The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-14
THE NIGHT
Speeches by Lockwood. George Fred
Williams and Others.

-
Speeches by Lockwood. George Fred
Williams and Others.
CHICAGO. Feb. ls-American flags were
carried by a number of persons in the Au-
ditorium meeting tonight. The stage was
filed with prominent antitrust men. Judge
William Prentiss called the meeting TO or
der and introduced President Lockwood,
of the National Antitrust League. as pre-
siding officer. Mr.. Lockwood said. among
other things:
Railway discrimination has fastened an
anthracite coal monopoly upon US. Rail-
way discrimination has fastened a bitumi-
nous coal combine monopoly upon US. Rail-
way discrimination has fastened the Big
-Four beef combine monopoly upon US.
Railway Discrimination has fastened the
grain-elevator combine monopoly upon US.
Railway discrimination has fastened the
Sugar Trust monopoly upon US. Railway
discrimination has fastened the Standard
Oil Trust monopoly upon us. Railway dis
elimination has created and maintained al
most every commercial monopoly that
curses the American people to-day.
Aye. so arrogant has this trust power
become that it assumes TO itself the right
TO dictate TO the commercial classes how
they shall buy and how they shall SELL
Aye. more. so arrogant has the trust
power become that it assumes 90 itself the
right to dictate to the American workman,
the American citizen. how he shall vote
and threatens him with the blacklist and
starvation for wife and children IL he dare
TO assert his manhood and refuse TO obey
this master.
Don't you hear the murmurs in the air?
Did you hear the echoes Of dynamite from
Shoshone county, Idaho, from Cleveland.
o., and from Brooklyn, N. Y? What does
1t mean? 1t means an American people
protest against white slavery. A slavery
the worst the world has ever known. a
slavery with the cruel greed of corporate
capital holding the lash, a slavery without
a human heart or conscience to soften it's
Calling chain, a slavery with starvation
at one end and cringing, covering sub
serviency at the other" In telling what
would happen Mr.. lockwood said the peo-
pie would take the railways themselves.
Frank 5. Monnett, former attorney gen-
eral of Ohio. was the next speaker. His
address was in line with his well-known
views.
George Fred Williams, of Massachusetts,.
in concluding his address, said: THE wal
of emancipation has begun In earnest, and
all the talent is not on one side. The evils
are all faced by schools which understand
them. The land monopoly has against IL
the powerful and brainy single-taxer; the
monopoly Of transportation Is creating a
vast contingent of voters who demand pub
lie ownership; the Socialists are attacking
the private Industrial system, and a great
political party has already demanded that
money, the measure OF all property, shall
be controlled only by the people. We are
not standing still, though we be heavily
burdened for the march. Let US collect
these forces together, unite them in pur-
pose and then study for united action. AL
ready our people are aroused TO the DAN
gers which menace our Republic. We know
that capital controls the battalions, but
even they cannot prevail against the
mighty forces of public opinion To TINS
opinion and TO the Providence wnlcn
xuo fobaS oyar mn Ranublic we aDpeal. and
We shall not fail"
BROTHERLY LOVE THE CURE.
Mayor Samuel NJ. Jones. of Toledo. was
| then introduced and cordially greeted. He
explained his well known theories that
the trusts should be owned by the people.
At one point in his address he said: II
do not believe that we really desire 10
abolish the trust idea, and, If we do. L
am certain that IL Will never be done. The
trust idea is an economic development
strictly in line with the evolutionary prog
| ress that has marked the history OF the
| race, and can no more be stopped by man.
made laws or rules or even armies than
can the movement of the planets in their
courses be stopped by such forces.
1.-The distress that is thrown upon the
country apparently by reason OF the enor-
nous development of trusts, within the
last three years. is exactly the same kind
of distress that the people. experienced
when by the introduction OF laboring saw
ing machinery, the work that had been done
by hands was done by the machine, and the
workers were indifferently left by their
fellowmen who had appropriated the ma
chine, to walk the streets I'm idleness and
starve. The evil does not lie in the
trust or in the men who control the trusts;
we must dig deeper TO ind IL. IL Is In the
foundation stone upon which our social
and political structure is thus far built
Its name is individualism. and Its sign
manual is individual success. This, in the
| Moloch. before whom we have Frustrated
| ourselves as a people. Gold not only has
! been but is our God, and the ability 10
acquire it has been the measure by which
we have tried every mans claim TO any
sort Of merit.
HOur course IS forward, not
| We shall not tear down the great DEPART
ment stores and go back to nifty or one
hundred small ones with as many owners
TO take its place; We shall not destroy the
labor-saving machines in order 10 impose
the burdens of useless toll upon humanity.
We are coming TO see that a social product
| should be socially owned. We shall under
stand that men are brothers and must live
brotherly. No other course is possible. The
trust principle instead of being destroyed
must be utilized, instead Of being a private
ly owned curse. IL must be made a publicly
owned blessing. As the inevitable result
OF competition is monopoly so the legit-
mate product OF the competitive system IS
the trust. The men who own the trusts be-
lieve in brotherhood for those composing
the trusts. The trust, as II stands to-day,
is the great American brotherhood, limit
ed; we must amend the title by striking
of the last word. At present 1 own no
stock In any trust, but j propose 10 devote
the energies of the remaining years of my
lifetime TO the education of the people I'm
the art OF Matchmaking and owning the
trusts. and then i shall be a stockholder
with all the rest
"With partisan politics and the evil OF
hatred and revenge upon which that sys-
tenn exists eliminated from our system.
with direct legislation through the initia-
tive and referendum introduced into IL the
hand of progress will have been moved
forward upon the dial OF time and We
shall see the beginning of the day when
business will be friendship and govern
ment will be love-"
When Mayor Jones concluded his address
he requested the audience to join him I'm
In the vast auditorium arose and the
During the singing of the chorus hundreds
OF flags iuttered from the hands OF the peo-
pie.
John 8. Crosby. OF New York. was the
next speaker. He contended that as Ions
as the State continues TO create and pro-
tect ''those artificial persons called cor
porations' so long will natural persons be
deprived of the benefits OF natural COM
petition because compelled TO compete with
persons unnaturally and excessively strong
and powerful.
Tom l.. Johnson was then introduced and
received enthusiastic welcome at the hands
devoted to land monopoly" and a reitera-
ton.
Former Governor John p Alteeld next