Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-31
BRYAN'S SPEECH
ON HOMECOMING

| ON HOMECOMING
do SO will fail, no matter how much money
he makes before his failure is discovered.
Methods of the Trusts.
Many of the trusts control prices by the
| same methods. The same group of men Sc
| cure control of several competing corpora
lions. and the management is thus CONSOLE
dated. 1t is worth while to consider
whether a blow may not be struck at the
trusts by a law making 1t illegal for the
same person to act as director or omcer
Of two corporations which deal with each
| other, or are engaged in the same general
business.
"A still more far-reaching remedy was
proposed by the democratic platform Oh
1900, namely, the requiring Of corporations
to take out federal license before engag-
ing in interstate commerce. This remedy is
simple easily applied and comprehensive.
The requiring of license would not em-
barrass legitimate corporations-it would
scarcely Inconvenience them-while it would
! confine the predatory corporations to the
state of their origin. Just as license 10
sell liquor leaves the possessor of the L.
cense to sell only In accordance with the
| laws of the state in which he resides, so
| corporate license granted by a federal
commission would not interfere with the
| right of each state to regulate foreign cor
| porations doing business in its borders. II
corporations were required to take out a
federal license, the federal government could
then issue a license upon terms and condi-
tons which would protect the public.
"A corporation differs from human be-
Ing in that it has no natural rights, and as
all of its rights are derived from the stat
utes, 1t can be limited or restrained accord
| ing as the public welfare may require The
control which Congress has over interstate
commerce is complete, and If Congress can
prevent the transportation of lottery
ticket through the mails, by the express
companies, or by freight, 1t certainly
forbid the use of the mails, the railways
and the telegraph lines to any corporation
which is endeavoring to monopolize an ar
ticle of commerce, and no party can long
be credited with sincerity if it condemns the
trusts with words only. and then permits
the trusts to employ all the instrumentali-
ties Of interstate commerce in the carry
Ing out of their nefarious plans.
1T Is far easier to prevent a monopoly
than to watch 1t and punish II, and this
prevention can be accomplished in a prac-
teal way by refusing a license to any
corporation which controls more than a GER
| tain proportion Of the total product-this
proportion to be arbitrarily fixed at q point
which will give free operation to competi-
/ ton.
Tariff and Trusts.
THE tariff question Is very closely allied
| to the trust question, and the reduction OF
| the tariff furnishes an easy means Of linn
iting the extortion which the trusts can
practice. While absolute free trade would
not necessarily make a trust impossible,
still 1t is probable that very few manu-
featuring establishments would dare to en-
| ter into a trust if the President were en-
ha 1jcf intn
competing with those controlled by a trust.
while l shall take occasion at an early
| day to consider the tariff question more at
length, cannot permit this opportunity to
pass without expressing the opinion that
the principles embodied in the protective
tariff have been the fruitful source of a
great deal Of political corruption as well
as the support Of many of our most in
iquitous trusts. 1t is difficult to condemn
the manufacturers for uniting to take ad-
vantage of high tariff schedule, when the
schedule Is framed on the theory that the
industries need all the protection given, and
these schedules will consent to their re-
duction so long as the public waits for the
tariff to be reformed by its friends.
But one of the worst features of tariff
levied not for revenue, but for the avowed
purpose Of protection, is that 1t fosters the
Idea that men should use their votes to adj
vance their own financial interests. The
manufacturer has been assured that 1t is
legitimate for him to vote for congressman
who, whatever their opinions on other sub
jects may be, will legislate larger divi-
dends into his pockets: sheep growers have
been encouraged to believe that they should
have no higher aim in voting than in rails
ing the price of wool, and laboring men
have been urged to make their wages their
only concern.
A Generations "Fat Frying"
For a generation the fat has been fried
out of the manufacturers by the republican
campaign committee and then the manu-
facturers have been reimbursed by legis-
lation. With the public conscience educated
to believe that this open purchase of legis.
letion was entirely proper, no wonder that
Insurance companies have used the money
o. their policy holders to carry elections
no wonder that trusts have FASTENED to
purchase immunity from punishment with
liberal dona tons.
How can we draw moral distinction
between the man who sells his vote for
five dollars on election day and the manu-
facturer who sells his political influence
for fifty or a hundred thousand dollars.
payable in dividends? How can we draw
moral line between the senator or con-
gresham elected by the trusts to prevent
hostile legislation and the senator or con-
gresham kept in Congress by the manu-
facturers to secure friendly legislation?
The party which justified the one form of
bribery cannot be relied upon to condemn
the other.
There never was a time when tariff re-
form could be more easily entered upon for
the manufacturers by selling abroad cheap
er than at home. as many Of them do. have
not only shown their ingratitude toward
those who built the tariff wall for them.
but they have demonstrated their ability to
sell in competition with the world. The high
tariff has long been burden to consumers
in the United States, and 1t is growing
more a menace to our foreign commerce be-
cause 1t arouses resentment and provokes
retaliation.
Railroads and Trusts
1.-The railroad question is also interviewer
with the trust question. Nearly all the pri-
vate monopolies have received rebates or
secured other advantages over competitors.
Absolute equality Of treatment at the hands
Of the railroads would go far toward the
Gripping of the trusts, and I rejoice that
the President has had the courage to press
this question upon Congress. While the law,
as 1t was finally distorted by the Senate. is
not all that could be wished. 1t deserves a
fair trial.
Rate regulation was absolutely neces-
sary, and 1t furnishes some relief from the
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