The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-09-26

willing hand and skillful brain. All
Of the policies Of the Democratic
party, from the days Of jefferson to
Bryan, have been grouped around
this great central pillar Of liberty.
l have said that today, the coun-
try is in the midst of a crisis. /
say this for the reason that until
within recent years, aye, within re-
cent months, all political parties de-
clared eternal enmity toward, and
warfare upon every form Of M
poly. Within the last few months,
the Republican party has absolutely
reversed its position and given the
lie to every platform adopted by its
conventions. The new doctrine of
the Republican party is, THAT there
are good trusts and bad trusts" and
that in making warfare upon the
trusts, we should use the EXTREMIST
care not to injure the good trusts"
/ deny that there even was such a
thing as a good" monopoly. There
can no more be a good monopoly than
there can be a harmless rattle
snake. To attribute righteousness of
purpose to a monopoly, is as ridicul-
Gus as to ascribe patriotism to Ben
edict Arnold.
The sole end and purpose of mon
opoly is to %annihilate competition,
and to fix arbitrary prices.
No man has yet given us the rule
by which the President proposes to
distinguish between good monopolies
and bad m~onopolies. Let me In
nounce the distinction which will be
made by Mr.. Hanna, and the man
ayers of the Republican party. A
good monopoly will be one that has
contributed literally to the Repub-
lican campaign fund; a bad mono
poly will be one that has refused to
contribute. But as none will refuse,
all will be gool ~monopolies the
morning after election.
We are then confronted by the
proposition that the Republican
party proposes to p%erpetuate and
fasten upon the country for all time
these gigantic combinations, What
does this mean to our country? The
prayer that was forever upon the
lips Of Jefferson was that wealth
should be distributed among the
masses of the people. This was the
, dream which inspired the brain Of
Lincoln; 1t was the principle for
, which Jackson fought with heroic
!, courage. 1t is the thing that has
! made our country great. In the in
dependence of the individual is
found the strength of the Republic.
/, This is not possible, unless the ave-
! nues of opportunity are left open to
: svery child that shall be born.
When you create corporations pow
erful enough to control the mines
from which the iron ore is obtain
ed; to own every furnace and mill
In which 1t is manufactured, and the
Z means of transportation to market,
you close the iron and steel trade to
. the rest Of the people.
When you centralize the great
railroads Of the country into two or
three gigantic systems you place be
yond the limits of possibility the
{ building of a rival line.
S When you gather and concentrate
the of the country in a
9 few great concerns you enable the
. institutions controlling this vast
= wealth to crush all endeavor at com
. petition.
n When you permit the consolidation
r Of all the packing companies of the
d country into a gigantic monopoly
you give to 1t the power to fix its
S own price upon the farmers princi
pal source of wealth, and at the
same time, to levy In unjust tribute
D. upon every man who has meat upor
/. his table. You make 1t possible t.
rob both the producer and the con
d sumner.
When the Republican party has
p passed it's asset currency and branch
b. bank bills, it will have created {
o moneyed oligarchy with more arbi
e trary powers than were exercised
by Peter the Great in the flood tide
n of his despotic sway, or than were
y possessed by a Roman dictator owe
j. the inhabitants of a conquered prov
ince.
d What. then, is left to the younl
ie men of the country? They may be
is come the hired men of these grea
IS institutions. The independent citi
zen, earning his livelihood in his owl
Ie workshop, seeing before him con
e. stantly the chance of enlargement o
Id business and finally OF opulence an
10 wealth, is of necessity disappearing
Id from the land.
a. This process, unfortunately, pre-
c. ceeds by such insidious steps as t
IL be scarcely discernible, except t
O. those who study the drift of event;
lie Nevertheless, it is true that where
n was possible for a man with Unite
IN capital to engage in a manufactul
at ing industry a few years ago, toda
r. this is not only impossible, but il
n stitutions of m wealth hav
been compelled by these mighty con
w binations to surrender their frau
d. chises and rights and to quit bus
to ness, or go into bankruptcy.
,e- INFANT INDUSTRIES HAVE 81
OF COME GIANT MoNoPoLlEs.
There can be no doubt but that tn
Republican party has absolutely SUI