Smyrna times., 1906-09-05


corporate employers and their employees
| believe we are defending the highest
interests of the three parties to these
disputes. viz. the employers. the en-
ployes and the public The employees can
not be turned over to the employer to be
dealt with as the employer may please.
The question sometimes arises: Can
not conduct my business to suit myself?"
This question is a plausible one, but when
a man in conducting his business at
tempts to arbitrarily fix the conditions
under which hundreds of employees will
have to live and TO determine the condi-
tions under which hundreds of Others
shall have to exist. l contend that he has
no right to deprive his employees of the
right of life. liberty and the pursuit of
happiness To support this position
need only refer to the laws regulating
the safety of the mines. the factory laws
fixing the age at which children can be
employed. and usury laws establishing
the rate of interest
But if it is unwise 70 make the en-
ployer the sole custodian of the rights
and interests of the employees it is
equally unwise to give 10 the employees
uncontrolled authority over the rights
and interests of the employer. The EN-.
ployes are no more to be trusted to act
unselfishly and disinterestedly than the
employers. In their zeal to secure an ad-
vantage they may not only do injustice,
but even forfeit a larger future gain.
No reference to the labor question is
complete that does not include some men,
tion of what is known as government by
injunction. AS the main purpose of the
writ is to evade trial by jury. it is really
an attack upon the judicial system and
ought to arouse a unanimous protest. So
long as the meanest thief is guaranteed
trial by jury. a jury ought not to be
denied to wage earners. However, as the
writ is usually invoked in case of a strike.
the importance of the subject would be
very much reduced by the addition OF
a system of arbitration. because arbitra.
ton would much reduce, even if it did
not entirely remove the probability of
strike.
Just another word in regard to the
laboring man. The struggle to secure an
eight-hour day is an international strug-
gle, and il is sure to be settled in favor
of the workingman's contention. The
benefits of the labor-saving machine have
not been distributed with equity. The
producer has enormously multiplied his
capacity, but so far the owner of the ma.
chine has received too much of the in
crease and the laborer too little.
BimetaIIism Not an Issue.
Thus far I have dwelt upon subjects
which may not be regarded as strictly
partisan, but l am sure that you will
pardon me IL in this presence 1 betray
my interest in those policies for which
the Democratic party stands. Our oppo.
nents have derived not only partisan
pleasure. but also partisan advantage
from the division caused in our party
by the money question. They ought not
therefore. begrudge us the satisfaction
that we find in the fact that unexpected
conditions have removed the cause o.
am
ent united front on present issues. The
unlocked for and unprecedented increase
in the production of gold had brought
victory to both the advocates of gold
and the advocates of bimetallism-the
former keeping the gold standard which
they wanted and the latter securing the
larger volume of money for which they
contended.
Trusts the Paramount Issue.
While men may differ as to the rela.
tive Importance of issues, and while the
next congress will largely shape the lines
upon which the coming presidential cam.
paign will be fought. think it is safe
to say that at present the paramount is.
sue in the minds of a large majority OF
the people is the trust issue. congratu.
late President Roosevelt upon the steps
which he has taken to enforce the anti.
trust law and my qualification is not les
the Democratic rather than the Repubi.
can platform in every advance he has
made
Before any intelligent action can be
taken against the trusts we must have
definition of a trust. Because no cor.
poration has an absolute and complete
monopoly of any important product the
apologists for the trusts sometimes in
sist that there are in reality no trusts
For the purpose of this discussion it is
sufficient TO draw the line at the point
where competition ceases to be effective
and to designate as trust any corpora.
tion which controls so much of the prod.
uct of any article that II can fix the
terms and conditions of sale.
Must Protect Legitimate Business.
Legislation which prevents monopoly
does not injure legitimate business. but
protects it from injury. We are indebted
to the younger Rockefeller for. an illus.
| tration which makes this distinction
clear. In defending the trust system, he
Is quoted as saying that. as the Ameri.
| can Beauty rose cannot be brought to
| perfection without pinching off 80 buds
| so that the Tooth bud can receive the fulI
| strength of the bush so great Industrial
| organizations are impossible without the
elimination of the smaller ones. 1t is a
| cruel Illustration, but IL presents a ner
1
The Democratic party champions the
cause of the 80 buds that are menaced
they must not be sacrificed that one great
combination may flourish. and when the
subject is understood we shall receive the
cordial support of hundreds of thousands
| of business men who have themselves felt
the operation of the trusts or who. having
observed the effect of the trusts upon
others. realize that their safety lies not
in futile attempts at the restraint of
trusts, but in legislation which will make
a private monopoly impossible Our motto
must be: "A private monopoly is indie.
fensible and intolerable," and our plan OF
attack must contemplate the total and
complete overthrow of the monopoly
principle in industry
lmprison the Guilty.
We need not quarrel over remedies. We
must show ourselves willing to support
any remedy which promises substantial
advantage to the people in their warfare
against monopoly. Something is to be
expected from the enforcement of the
criminal clause of the Sherman anti
trust law. but this law must be enforced