The Owosso times., 1904-11-04
DEMOCRACY AND TRUSTS.
The Democratic Party Must Give
Evidence of Sincerity.

convention at St. Louis, (which nOml-
mated Judge Parker.
IN the closing days of the presidential
campaign the democratic managers are
doing what THE American" urged
them to do at the beginning appealing
to the country on the trust issue.
If the trust issue is to be. pressed sue
cessfully it must be done under condi-
tions that give evidence of sincerity.
Two weeks ago. ."The American" said:
"Olney, has spoken for Parker, and it
is apnounced that Cleveland is also to
mount the stump. If Lpdge Parker
understands the American public as
well as,we think he does, he will put
his foot down and avert that crowning'
calamity Let real democrats do the
talking from now on"
Since that was written Cleveland has
mounted the stump, with what result?
To give former Attorney General
Knox, himself faithful servitor of the
predatory combines, an opportunity to
laugh. and laugh effectively, /at the anti
trust professions of the democratic
| party.
Knox as Attorney General at least
| did something against the unlawful
combinations. He procured an injunc-
| tion against the Beef Trust.
What did Cleveland do?
When in Office, nothing; when out of
| office, his best to hinder the insufficient
and feeble efforts OF Knox, who tells the
story thus:
Mr.. Cleveland on March II, 1904,
notwithstanding the decree of the cir
| cult court pronouncing the Beef Trust
unlawful, said it was not within the
prohibition of the law, thus throwing
the weight of his opinion in favor of the
Beef Trust and against the United
States at a time when the case was
pending and undecided in the highest
court"
Is it any wonder that Knox sneers at
Grover Cleveland as an enemy of the
trusts? Does he not make a palpable
hit when he inquiries:
DO the principles of law which Mr.
| Cleveland thought last March protected
manufacturing monopolies change in
October, and if so, does the change
affect the Belmont trusts, or only those
which are suspected of seeing in the per-
petuation of republican administration
the continued general prosperity of the
country2".
The republican party is owned by the
trusts and they have no better friend in
that party than Philander G. Knox, but
truth is truth even when it comes from
Knox, and he tells the truth when he
accuses the democratic party ofinconsis-
tency in protesting anti trust principles
and DIT the same time including among
its conspicuous leaders August Belmont,
Cord Meyer, Thomas F. Ryan, John q.
Mcdonald, Patrick McCarren and 9th
ers Of like kind.
1t is mere political madness to allow
such democrats as Grover Cleveland
and Richard Olney to take the stump.
For every republican vote they gain,
hundreds, if not thousands, of demo
cratic votes are lost. They do not rep
resent the genuine democracy on the
trust issue nor on any other which has
popular strength behind it.
Two weeks ago we had Olney affront-
ing American patriotism and American
pride by scoffing at one of the noblest
pages i'll the Republics history as "our
needless scrimmage with Spain over
Cuba" and that development of iingo-
ism and militarism which brought on
the scrap with Spain"
To use our military strength in be-
half of an oppressed people strikes Mr..
Olney as having been needless, if not
wicked, but he did not consider it need
less for Mr.. Cleveland to pour federal
troops into Illinois, in spite of the pro-
test of that States Governor, and bring
on state of war in a contest with
labor
In essentials Mr.. Cleveland and MIR.
Olney and their sort are as good repub-
licans as President Roosevelt and ex-
Attorney General Knox themselves.
They are not in sympathy with the
people, the plain people who work for
living with hand and brain. In inter-
est and feeling they are aligned with
the plutocracy, with the shearers, and
not with the sheep
do the managers suppose that at any
stage of the presidential campaign it
has been an advantage to the democrat
ic cause to have. Mr.. August Belmont,
OF Wall Street, associated with it2 Or
Mr.. Cord Meyer Or Mr.. Thomas f.
Ryan?
The names of these men imply to the
peoples minds trust influence in poll
tics quite as swiftly and surely as do
the names Of John ID. Rockefeller, j.
Pierpont, Morgan and George F. Baer,
presindent Of the Coal Trust.