Mexico weekly ledger., 1903-10-01

willing nHuI shhliui
Of the policies Of the Democratic
marty. from the days OF Jefferson 70
Rryan. have been grouped around
his great central pillar OF liberty.
/ have said that today, the eoun,
trv Il in the midst OF a crisis.
saw this for the reason that thtif
within recent years, aye, WITHIN ~
renf months, all political parties de.
clared eternal enmity toward, n
warfare upon every form oil mono
molly. Within the last few months,
the Republican party has absolutely
reversed its position and given
lie N every platform adopted by us
-rnnventions. The new doctrine OF
the Republican party Is, That there
are rnod trusts and bad trusts and
.that IN making warfare upon the
trusts. we should use the extremes.
care not to injure the good Trusts.
/ deny that there even was sueh
thing as a good monopoly. ihere
can no more be a good monopoly tnan
there can be a harmless rattle.
snake. To attribute righteousness o.
nrrpose to a monopoly, Is as ridlchi-
Gus as to ascribe patriotism to Ben
edict Arnold.
The sole end rnd purpose OF mon
onoly Is TO annihilate competitions
and to fix arbitrary prices,
No man has yet given us the ruie
by which the President proposes 10
distinguish between good monopoiies
and bad monopolies. Let me an
nounce the distinction which VIII pc
made by Mr.. Hanna, and the man
ayers OF the Republican party a
good monopoly will be n that mas
contributed literally to the kepuD-
Iican campaign fund; a bad mono
poly will be one that has refused 70
contribute. But as none will refuse,
all will be good monopoiies the
morning after election.
We are then confronted by the
nroposition that the Republican
marty to perpetuate and
fasten upon the country for all time
these gigantic combinations. What
does this mean to our country? The
prayer that was forever upon n
lips of jefferson was that wealth.
should be distributed among h
masses of the people. This was b
dream which inspired the brain OF
| Lincoln; il was the principle for
which jackson fc'ssst with heroic
courage. it Is the thing that mas
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
every child that shall be born.
When o 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 it Is manufactured, and the
means of transportation to market
Won 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 De
yond the limits of possibility the
building OF a rival line.
When you gather and concentrate
the commerce Of the country In 2
few great concerns you enable the
institutions controlling this vast
wealth to crush all endeayor at com
petition.
When you permit the consolidation
Of all the packing companies oil the
country into a gigantic monopoly
YOU give to 1t the power to fix is
own price upon the farmers princi
nal source of wealth, and at the
same time, to levy an unjust tribute
upon every man who has meat upon
his table. You make 1t possible &C
rob both the producer and b con
sumner.
When the Republican party has
passed its asset currency and branet
bank bills, 1t Will have created {
moneyed oligarchy with more arbi
trary powers than we're exercised
by Peter the Great in the flood tide
! OF his despotic sway, OF than wer'
7 possessed by a Roman dictator owe
I. the inhabitants of a conquered prov
, ince.
! What. then, is left to the youni
men Of the country? They may be
5 come the hired men Of these grea
institutions. The Independent cit
zen. earning his livelihood In his owl
Q workshop, seeing before him con
: ~stantly the chance of enlargement o
4 business and finally Of o~pulence an
wealth, is of necessity disappearing
from the land.
' This process, unfortunately, Pre-
; ceeds by such insidious steps as 7
! be scarcely d~iscernible, except t
; those who study the drift Of events
9 Nevertheless, it is true that where
was possible for a man with limite'
? capital to engage in a manufactui
ing industry a few years ago, toda'
: this is not only impossible, but In
situations of enormous wealth nav
e been compelled by these mighty com
\ binations to surrender their frar
! chises and rights and to quit bus
o ness, or go into bankruptcy.