The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-10
Johnson and Clarke Pour Hot
 Shot Into MI, Hanna
STANDING PAT IS FAILURE
Greatest Industrial Revolution of Mod ern Times Has Evolved Trusts Eos
 tered By the Republican
 Party-Speakers Fiery.

Akron, Ohio September 9.-The demo- cratic state campaign opened tonight with a meeting in Akron. Addresses were de- livered by Hon. Tom L. Johnson, candi- date for governor of Ohio; John Il. Clarke, candidate for United States sena- tor, and Henry George, Jr., of New York.
 MT. Johnson's tent held 5000 persons. Judge c. R. Grant of Akron presided. His speech in part was as follows;
 Johnson's Speech.
 We have in this campaign three great questions to present to the people of Ohio. These are the questions of home rule, equitable taxation and the destroying of the unholy if not corrupt, alliance be- tween certain managers of the republican party and the owners Of valuable special privileges. No one denies that every To- cality should have the right to control it's | own local affairs The justice of local self government is universally conceded. This | is also true of equitable taxation And no one claims that we have either local self-goyernment or a system of just tax ation.
 "The city of Cleveland furnishes an ex- cellent illustration of the issues of the democratic party in this campaign. Cleve- land has become known as the most com- pletely enjoined city in Ohio. Since have been mayor fifteen injunctions have been issued against the city in the inter est of owners of valuable special priv ileges, like the street railroads and the gas and electric companies. And after each injunction the democratic pluralities have been larger than before.
 Shot at Senator Hanna.
 "Senator Hanna who is financially in- terested in some of these public service corporations with the aid of Attorney General Sheets, has been able to prevent the city from compelling the public service corporations to pay their just share of th- taxes and has so far blocked the es- tablishment of Scent fare street rail- road to compete with his 5-cent fare monopoly.
 The last injunction issued against Cleveland strikes at the very liberties of the people. Senator Hanna. through this attorney general. secured an injunction from the Supreme court restraining the people of Cleveland from expressing their opinion as to whether they would op- crate their own electric light plant or al-
  The injunction prevented the election.
 "The municipal code which foisted on all the municipalities of the state Boss Coxs board plan of government by some slip, had left in it a provision allowing cities to have their own electric light plants if they desired
 An Oversight.
 'It was certainly an oversight. If the men who made the code had only thought of It, they would have left us in the same position as we are in respect to street railways. The state laws are such now that it is impossible to build municipal light plant unless you are skillful enough to dodge the injunction.
 Senator Hanna is standing for vindica- tion. He stands for vindication on that variety of municipal ownership which, through the ship subsidy, proposes to pay into the pockets of MT. Hanna's friends from ten to fifteen million dollars annu- ally in ship subsidies. He stands as op- posed to allowing the people of Cleveland to express their will to whether they desire an electric light pant I will be satisfied with the verdict of the voters.
 Senator clarke's Speech.
 Let well enough alone stand pat continue to stand pat hands off, for Gods sake keep letting well enough alone This in his own language. is the sum of the political wisdom and states manship in which Senator Hanna has given counsel to the people of this state and nation for several years, as if, for sooth, he thought the national life of this great people and the business of it would stand still and move at his command"
 ''The business of the country has re- fused to stand still at MT. Hanna's com mand, but on the contrary has run riot in speculation, such as we never have seen before and capital and labor halt in daily expectation of a panic-a fear in which the President and secretary of the treasury, by their public speeches, show that they distinctly share. This condition has been largely brought about by the disturbance of business caused by the high tariff rates, through which millions of dollars have been unneces- sarily taken from the people and the channels of business and locked up in the United States treasury or loaned out by it to favored banks.
 Birth of the Trusts.
 "While Senator Hanna has thus been urging this do-nothng policy, there has been worked out. unrestrained in our country, the greatest industrial revolu- tion of modern times. which has placed every branch of business and manufac- ture in the control of form of monopoly which all the world except Mr. Hanna agrees to call trust.
 "As to remedies in the way of control from the trusts, the first is the taking of tariff from all articles, the manufac- ture or sale of which is controlled by a monopoly. and the second, the limiting of the capitalization of all corporations engaged in interstate commerce strictly to the value of the property invested The last l think is a most sweeping remedy because I am satisfied that the schemes of oppression are always work ed out through fictitious stock; that Is to pay dividends on such stock so that monopoly prices are always exacted and that if such could be prevented, or if the capital could be limited so that the profits would show when monopoly prices are being charged, the people could be depended upon to apply the remedy"
 Referring to the Philippine policy of the republicans which he denounced, MT. Clarke said he was in favor of granting the Filipinos immediate independence, reserving coaling stations. which they have always been ready to grant to the United States. and saying to all the rest of the world: Hands off, this is an att