The age-herald., 1900-02-16
THE oHLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ALABAMA
Chieauo's Antitrust Conference.

The conference of tho American anti trust league, recently held in Chicago, was not an imposing gathering of broad-minded men from all parties. As 6 rule the repub- Iicans stayed away. They seemed to know that their party had become the partner and protector of the trusts. and that they could not, therefore, consistently attend the conference. and they were wholly correct in this conclusion.
 Very earnest men were, however, pres ent, and the platform they adopted is well worth the attention of every reader, for it is an indication of the trend of thought on the subject. The Age-Herald gives 1t in full:
 Whereas, In the opinion of the national antitrust conference, assembled att Chicago February 12 13 and If, 1900 the just and true remedy for the combinations known as trusts, which consist of corporations and natural persons controlling legahzed and special privileges, Is the abolition of these privileges; and
 Whereas, The legaiized privilege of tele- graph monopoly, the legalized privilege of protection against foreign competition with American goods controlled by trusts, the
 
 of paper money, and the legalized privileges incident to the private ownership of rail- ways, potent factors in creating and maintaining trusts; therefore, be it
 Resolved, 1.-nhat congress take imrned- ialte steps, under the power of eminent do- main. or otherwise may be deemed the most expedient (but in any event by paying the just va1le. irrespective of watered stock or other fictitious value of any prop erty taken or condemned), ito establish the telegraph and telephone systems of the United States adjuncts of the post office department, and subject to it's operations; 2. That congress defeat all measures that have been or may be proposed and repeal all that now have the sanction of law, whereby private corporations may acquire control of fha volume of the circulating mediums and create q usiffffss--tr1S trust;
 That congress take immediate asteps under the power of eminent domain. otherwise, as may be deemed the more ex- pedient (but in any event by paying the just value. irrespective of watered stock or other fictitious values of any property taken or condemned) to take, own and operate fthe interstateirail highways now owned and operated by private persons as railroad cor porations;
 And whereas. the political power of the trusts rise in their frequent representation in and control of the houses of legislation. we recommend the adoption of the system known as direct legislation to make gov ernmept once more as of right it ought to be. and as was conceived alike by Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, a govern- ment of the people, for the people and by the people.
 Much more radical resolutions were de- sired by a portion of the convention, some going so far as ito attack the property rights of corporations when the govern menN takes control of them, if it ever does. Tom l.. Johnson led the movement which had for It's object the ignoring of the value of franchise but on the final vote he and his friends were defeated. The plan adopted was compromise of opposing views in the convention.
 The protection and plutocraIt;c organs will denounce the resolutions adopted by the conference; but some day they will awake to the fact that the intelligence of the coun- try is steadily, if not rapidly seeking an effectual remedy against the combinations that are crushing out small industries, and that are rendering the rise of individuals fpAn the bottom to the rank of proprietor ship increasingly difficult. When the nation takes up this problem in earnest something will have to give away in response to it.. What it will be or to what eOtert it will go cannot now be foreseen.