The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-10

the result. These self-cOnstituted pa
triots, only few In number but very
noisy proceeded to bolt the action OF
the committee meeting within less
than an hour after It had adjourned.
and issued a call for a rump conven-
tIon that met at cincinatti in Sep
tember.
Despite this treachery and bad
faith. the national committee, at It's
meeting held in Lincoln, Neb., a few
months ago. stood by that Omaha
agreement to the letter and called this
convention 70 meet more than 30 days
ahead Of both the old party conyen-
tions. But what was the result? The
game self constituted patriots again
bolted the action Of the committee at
Lincoln, after getting everything that
they had demanded in the Omaha reso-
luton.
They went to Omaha determined to
bolt and try 10 split the party, and
failing to find an excuse. they bolted
anyway. They went again TO the
meeting Of the committee at Lincoln
determined beforehand to bolt. and try
10 find an excuse to bolt. and. falling
to find an excuse, they bolted again
anyway. But one member Of the ma
tional committee voted. and only two
or three who held proxies. and these
two or three were men who mad al
ready bolted in fact by supporting the
Barker and DonnelIy rump ticket
These boilers, however, are few Ia
number. but, like the Irishman's frog
they make noise enough for a mil
lion"
After reciting some facts connected
with the management Of the party
Senator Butler referred briefly to the
platform to be adopted BY this con
yention. saying in part:
Il viii not attempt 10. or presume Z
outline the platform that this convan.
tion should adopt. but let me cal
your attention to the three fundament.
al planks in the last peoples party
national convention, and point oui
their application to present conditions
Every political party will go into
this campaign denouncing trusts
The English language will be exhaust.
ed in searching for adiectives with
which to paint the evils of crimina
and unlawful combinations; but MARI
how many platforms will have tn,
courage or the honesty to roint tC
the causes that produce trusts, and tS
offer remedy for them. That rem,
edy is already in every platform evel
adopted by a peoples party con
tion. 1t was first put forward as tn,
preventative. In short. If the present
peoples party platform adopted haC
been enacted into law we would moi
today have these great industrial com,
binations called trusts.
Then. in short, what are the cause:
that produce trusts and what is tn,
remedy for the evil? Any combina,
ton Of people controlling the threS
great instruments of commerce will
control all commerce and can put any
and every business In the nation into
a trust at will-they can go farther
and win go further. and have gone
further. and control the government
itself What are these three instru.
ments OF commerce? First, money;
second. transportation; third. the
transmission Of intelligence. When
they are controlled by private
hands they are private monop-
olies. and they become the three grea,
mother trusts--a trust on money, 4
trust on transportation and trust
on the transmission Of intelligence;
and those who control these three
mother trusts can put every industry
into 9 trust.
rs there anything radical in the DO.
sition Of the peoples party demanding
that these three great instruments
Of commerce shall be taken out Of pri.
vate hands and controlled by the gov.
ernment, as a government function, in
the interest Of all the people, TO the
end that every individual and every
business enterprise may have an equal
opportunity to use these instruments
of commerce without discrimination or
favoritism?
Let us see. Turn to the constitu-
tion framed by our forefathers. What
do you find? Among the powers and
duties Of congress there is laid down
at the head Of the list that it is the
duty Of congress to control the instru-
ments Of commerce. Has congress
done this? No. What is the result?
A government Of the trusts, for the
trusts. by the trusts. What is the
remedy? Stand by the constitution.
Let congress carry out its sworn duty
and control these instruments of COM
merce ins the interest Of all and not
permit them to be controlled by prl-
vate individuals for the benefit of the
few"
Next Senator Butler called attention
briefly TO the action Of the peoples
party in the last campaign and to the
situation that confronts the party
now He said:
Never in the history OF the world.