The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-07-07


by royal edict, were to arbitrarily raise
the price of bread throughout his do
minions to all his subjects; would not
that be called wanton act of imperial
ism? But how would it differ from the
edict of trust in the United States, ar
bitrarily raising the price of any particu-
lar necessity OF life which it might have
the power OF control? If king any
where on earth were to lay hands upon
the sources of production among his
people, and thereupon were to limit the
supply, control the distribution and fix
the price OF natural products for his
own benefit, would that not be called an
act OF imperialism OF trusts as practiced
in this country to-day? The truth is
that trusts do what kings would never
dare. The king of England laid a tax
on tea in Boston harbor, and as con-
sequence lost an empire; but the king OF
monopoly in the United States lays a
tax on every article in universal use, and
as consequence expects his dupes to
re-elect a president who will confirm
this power. Show me anywhere on
earth an act of monarch or dictator
more imperious than an act of congress
that turns the highest functions of gov
eminent over to national banks and
makes the magnitude OF the peoples
debts the index OF their prosperity.
Show me in the worlds history more
arbitrary use of imperial power than is
implied when the money trust controls
the circulating medium OF country
and the other trusts control all its man
ufactured and many OF its natural prod
ucts. You cannot show it. And still
our opponents say there is no imperial
ism-there is only duty and destiny
and responsibility Meanwhile Duty
wears a crown, Destiny carries scep-
ter and Responsibility benignly smiles
on both ard says: God bless you, my
children
"Only short time ago they were tell
ing US with equal earncstncss that there
were no trusts. But when Mark Hanna
dictates platform for the Republican
state convention Of Ohio, which was
adopted in this auditorium but a few
weeks since, he forsook that old false
hood and made full confession of his
sins and the sins OF the Republican
party. That platform not only ac-
knowledged the existence OF trusts, but
proceeded to classify them. In effect,
it declared that there are three kinds of
trusts-good, bad and Indifferent. The
Indifferent trust is the trust that is not
big enough to attract much attention;
the bad trust is the trust that refuses to
throw UP its hands when the political
highwayman appears, and the good trust
is the trust that contributes most to the
Republican party, to which it owes its
life. Thus nowadays, instead OF telling
lis there is no imperialism, they will be
pointing us to the comparative adj
vantages of different brands of imperial
ism. Some will doubtless be labeled
'polygamy,' others Slavery others
tariff taxes between parts of the Union
and still others with various designa-
tions more or less appropriate. And
then we shall have dissertations on their
respective merits by man whose only
claim to renown is that he bought a
United States senatorsllip and afterward
boosted that he knows his business
But when this happens we shall have
gained one point. We shall have forced
them to admit that imperialism is at
hand, just as we have already forced
them to admit that trusts are today
operating in every state Of the Union,
in violation OF the law and to the ruin
of the public welfare.
I Behind these trusts-the industrial
and the imperial--s one greater than
any and from which all the other trusts
come. 1t is the political trust operated
by M. A. Hanna and represented i'll the
White House by William Mckinley.
This is the trust that goes into every
state, every congressional district, every
county and every precinct in this coun-
try, debating who shall be candidates
for office; who, being candidates, shall
be elected; who shall make the laws,
and what kind of laws they shall be
when made. The political trust is the
trust that goes into state legislatures
and even to the distant islands of the
sea, to procure public franchises for its
favorites. This is the trust that deter
mines which party shall predominant i'll
both branches of congress, and in re-
turn for services to that end openly and
shamelessly bestows foreign consular
ships and local Offices upon those who
promote its interests This is the trust
which gathers up the usufruct OF all the
other trusts and applies their millions
annually to perpetuate itself in power.
This is the trust that worms itself into
political conventions, as it has recently
done in Ohio and from this very plat
form and is able to prevent delegates
from voting for their choice for a state
officer, even after they have been in
structed by their constituents for whom
to vote. This is the trust that is able
tn Drevent the DeOn1e of Ohio from, ce1n