The Monticellonian., 1906-09-06

fusing to receive campaign contributions from corporations, and is opening the books so that every contributor of any considerable sum may be known to the public before the election. The great ma iority of corporations are engaged in legitimate business and have nothing 10 fear from hostile legislation. and the officers should not be permitted to use the money of the stockholders to advance their own political opinion. Contributions should be individual not corporate, ane no party can afford to receive contribu- tions, even from individuals; when the acceptance of these contributions it can not. openly aYow In other words politics should be honest. and l mistake present conditions in America if they do not receive improvement in the conduct of campaigns.
 The Paramount issue-Trusts.
 While men may differ as to the relative congress will largely shape the lines upon which the coming presidential campaign will be fought. l think 1t Is safe to say that the paramount issue in the minds of a large majority of the people is the trust issue. 1 congratulate President Roosevelt upon the steps which he has taken to enforce the antitrust laws, ana my qualification is not lessened by the fact that he has followed the democratic rather than the republican platform in every advance he has made, It has been a great embarrassment, to him that the platform upon which he was elected was filled with praise of the republican par
 
 reform. Even the enthusiastic support given him by the democrats has enablet the champions of the trusts to taunt hi with following democratic leadership. He has probably gone as far as he could without mourning the hostility of the leaders of his own party. The thouble is that the republican party is not in q posi- tion 10 apply effective and thorough going reforms. becouse it has built up throuen special legislation the very abuses which need to be eradicated.
 Definition Of a Trust.
 Before any intelligent action can be taken against the trusts We must have a definition of trust. Because no cor poration has an absolute and complete monopoly of any important product, the apologists for the trusts sometimes insist that there are really no trusts. Others insists that it is impossible to legislate against such trusts as may exist with out doing injury to legitimate business sufficient to draw the line at the point where competition ceases to be effective and to designate as a trust any corpora tion which controls so much of the prod terms and conditions of sale.
 Young Rockefeller Quoted.
 Legislation which prevents monopoly, not only does not injure legitimate bIlsi- ness but actually protects legitimate bus mess from injury. We are indebted to the younger Rockefeller for an illustration which makes this distinction clear. In defending the trust system he Is quoted as saying that. as the American beauty cannot be brought to perfection without pinching off ninety nine buds. so that the one hundredth bud can receive the full strength of the bush, so great industrial organizations are impossible wiS1out the elimination of the. smaller ones. It is a cruel illustration, but it puts a perfectly accurate picture of trust methods
 The Cause Of the Ninety Nine. The democratic party champions the cause of the ninety nine enterprises which 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 hum dreds of thousands of business men who have themselves felt the oppression Of the trusts. or who. having observed the effect of the trusts upon others. realize that their safety lies. not in futile attempts al the restraint of trusts, but in legislation