Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-08-31

platform In every advance he has
made. 1t has been Il great culbarrass-
mcnt to him, that thtc platform ul,on
which he WAS elected was filled with
praise of the Republican party's re-
cord rather than with promises of
reform.
The trouble is that The Republican
party Is not in Il position to apply Of
fectivc and thorouglisuing reforms be-
cause IL has built up, through special
lcSistion. the very abuses which need
cd tn he cradicatCd
Legislation which prevents Il mo-
nopoly not only does not njurc lcgili-
mate business. but actually prevents
injury. Wo are indebted to the
Younger Rockefeller for an illustration
which makes this distinction clear.
Figure Well Drawn.
In defining the trust system he is
quoted as saying that as the American
beauty rose cannot be brought To pcr.
lection without pinching Off 80 buds
so that the one humdrcdih. bud can re-
ccivc the full strength Of tho hush. so
great Industrial organizations arc i'm
possible without the elimination of tho
smaller ones. 1t is Il cruel iilustra-
lion, but it presents Il perfectly acc,l.
rate description of trust methods.
The Democratic party champions
the cause of the ninety-lline enter
priscs which are mcnaccd: they must
not be sacrificed that one great com
bination may flourish.
There must he no installing of the
issue and no confusing of the line of
battle. The trust. as an institution. will
have few open defenders. The policy
oil the trust magnatcs will he to In.
sist upon reasonable legislation And
then they will rely upon their power
to corrupt legislation and intimidatc
executives so as to prevent the applica-
ton of any remedies which will inter
fere with the trusts Our motto mnst
be "a private monopoly is indefcnsible
and intolcrablc," and our plan of at
tack must contemplate the total and
complete overthrow of the monopoly
principle in industry
No Quarrel Over Remedies.
We need not quarrel over remedies.
We must show ourselves willing to
support any remedy which gives sub
stantiai advantage to the people i'm
their welfare against monopoly.
Something is to be expected from
the enforcement of the criminal clause
oil the Sherman antitrust law, but this
law must be enforced not against a
lew trusts as at present, but against
all trusts and the aim must be to I'M
prison the guilty, not merely TO re-
cover fine.
Prison for Rich Criminals.
If the criminal clause is not going
to he enforced, it ought to be repealed.
III Imprisonment is too severe nun.
iShment for the emincutly respectable
gentleman who rob eighty millions of
people of hundreds of millions of dol.
lars annually. the language of the
statute ought to be changed. for moth
ing is more calculated to breed an.
archy than tho failure to enforce the
law against rich criminals. while IL Is
risidly enforced against petty offend.
CTS
Directors at Fault.
Recent Investigations have brought
to light the fact that nearly all the
crookcdncss revealed in the manage
ment of OUR large corporations ..as
been due to the duplication of dircc-
toratc. a group of men organized or
obtained control of several, corpora.
lions doing business with each other
and then proceed to swindle the stock.
holders of tho various corporations for
which the yactcd.
1t is worth while to consider whcth.
or blow may not be struck al the
trusts by law making 1t illegal for
tho same person to act as director or
officer of two corporations whi,l deal
81,
same general business.
a still more far-reaching remedy
was proposed by the Democratic plat.
form of 1900, namely. the requiring of
corporations to take out a FadcraI
license before engaging in interstate
commerce. This remedy is simple
easily applied aud comprehensive.
Tariff Allied With Trusts.
The tariff question Is very closely
allied In the trust question aud the re
duciion of the tariff furnishes an easy
means of limiting tho eXtortiun MhlcI,
the trusts can practice.
While absolute free trade would NOT
necessarily make trust impossible.
sill IL Is probable that very few man.
ufactnring establishment would dare
TO enter into trust If the President
were empowered To put upon the free
list articles competing with those con.
lrolied by a trust. Iscannot permit
this opportunity to pass without OK.
pressing the opinion that the pruci.
pies embodied in the protective tariff
nave been the fruitful source of a
great deal of political corruption as
wei as the support of many of our
most iniquitons trusts.
Compete With the World.
mere never was time when tariff
REFORM could hc more easily entered
upon Tor the manufacturers, by sell.