States and emperor OF
the Philippine Islands. that we now
get FIVE or six pounds less fo; dollar
than we did before his imperial maj
esty as the throne? (9l Finally,
if NJ 4,es not know Of these and
diver other trusts, is he not more in
nocent than the babes in the wood:
An Absurd Statement.
1t may seem presumptuous in me to
answer Marks challenge, but my ex-
cuse is that his defiance was directed
not only to Mr.. Bryan himself, but to
"any other Democrat Consequent
IL | have a right to furnish him the
information he seeks.
But Mark makes the absurd and
untruthful statement that every law
against trusts. national or state. has
been the product Of Republican law
makers and the credit Is due to the
Republican party" There is not syl-
liable Of truth In that statement. When
l was in the legislature in 1889. had
the honor. as chairman Of the commit
tee on criminal Jurisprudence. to re-
port the first Missouri bill leveled
against the trusts. Under 1T Attorney
General Crow broke up the Insurance
trust and compelled the insurance COM
panies to pay $4,000 Of fines into the
state treasury. Now. II there are no
trusts in the United States. as Mark
asserts. will he please inform al eager
world how the trusts could enrich the
state treasury OF Missouri by that
handsome sum?
With a graciousness aud lioeraEty
that do him honor, Mark says, Il
have no objections to the Democrats
opposing trusts" Thanks, Marcus.
thanks for granting US permission to
do that which we have been dong
for, 10, these many years without your
permission But II there are no trusts.
as YOU assert, would it not be about
as wise and profitable for Democrats