The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-10

sible for Mr.. Bryan to reach one-half
the auditorium. He at once launched
into the trusts. Giving his method for
the dissolution of the trusts, he said:
First put every trust-made article on
the free list, SO that it will not be able
to plumber people at home while trusts
sell abroad in competition with the
world But we are not satisfied to simp-
~ stop extortiOn, we want to destroy
the whole principle of private monopoly.
There are no good mOnopoIies in private
monOpolies- There never was and never
Will be God never made a man good
enough to stand at the head of a private
monopoly. We want to strike at the
root of the evil. We want to make it
impossible for a private monopoly to
exist in the United States. It is possible
for a state to protect its own people,
but congress must act if we protect the
people or all the states. We propose
this legislation, that every corporation
engaged in interstate commerce shall be
compelled to take out a license from the
federal government. that license to be
given under conditions which will make
a monopoly impossible. Then squeeze
the water out of the stock Of the cor
poration; you win have a flood for a
while. but there will be honest corpora
lions after a while
Second, require that corporations
shall show that they are not attempt
ing and have not attempted in the past
to monopoiize any branch of business
or the production Of any article of mer-
chandise. and then provide for a revoca-
ton of the license if the conditions are
not complied with"
Mr.. Bryan then took occasion to an
swer the charges that he is being paid
for his speeches. In part he said:
I am not as rich a. man as you would
imagine from reading the Republican
papers. / find it difficult to reconcile the
statements of Republican papers made
about my financial condition. One time
they say that I am so ambitious that
1 would spend all my money to be preSi-
Il
am so avariciOus that 1 will not make
a speech unless am paid for 1t. no.
tice criticism in the papers that the
people of the towns though which our
train passes have contributed to the ex-
penses of the train, and 1t was suggest
ed that this was for my benefit need
not tell you that receive nothing Tor
making speeches; but, my friends,
want you to know that when men ride
on trains they must either pay or else
the railroads must furnish them with
free rides.
I'VE do not want a railroad to carry
our trains through the state, and there
fore the state committee paid about
81 600 for the train for yesterday and to-
day We believe it is better for people
to pay their way and be Independent
than to have corporations run them at
ter election. I would a great deal rath-
er have Republican papers criticise me
and people along the road pay than to
receive free rides from the railroad COM
panies and have corporations run me il
elected because they furnished the
trains"
The people of LaSalle and the sur
rounding country met Mr.. Bryan at the
train. He reached that town at
o'clock and was escorted to a stand in
the center of the city by marching
harnbeau club and by innumerabl citi-
zens on foot The stand were filled with
people, and the way was lighted by red
fire and skyrOckets. Cheers greeted Mr.
Bryan at every turn. He, as usual, gave
his first attention to the trusts and de-
clared that they had no conscience. The
trusts were, he said, practicing the
methods of the highwayman- With an
enormous campaign fund in 1896 the Re
publican party" said Mr. Bryan, I'M
dertook and did reward its contributors
1t needs a bigger fund this year than 1t
had in that year, and it expects to get
it from the trusts. That the trusts are
to be rewarded is quite certain
''The trusts" he continued, "are now
threatening to control elections by the
powers they have to threaten idleness
and hunger to their thousands and tens
of thousands of employees. It used to be !
that the Christian knelt at morning and /
invoked the Lord to give unto him his |
daily bread. but with the growth of |
the laboring men must make |
his prayer to some trust magnate and |
say. Give US this day our daily bread |
with the trusts In control, the Ia !
borer became practically a serf, and the |
workingnen should not allow them |
selves to be deluded into any mere ap- |
pearance of safety The mills We're, he |
said. far less liable to close down when |
not controlled by trusts"
Referring to ''the full dinner paiI'' ar |
gument Mr.. Bryan said: THE Bible tells |
that there was once a man named Esau |
who sold his birthright for a full dinner |
pail, and he has been held in derision |
ever since"
He also said:
when your employer attempts to |
coerce you, tell him that he has been
preaching prosperity for four years. and |
If the country is prosperous it ought not |
be hard for you to find another job
The meeting at Joliet was held in the |
court house grounds, and the crowd COW
cred not only one side of the grounds |
but the street in front as well. The |
Bryan train was due here at o'clock |
but did not arrive until after 10. The !
run from LaSalle, a distance of so miles, |
was made in 81 minutes.
After the meeting Mr.. Bryan left for |