Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-14
SPOONER TALKS ON TRUSTS
Pays His Compliment to the 0Sal BarOnI
IN No Uncertain Manner.
PRAISES THE COURSE OF PRESIDENT
Combinations Of Capital Have Come
to stay, bet They. Must he
Creatures and Not Masters
Of the People.

MILWAUKEE,, Oct. .13-United States
Senator John c. spooner made his first
speech Of the republican campaign in Wis
consin at Schlitz's park, in this city, to-
night, speaking under the auspices of the
national republican congressional commit
tee. "A crowd of 5000 people turned out in
a drenchiug rain to hear him. He re.
colved a tremendous ovation. During the
course OF his remarks he paid a magnih-
cent tribute to President Roosevelt.
Touching upon the coal strike the speaker
said
The coal strike is an element which dis
turbs the people Of this whole country.
II is a menace which ffightens almost
EVERYONE Does any man attribute II to
a quarrel between the operators, the coal
aiming companies and their men, in which
| sympathize with the men. prolonged
applause) The coal combination Is one,
gentlemen, which exists IN violation of the
constitution of the state of PennsylVania,
which prohibits any railroad company from
owning or operating coal mines. If that
constitutional provision has not been en-
forced, 1t is not the fault of the repub-
lican party in the United States. it Is the
fault of the commonwealth of Pennsylva-
MIA. The government of the United States
in a state. You do not need to be tod
that. 1t is obvious to any man of intelli-
gence.
No Right to stand Out.
The coal operators had no right to stand
out upon a difference of that sort with
their men Till the verge of winter, and
until there was forced upon the appre-
hension OF our people n coal famine which
would affect detrimentally not simply In
d~ustries. but men and women and children,
their health and life. IL they had ac-
corded the Increase of wages which the
been a oSpisad L; y poy f Il, for T sSey w 9Sid
have added it TO the price of coal-and we
would gladly have paid it to avert this
trouble,
SO IL was not that, but when a combina-
ton of capital like that of the, Coal trust
refuses to recognize a combination of labor
It reaches the dizzy height of impudence.
Labor has as much right to combine as
capital. Capital has as much right TO COM
bine as labor. Both must keep within the
law. But, bad as it is, it will pass away.
There are some men who can settle it
and they must settle II.
And / may say one thing here tonight
that never before. within my recollection
has a president Of the United States. not
speaking for the employees, not speaking for
the operators-he had no right to. do either
but speaking for the people of the United
States, done as much to compromise a
difference and protect the people.
Speaking of the trusts, Senator Spooner
said: - ''-
Trusts are the ,outgfowth, and the inevi-
table outgrowth, of modern progress. They
are evolution, and men may talk about
are here to conserve the public interest, 81
they will. They are. corporations. They
L are servants or the law ana OF the people.
| AS servants they are inexpressibly useful.
| AS masters in any field of industry. they
are not to, be tolerated at all, for the
American people will have no masters,
either in politics or i'm business. They do
not always come about in an unnatural
\ way, or to stffle competition. They come
about to enable a competitor to meet CONS
petition.
There is danger in these combinations II
they become so powerful that they. absorb
I the industry in a country so that they are
at liberty, II they choose, to fix prices as
they will and become a positive, menace.
bin Mnst BE Intelligent Remedy. s.G6
What help is there for 1t in this coun-
would have the power to stop them tomor.
row, in i've days from today there would
not be a bank open in any city in the
United States, and there would not be a
factory open or a large establishment en-
gagged in any industry. l only mean to In
sought for them must he carefully sought
and ,in~telligently applied. have been OF
the opinion that the laws of competition, Il
left to have their way, would in the enc
conquer them and protect the people.
may be wrong about II, although there are
sugar trust. 1t was a corporation which
controlled 90 per cent of the sugar refined
In the United States. That, one would sup
pose, would be a monopoly. But II so con
Quoted its business that Il invited compe
tition, for wherever capital finds a fielC
fails to enter II, and for the last few years
as you know, there has been between. tbs
sugar trust. as II is called, and the indie
pendent refineries as fierce and bitter
competition as has been known In thii
country.