Arizona republican., 1902-12-08
Thomas Brackett Reed.

The word great is used so carelessly
 that 1t has lost much of it's meaning, and for that reason it does not seem
 to be the proper word wherewith to describe the late Thomas Bracket Reed But in truth, when that states man was touched by the finger of death at the turn of midnight yesterday morning, one of the really great men of America passed away. He was rich in nearly all of the attributes which go to make up greatness. His was a character so we'll rounded that he would have been remarkable at any period of our history. Unlike most men of extraordinary intellectual force. MT. Reed had none of the petty weak nesses of mankind. In Fis physical, mental and moral make Up. there was nothing little.
 MT. Reed was chiefly remarkable for a wonderful clarity of intellect. He himself would have been the first to de- ride the suggestion that he was an ora tor, and perhaps he was not an orator in the accepted meaning of that word. But his fellow citizens who have had the good fortune to listen to him in the debates in the house of representa- tives will agree that the crystalline cIearness of his mind so illuminated every subject upon which he spoke that his matter of fact tones and common place delivery were still sufficient al- ways to hold his hearers in eager at tention. It is no more possible to an- alyze MT. Reeds style in speaking and writing than it is to analyze the writ ings Of Solomon. Indeed, in referring to him, ore is reminded of tine college anecdote of the student who saw no special merit in SolomOn't proverbs. They are so simple" said he, that anybody could write them" Suppose you write some2" his professor sug- gested, and the discussion was closed. So simply did Thomas B. Reed state every proposition. no matter how ab- struse it was, that the running way farer could read and understand. His style" was the style which is produced by an almost supernormal understand ing combined with an instinctive com mand of perfect, simple English. No better illustration of MT. Reeds s abili- ties in the directions mentioned could be found than in his latest literary production-his article in the December North American Review on trusts and tariff revision. This essay will be found on another page of today's Re publican. but we cannot forbear cit ing a few instances here:
 But are we to be exposed to the mercy of these people who pile up mil lions, and have we no remedy by law or constitutional amendment? Yes, We have many remedies-on the stump and in the newspapers. But the experience of mankind is universal that Provi- dence has not left us to the stump ora tor or the newspapers, or even to the statesman. Somehow-after much blundering, perhaps, but somehow every new movement has in itself the element of protection of the race. For instance, we are all afraid of monopo- lies; we fear that somebody, by some new scheme, will squeeze us peIIna- nently, and yet that has never hap pened. But, you will say, what can prevent these great aggregations of capital from charging what they like? The answer is, that what prevents them from charging an unfair price is the well founded fear that they will there by risk and lose the vast sums already piled up.
 Tn other words, the same state of the world, the same general wealth which enabled one big pile of capital to get together will enable a larger pile to get together, and by means or more modern machinery to destroy the attempted monopoly.
 The fact is. that every business man knows that the only monopoly anybody. | can get. except the temporary one Of | patents, to which no one objects, is by | producing some article. cheaper and | selling it cheaper than any other | maker"
 In these few words MT. Reed brushe, away the cobweb nightmares which | fearful souls conjure upl when they think of trusts. And with superb sar- casm he adds:
 Whether such monopoly is ob- i4ofNipuS anu tO De Sldinped out l ledNe to the wise Reclamation or the friends of the people,"
 Here is a gem on the tariff. Not d few statesmen would require whole newspaper columns to state the same 
 Tn the United States the policy of has had a century and a quarter of alternate triumph and de- feat. The triumph has always been fol- lowed by prosperity, the defeat by hard times.''
 The greatest orator in the land could