The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-30

not be right for US to want a policy That
would cheaper money, manifestly II IS
against the interests of our people to nave
policy that makes money dear, the pur-
chasing power Of money dear.
FROM LAST YEARS EXPORTS.
/ think our exports last year amounted
to $1,000, 100000 or 81, 400 600, 600. at the
prices, mind you. at which they were SOLD,
exports, wheat and other products, could
have been sold at the bimetallic standard
of prices for just about twice what they
brought on the gold standard basis and
1900 900, 600 or 400, OOo, 900, our exports
would have been about $500. 900, 600 or $500, :
00O, 000 AS it was 1t seems we got back
only about $3.50, 900 900 in money. Well, you
say, what became Of the other four hun
dred and fifty or the other six or seven or
eight hundred million? Why, they went to
pay interest on our debt over there, ana
goods was imported The excess Of our
exports over imports was about $500, 00O, 900,
and we got Of that about $l50, 100000 In
money during the year-or about that.
Well. now my friends. If you got bime-
tallic prices for the products of your
farms here it would give just about twice
farmers would have been able to buy
twice as much about as you can buy now;
1t would increase the business of your
stores, banks and railroads; it would
now cannot exist
FORMATION OF TRUSTS. &
But new conditions have arisen during
the last few years that our people were
not used to before While you have to
sell in the open competitive markets OF
make it necessary. and which compel you
to buy in a restricted market, where
prices are artificial and arbitrary, all
marked up, We have heard good deal
oh f0r TOW, ~ rcf
seems simple. The men engaged in manu-
featuring some particular article of neces-
sity to our people come together, put their
establishments under one management
sue bonds for more than the total value
of all the properties; they then issue
stocks for three OR four times that value,
and then they start out to compel the
public to pay interest on all.
The first effect Of the formation of a
trust is to reduce the cost of production.
They can discharge their travelling men.
They can discharge their bright, active
managers needed in competitive bust
ness, and who have to have good sal
aries-they don't need them-a monopoly
don't need competitive men; 1t needs only
shipping men; cheap men answer their
purpose. There is consequently a saving
effected, and if 1t stopped there you might
say, well this is the order Of the times,
We must expect this result. We would
probably insist that the general public
ought to have a share of this saving of
this cheapened production. But the trust
people don't stop there. They not only
pocket all the saving that can be expects
ed in the way of cheapened production;
but, finding that they have the public at
their mercy, finding that the public must
buy of them, they sit down, few men
do the managing, and they just arbitrari
ly mark up the prices to suit themselves
ten per cent, twenty per cent, fifty per
cent, one hundred per cent You use
barb Wire on your farms. You will find
hot Won iI1Cf tOl1 fl-io hat
1t did. If you use nails on your house 1t
costs you twice what 1t did If you buy
furniture you will find that it has been
marked up thirty to fifty per cent. If you
been marked up thirty to eighty per cent.
If you use lumber you will find that 1t
has been marked up forty to sixty per
cent.
TRUST CONTROLS EVERYTHING.
Touch what you will, the shoes on your
feet, the clothes on your back, the hat on
your head, anything and everything of
manufactured nature nearly is now con-
trolled either entirely or substantially by
the trust According to the statistics that
have been gathered by the great papers
of New York there is today scarcely an
article of, prime necessity to the American
people but what is controlled by d trust
and the prices have been advanced ar
bitrarily from twenty to one hundred and
twenty per cent.
Well now, my friends, 1t Is manifest
that if you have. got to sell your goods
in an open competitive market and that
too, in market where the. prices are
fixed upon a narrow monetary basis, and
you have got to buy your necessities In
a restricted market where the prices are
artificial and arbitrarily marked up, that
you will be defrauded. Your social status
will grow lower and lower every year,
and so will that of your children No in
This is threatening our people as no other
one thing perhaps has threatened our
prosperity. 1t is alarming the citizens Of
the time because Of the enormity of the
have examined it, all of the statesmen,
the public men, the economists, that 1t Is
going to require legislation. Something
has got to be done to protect the Ameri-
can people from the grasp of-these great
octopi Just what will be the remedy it
is difficult perhaps to tell. Numerous rem
edies are advanced, but, like all other
great problems, it is going to take time
forts to finally determine 1t. 1t will be
found, as is always found in such cases.
that 1t will require legislation. This will
have to be amended. strengthened, chang
ed and added to. But if there is a de-
termined effort to put an end to these
trusts then the American people will
succeed. Applause.) The American peo-
pie have so far met and solved every great
problem that has confronted them. and
they will solve this problem; but like the
great problems of the past, 1t is going to
REQUIRE earnest, determined Efforts 10 10
1t. s=
NOT PARTISAN BUT POLITICAL.
The question, you see, my friends, is po-
litical, because it requires legislation, 1t
is not necessarily partisan, in fact 1T
ought not to be partisan, but it is politi-
cal. Government has got to deal with IT..
There is a unanimity of sentiment upon
that point. We have got to have laws
of some sort along some line. Now, If
this is the. case, then the question arises,
which of the two great political parties
as they stand before the country today
do you believe will make the most earnest
and determined effort to solve this trust
problem and protect the American people
against the greed of these trusts? Which
of them will do 1t?
These trusts do not content themselves
with pocketing the profits of reduced cost
of protection. They do not content them
goods that they arbitrarily charge They
take hand in politics. They look after
the election of congressman, senators and
judges. Where they can they look after the
election of members to the legislature.
They find that the government is ire
mendous convenience to them, and they
are now in politics, shrewd. active men,
contributing money to carry election.
Now do you believe that politicians who
have been used to going secretly to the
office of the trust and getting money with
which to carry an election, getting money
in consideration of favors to be done by
sacrificing the interest OF the people af-
ter they have carried an election; do you
believe that that kind of politicians will
make a resolute and determined effort to
wipe out the trusts? That is one of the
questions you are going to have to con-
slider. We have politicians in this country
who go before the people and make pre-
tentions of faithfulness and promise to
look after their interests, and then they
spend all their time working in the inter-
ests Of these great corporations. They
do not do like Judas did. They do not
throw away the thirty pieces Of silver and
go and hang themselves. (Applause0 On
the contrary, when they find the one set
get thirty more. (Applause) Now, do
you believe that that class of politicians
1nIada fe c,.4