The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-09-27
BRYAN ON THE
STARCH TRUST
All Such Combines VIII Be
Prosecuted if Elected.
SHOWS DANGER OF
THESE CORPORATIONS
Speaks of Republican Attorney
Generals Tolerance.

NEBRASKA City, Neb-. Sept ZO-Wlll-
lam ]. Bryan spoke here to a large
crowd tonight. The speech had been
looked forward to with much interest,
because Mr.. Bryan had announced that
he would deal with the trust question
as affected by the suit instituted by
Attorney General Smythe. to annul the
sale of the Argo Starch works of this
city tC. the National Starch company,
popularity known as the Starch
Trust
There We're not many unfriendly in
terruptions, but evidently some had
been expected. for previous to the
meeting the mayor of the city issued
an order saying that there had been
rumors of trouble and warning against
it.
Mr.. Bryan plunged into the trust
question at the beginning of his speech.
He gave a history of the Argo COM
pany, quoting copiously from the
Nebraska City Conservative, published
by eX-Secretarv of Agriculture j.
Sterling Morton. The company, ae-
cording to the Conservative of May 25,
1899, competed successfully in America
and Europe with the starch trust.
Nebraska City" said the Conserve
tory has two successful plants which no
trust has as yet been able to buy, bully
or whedle."
About Sept. 1, 1893. the Argo company
Joined the United Starch company, a
New Jersey corporation. formed for
the Ostensible purpose of fighting the
National Starch company. Finally in
August or September, 1900, the National
Starch company absorbed the United
Starch company. Mr. Bryan continued.
First. we have an independent COM
pany, growing and prospecting upon its
own merits; second. this Independent
company joins other companies to fight
the starch trust, and third, this indie
pendent company with it's associates,
joins the starch trust and competition
is at last destroyed
Explains the Danger.
'If the people of Nebr aska City de-
fend the starch trust. they must be pre-
pared to defend all the other trusts, for
it is impossible for them to destroy
trusts located elsewhere and defend a
trust located n their own city. The
people of Nebraska City are more in
terested in the dissolution of the starch
trust than the people of other parts of
the state. When the ArgO company
was ilde9endent it was controlled by
citizens of Nebraska City, and Ne
braska City interests could not be ig
nored by its management But if the
National Starch company, with head
quarters in New York, is allowed to alb
sorb this industry. the control VIII be
removed frO--, Nebraska City to New
York. and the wishes and interests or
the people of Nebraska City will have
little consideration.
THE people of your town have al
ready seen a diStiilery closed down by
the whiskey trust. What is to prevent
the Argo company from being closed
down by the starch trust? When all
the factories belong to one corporation
the closing down of one factory does
not bring loss to the corporation, be-
cause work can he carried on some
where else. The Argo company, as an
independent company, could not afford
to close down and turn off it's employees,
but when the ArSO company becomes
membe of the National Starch COM
pany, the employees have no way of
protecting themselves, because the
work here can be suspended while the
employees are starved into submission.
Under the trust system a strike in one
factory brings no loss to the company,
but it does bring great loss to the en-
ployees.
IF an order comes from the head
office in New York to reduce the wages
in all the starch factories, the men
have nothing to do but TO submit The
same greed which leads trusts to raise
prices and extort from consumers will
allow it to lower wages and 10 do in
justice to the employees.
The attorney general is seeking to
enforce a statute in Nebraska. The law
is a good law and ought to be en-
forced, and the people Of Nebraska
City ought to hold a mass meeting 70
commend him rather than condemn
him The fusion forces believe in en-
forcing both state laws and national
laws against the trusts. The Kansas
City platform demands the humiliation
Of all private mOnOpOiies-
Says Griggs Is. Derelict.
IF the United States attorney gen
eral of the Republican party had done
his duty he would have been enforcing
this law, instead of Mr.. Smythe being
down here tonight doing what the Re
publican national attorney general
should do. This Republican admins
tration has brought just three suits
during the last three years, and yet
more trusts have organized during the
last three years than during the history
of the country. L want you people to
understand that if we get hold of this
government the federal administration
as well as the state administration Will
lay its hands upon the starch trust"
Mr.. Bryan was followed by Attorney
General Srnythe and by James Hamil-
ton Lewis. former congressman from
the state of Washington.
Mr.. Bryan returned to Lincoln to-
night He will start at O'Clock in the
morning on a general tour of the coun-
try. not to return TO Nebraska until