Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-10-03
Speech Of Hon. W. Jennings
Bryan at Nebraska City.
cHEAPEN RAW MATERIALS.
How Local Interests arc Destroyed by tho
Combines Employee is Left with
out Any Protection ,yhatever- Is This
to tho Advantage of Those whose Busl-
moss It is to Produce Such Materials p
Provisions Against Expccted,Trouble.


Hon. w. Jennings Bryan addressed
great crowd at Nebraska City. Neb.,
few days ago. He discussed the
trust question at LENGTH saying in
part:
"A prominent Republican has ac-
cused the Democrats OF representing
the forces of lawlessness. mention
this because the Republicans OF Me-
braska City have met and protested
against the enforcement Of q statute
OF the State of Nebraska and a Repub-
ncan Judge was chairman OF the Res
buttons Committee. While the meet
ing was called Il non-partisan one, It's
purpose was purely political, and it Is
worth while to note that the Republi-
cans seem better able to enforce the
statutes against petty offenders than
they are to enforce statutes against
great corporations.
THE Attorney General has com
menced proceedings, not to destroy a
local manufacturing establishment. but
10 prevent the manufacturing eStab-
lishment from entering into trust. In
this connection 1t may be well to note
the dinerent steps which have been
taken. The Argo Manufacturing Com
pany. of Nebraska City. was pros
this prosperity quote from the Con-
sentative published by ex-Secretary of
Agriculture, ]. Sterling Morton). of
Nebraska City. May 25. 1899. Here is
what the Conservative says:
THE EVIDENCE.
Therefore. when the Conservative
points with pride to the Argo factory
at Nebraska City. which turns out 80
tons OF starch every "a hours, finds
markets therefor and successfully COM
petes in America and Europe with the
National Starch Trust. 1t is not In ex-
tcnuntion or mitigation of any views
expressed heretofore. 1t is merely ir-
REPUTABLE evidence of the fact that no
combine or capital can crush out q
well-managed concern. Nebraska City,
IN Its cereal mills and Argo factory,
mas two successful plants which no
trust has yet been able to buy, bully
or wheedle. They plainly illustrate the
fact that intelligent competition can
enter the markets against all trusts
and win out
Starch Company is denounced as a
trust. and the Conservative declares
that the Argo company was able to
compete with the trust. and that no
trust, had been able to buy the Argo
company.
about the LIST of September, 1899,
few months after the editorial comment
which have just read the Argo Com
pany Joined the United Starch Com
pany, and the Conservative of Septem-
Der Fl, 1899. quoted an article from the
Commercial and Financial World, from
which take the following extract:
A COMPETITIVE ORGANIZATION.
Ever since the starch trust, or Ma
tional Starch Manufacturing Company
began business there has been talk
among those manufacturers of a strong
competitive organization, and this. we
now have the pleasure OF recording, has
at length been brought to pass. There
has just been organized under the laws
of the State OF New Jersey, with a cap
ital of S6,000,000. powerful concern I'M
der the name Of the United Starch
Company, which is consolidation or
combination of the only four starch
manufacturing concerns in the United
States that are not in the trust, the
Oswego Starch Factory, the American
Glucose Manufacturing Company, of
Buffalo; Gilbert S. Graves. the Argo
Manufacturing Company, OF Nebraska
City, Neb. Joel Martin s. Company
and the Sioux City Starch Works
These concerns are the largest and
most important manufacturers of fine
grades of starch in the United States,
and their transactions are in the aggre-
gate enormous.
THE THIRD STEP.
"About year later. that is in August
or September of this year, 1900, the
third step was taken. and the United
we have an Independent company
growing and prospecting upon its
merits; second, this independent COM
pany joins other companies to fight
the starch trust, and third. this indie
pendent company, with Its associates,
Joins the starch trust, and competition
Is at last DESTROYED. If any citizen Of
Nebraska City thinks that this starch
company is not trust let him read the
extracts from the Conservative which
have quoted and he will find that this
organization has been recognized at all
hines as q trust"
MORE HOSTILITY TO TRUSTS.
Mr.. Bryan then quoted extensively
from editorial articles in Mr.. Morton's
Conservative. showing hostility to
trusts. Commenting in q general way,
Mr.. Bryan said:
"If the people of Nebraska City de-
fend the starch trust, they must be
prepared to defend all the other trusts.
for it is impossible for them to destroy
trusts located elsewhere and defend
trust located in their own city. Are
the people of Nebraska City willing to
subject themselves and their country
men to the extortion practiced by all
the trusts in order to maintain one
trust. which has one factory in their
city? AS a matter of fact, the people
of Nebraska City are more interested
in the dissolution Of the starch trust
than the people of other parts of the
State. When the Argo was an indepen-
dent company 1T was controlled by citi-
Zens of Nebraska City and Nebraska
City interests could be considered by
Its management. But IL the National
Starch Company, with headquarters in
New York, is allowed to absorb this in
dustry the control will be removed
from Nebraska City to New York, and