The evening times., 1900-09-28

From Free Government TO Empire.
HAGERsToWN, Md, Sept. 28.-In Ia
! gerstown last night Richard Fl. Alvey, jr
made speech before large Democratic
meeting. In 1896 he was Palmer Buck
ner Democrat. This year he is for Bryan
| on the issues of Imperialism and trusts.
He is the son of Chief Justice Richard H.
| Alvey, of the Court of Appeals of the Dis
trict of Columbia Mr. Alvey said:
| in calling attention to the evils of the
| imperial policy of the Mckinley Admins
| tration, it is not necessary to go over
seas and study conditions in the Philip
pines, in Porto Rico, or in Cuba. There is
+! enough at home to cause alarm and to
emphasize the dangers of the present ma
| tionaI crisis These dangers and evils are
| not prospective oHly-they are here now
with us; We feel them already pressing
! the burden of increased taxation. the
| stamp tax on every document from teie-
! gram TO a mort gage, the senseless less Of
! life in the Spanish and Illegal Philippine
wars, the scandals connected with the
War and Navy Departments, the mSintcn-
/ new dependencies.
| add to these the direct, fragrant. and
alarming violations of the Constitution by
| the President and a Republican Congress,
! the startling and significant usurpation of
| power by the President and the absolute
abandonment by the Government of the
| great principles proclaimed to the world
! by our Declaration of Independence, and
we are forced to confess that already
America is becoming un-American.
Yet this is but the beginning. The con-
tinuance and extension of this imperial
policy viii surely lead US to far greater
evils: To the maintenance of a large per-
manent standing army, at an enormous
yearly expense: 10 the dangers of lnilitar-
ism, threatening the political rights and
liberties Of the citizen; TO a yearly in
creasing tax rate; 10 a condition OF indus
trial uncertainty consequent upon continu-
ally changing foreign and colonial rela-
| tioDs; TO all the menace of further usurpa-
tion Of power by the President; TO the en-
tire abTogation OF our national principles,
and to the complete disregard Of constitu-
tionaI limitations. Mr.. Mckinley calls it
destiny. May such never be the destiny of
the United States, Our destiny We have
always believed, was 80 give 20 the world
model Of a self-governing. self-suf1cient
Republic and to offer an asylum TO the op-
pressed and downtrodden of every land. II
A4slFS 4SiiielAtSN AUi -uEfAiHttS 10 punt 10
another destiny and to turn the helm OF
state to steer for another star History
repeats itself and the spectacle Of the
transition from a republic to an empire is
not new one.
On the subject OF trusts Mr.. Alvey said:
The modus operandi OF the trust is an
open s5cret-the combination OF capital
the cutting of prices te force out all sim
u-.r concerns or to drive them into the
tlcst, Until the monopoly is established
AMI tb" consumer is at the mercy of the
combine; then comes the rise in prices
It is said that the trust is the natural
outgrowth of economic conditions. This
is not wholly true. The law OF supply
and demand controls the prices of all
commodities, and the condition OF perfect
competition is the most natural and
healthy state of trade. Opposed to COM
p, tIti3l ere certain human laws ,gener-
aliy-bad, but sometimes advsEtageouslv
affecting iabor). custom and combination
It is generally The bad law that makes
combinations possible and then protects
them Custom may check free competi-
tion along certain lines, put seldom inju-
riously. The principle has been generally
recognized that public expediency war
rants governmental interference with the
trust power. Our statute books contain
laws which, if enforced, would materially
lessen this great and growing evil. The
Democratic party demands the enforce
nent of these laws, as well as the passage
OF more effective legislation.
The effect upon prices is not the
worst evil for which the trusts are re
spensible- Far worse and faTther-reach-
ing is their banefuI influence upon the
Government itself We know the part
that the Tobacco and Sugar Trusts play
ed in the Porto Rico tariff iniquity; we
know how the trust and the tariff are
rra1Ir
troubles and distress that the trust fac
tories have caused; we know that a fh
inStgation Of the trusts sectional ard
class legislation of the worst dcscligU on
has been passed; we know the corruptinz
influence of the trusts upon our Legisla-
lures and, perhaps, sometimes upon cur
courts There is a remedy for all this
It has been in the hands OF the RepubIi-
can party. and that party has failed to
apply it. The Democratic parry now de-
nandS the right to correct the evil Thu
attitude cf the Republican party upoa
this question has been insincere and
shameless.
We in this Congressional district have
| well-defined task before US. We have to
return a Democratic Congressman, and We
expect to do it. because We have the right
man We have. too, to give our aid to
the holding the State of Maryland WheTs
! she belongs, and where We believe she is
and not in that of doubtful States. And
finally we are to help swell that great
wave of national enthusiasm and patriot
ism that is to land in the Presidential
chair next November the man who will e.
fectively check the imperial tendency of
the Government and execute fearlessly and
impartially the laws in restraint of the
trust evil
States Attorney Thomas A. Poffenber-
ger also spoke He read from the local
Republican organ a statement published in
1898. when Colonel Pearre was a candidate
for Congress for the first time, that Colonel
Pearre was not in favor of the annexation
CT the Philippines. States Attorney Pof-
fenberger, who was Colonel Pearre's oppo-
nent in 1898, said the statement made by
Colonel Pearre was in reply to a demand
on Mr. Poffenberger's part for a positive
statement on this question.
Col. Buchanan Sehley, presided at last
nights meeting.
CREAaED A DISTURBANCE