The evening times., 1900-09-19
FIGHT AGAINST TRUSTS
Hanna'S Statement That Illegal
Combinations Do Not Exist.
Contrasts Made Betsveen the Present
Utterances of the Republican Lead
er and the Party FIatform-inter-
est in the Subject Caused by the
Coal Strike in Pennsylvania

In view CT the increasing prominence
of the trust question in the PR ssns cam
paign, the Democratic managers are
keeping all the available ms -erial in
that connection before the people.
AS an offset to Mr.. Hanna's address in
Chicago yesterday, in which he used The
following language; II would like Mr.
Bryan or any other Democrat to tell me
what trust is I believe there is not
a trust in the entire United States.
There is a national law, and in every
State there is a law against trusts
They cannot exist, and every law against
trusts national or State, has been the
product of Republican laWma kerS, and
the credit is due to the Republican
party. l have no objection to the Demo
crats opposing trusts. but they have not
got any patent on 1.-THE Democratic
managers are calling attention to the
antitrust section of the D5mocratiC
platform and the apology for the trusts
contained in the Republican platform
When the declaration against trusts and
the apology for them are placed il op-
position the effect is Democratic.
The platform on which MIR. Bryan
stands contains this:
Private monopOlies are indefensible and
intoierable. They destroy competition, con-
troll the price OF all material and of the
finished product thus robbing both pro-
ducer and consumer They lessen the EN-
ployment of labor and arbitrarily fix the
terms and conditions thereof, and deprive
individual energy and small capital OF their
unit for heYr rarTYll llToT IA
most efficient means yet devised for appro
priating the fruits of industy TO the benefit
of the few at the expense of the many,
and unless their insatiate greed is checked
all wealth will be aggregated in the hands
of a few and the Republic destroyed
The dishonest palteTing with the trust
evil by the Republican party in State and
national platforms is conclusive proof of
the truth of the charge that trusts are the
legitimate product of Republican policies
that they are tostered by Republican laws.
and that they are protected by the Repub-
hcan Administration in return for cam
paign subscriptions and political support.
We pledge the Democratic party to an
increasing warfare in nation, State, and
city against private monopoly in every
form. Existing laws against trusts must
be enforced and more stringent ones must
be enacted providing for publicity as to the
affairs OF Gers orations engaged in inter-
State commerce, and requiring all corpora
tions to show before doing business out
side Of the State Of their origin that they
have no water in their stock and that they
have not attempted and are not attempting
20 monopolize any branch of business or
the production of any articles of mer-
chandise and the whole constitutional
power of Congress over Interstate COM
meree the mails, and all modes of inter.
State communication shall be exercised by
the enactment of comprehensive laws upon
the subject of trusts.
Tariff laws should be amended by put
ting products of the trusts upon the free
list to prevent monopoly under the plea Of
protection.
The failure of the present Republican
Administration, with an absolute control
over all the branches of the National Gov
eminent to enact any legislation designed
to prevent or even curtail the absorbing
power of trusts and Illegal combinations,
or to enforce the antitrust laws already
on the statute books, proves the insncerity
OF the high-sounding phrases CT the Re-
publican platform
Corporations should be protected in all
their rights and their legitimate interes Is
should be respected, but any attempt by
corporations to interfere with the public
affairs of the people or 20 control the SOW
ereignty which creates them. should be for
hidden under such penalties as will make
such attempts impossible.
We condemn the Dingley Tariff law as
a trust-breeding measure, skiiIfuly de-
yised to give the few favors which they
do not deserve and 10 place upon the many
burdens which they should not bear
And this IS all the Republican platform
has to say about trusts:
I'VE recognize the necessity and propri-
ETY. of the honest cooperation of capital to
meet new business conditions, and espe-
cially to extend our rapidly increasing for
e1gn trade, but We condemn all cOnspiracies
and combinations intended TO restrict bus
mess, to create monopolies, to limit pro-
duction, or to control prices, and favor
such legislation as will effectuaIIy restrain
and prevent all such abuses, protect and
promote competition and secure the rights
or producers, laborers, and all who are en-
gagged in Industry and commerce"
Hannn's Defence of Trusts
The Democratic campaign managers
are making use of an extract from the
speech delivered in the House by Mr..
Gaines of Tennessee, on June 2, in
which he sharply arraigned Senator
Hanna for his defence Of trusts. Mr..
Gaines said:
again, Senator Hanna, in the course
of the campaign in Ohio last fall, warm
ly advocating the trust-loving Mr. Nash
In his candidacy for his election, at
different times thus showed he was the
bold advocate and friend of trusts:
Trusts are good things
There is not a trust in the United
States.
people Of this country?
1t may be that the trusts will do
the people harm. If they do, the Repub-
hcan party Will take care Of that
How, l ask? BY killing all Anti
trust laws, as recently done in Ohio,