Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-03-31
DEMOCRATICD DUTY
AS SEEN BY W. j. BRYAN IN THE
COMMONER.
Decision in Merger Case Really Points the
Duty for Citizenship Rather Than Par.
tisanship. The Court Holding Must be
Sustained by Public Opinion.

The decision in the merger case i'm.
poses duty on democrats as we'll as up
on the administration. The antitrust
law is held to be sound and effective,
but it must be enforced before it can
bring relief to the public. The demo.
Gratis must now insist upon the enforce.
ment Of the law. Justice Holmes in his
dissenting opinion says that indictnents
logically ought to follow the decision"
and the democrats i'm congress ought to
insist that the attorney general either
prosecute or explain why rich and power.
| full violators of the law are given immu.
nifty while poor and obscure violators are
promptly punished. Not only should
the law be enforced against those who
. violated it in the merger case, but it
should be enforced again.t those who are
violating it in the most innumerable
trusts. Are not the steel trust, the coal
trust, the oil trust, the beef trust, the salt
trust, the sugar trust, the cracker trust.
the tobacco trust, the whisky trust, the
harvester trust, etc.-are not all Of these
violating the Sherman antitrust law?
Why are they permitted to live and prey
upon the country?' The democrats
should press this question. If the ad.
ministration answers that the decision
does not reach single corporation, but
only a com animation of corporations, the
democrats should insist upon new legis.
lation covering all private monopolies,
whether they operate as single corpor'
alton or as a group of corporations. The
Kansas City platform presents remedy
and the merger decision vindicates the
principle involved in that remedy.
Congress has power over interstate
commerce and that power alone can deal
effectively with the trusts. As long as a
corporation confines itself to the state
from -Wbicii 1t derives it's charter the PEG.
pie Of that state can be trusted to dea
with it, but when it crosses the state line
and invades interstate commerce it comes
under the supervision of congress. Con.
gress has made it criminal offense for
two or more persons to conspire to re-
strain trade. This ought to cover con.
spiracy by pei sons in one corporation as
we'll as conspiracy by persons in control
OF seperate corporations. If it does net
do SO, it is easy to prepare a bill that
will. The Kansas City platform pro
poses measure making 1t unlawful for
state corporation to engage in interstate
commerce without first securing federal
license or permit, and it proposes that
the license or permit shall be granted
only after proof that the stock OF corpor-
alton is nc, watered AMI that the cor
poration is not trying to monopolize any
branch of business or the production or
sale OF any article Of merchandise. Here
is simple remedy; remedy easily
applied. 1t does not interfere with any
legitimate corporation but on the con-
trary, aids every legitimate corporation
by destroying the greedy and conscience
less monopolies.
~ IIO uOuoCioCo CAPCNV ~ Will CAO
confidence Of the people they must pro-
pose an effective remedy. 1t is not suff
cient to rail at republicans or to ask
them for a remedy. The people are
looking for relief and they demand:posi.
tive. aggressive action. The trust
question can be made an important issue
in the coming campaign if the democrats
will do their duty. Let them call the
attention OF the country to the question
by refusing to consider anything else
until satisfactory action is taken. II the
republicans are required to bring in a
rule for every measure and are each time
reminded that the trusts still live, they
will be forced to decisive action or to
abject apology. Cato, after visiting
Carthage, resolved never to make a
speech without declaring it as his opin-
ion that Carthage should be destroyed.
The democrats in the senate and house
might as we'll paraphrase Cato's famous
saying and each day demand vote on q
resolution declaring that "private monop-
olies must be destroyed" The Kansas
City platform points the way-will the
democrats live up to that platform or run
from it?