The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-08-31

bimetalliSm are satisfied Win our Victory
IL the friends of monometallism are sat
isf1ed with theirs. And we can invite
them to contest of zeal and endurance
in the effort to restore to the people the
rights which have been gradually taken
from them by the trusts
The Investigations which have been in
progress during the past year have dis
closed the business methods Of those who
few years ago resented any inspection
of their schemes and hid their rascality
under high sounding phrase. These inves-
legations have also disclosed the source
Of enormous campaign funds which have
been used to debauch elections and cor
rupt the ballot.
Campaign Contributions.
The people see now what they should
have seen before, namely, that no party
can exterminate the trust so long as It
owes its political success to political cam
paign contributions secured through the
trusts. Great corporations do not con-
tribute their money to any party except
for immunity expressly promised or clear
ly implaced. The PRECEDENT has recon-
mended legislation on this subject, but
so far, his party has failed to respond
No important advance can be made until
this baneful influence is eliminated and
1 hope that the Democratic party will not
only challenge the Republican party to
bring forward effective legislation on this
subject, but will set an example by refus-
ing to receive campaign contributions
from corporations and by opening the
books so that every contributor of any
considerable sum may be known to the
public before the election. The great ma
jority of corporations. are engaged in
legitimate business and have nothing to
fear from hostile legislation and the Of
ficers should not be permitted to use the
money OF the stockholders to advance
their own political opinions Contribu-
lions should be individual, nor corporate.
and no party can afford to receive con-
trlbutions even from individuals when the
acceptance of these contributions secret
ly pledge the party to a course which it
cannot openly avow. In other words poll
tics should be honest and mistake polit-
zeal conditions in America If they do not
presage improvement in the conduct of
campaigns.
The Trust 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 presiden-
tial campaign will be fought, 1 think it is
safe to say that at present the paramount
issue in the minds of a large majori-
ty of people is the trust issue. 1 con-
graduate President Roosevelt upon the
steps which he has taken to enforce the
1T nd Dc
not lessened by the fact that he has fol-
lowed the Democratic rather than the
republican platform in every advance he
mas made. 1t has been a great embar-
rassment to him that the platform upon
which he was elected was filled with
praise of the Republican party record
rather than with promises of reform.
nv Even en- the enthusiastic support given him
by the Democrats has enabled the cham
plons OF the trusts to taunt him with fol-
lowing Democratic leadership. He has
PROBABLY gone as far as he could without
mourning the hostility of the leaders of
his own party. The trouble is that the
Republican party is in a position to APP
ply effective and thoroughgoing reforms
because it has built up through special
iiegislatlon the very abuses which need to
Before any Intelligent: action can be
taken against the trusts we must have
definition of trust. Because no cor
poration has an absolute and complete
monopoly of any important product the
apologists for the trusts some times in
sist that there arss IN. reality no trusts
Others insist that tits impossible to legis-
late such trusts as may exit without do
ing injury to legitimate buiness For
the purpose Of thisl discussion it is suffi-
clent to draw the Ilne at the point where
designate as a trust any corporation
which controls so much Of the product
or any article that it can fix the terms
and conditions of sale.
Trust Methods. ..
Legislation which prevents a monopoly
not only does not injure legitimate busi-
ness, but actually protects legitimate bus
mess from injury. We are indebted to
the younger Rockefeller for an illustra-
ton which makes the distinction clear. In
as saying that as the American beauty
cannot be brought to perfection with
out pinching off ninety-nine buds so that
the one hundredth bud can receive the
full strength OF the bush, so great in
dustrial organizations are impossible
without the elimination of smaller ones
1t is cruel Illustration, but it is a per-
fectly accurate picture of trust meth
obs. The Democratic party champions
the cause or the ninety-nine enterprises
which are menaced; they must not be
sacrifced that the great combination may
flourish and when the subject is under
stood We shall receive the cordial support
of the hundreds of thousands of bust
ness 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 at the restraint of
trusts. but in legislation which will make
private monopoly impossible.
There must be no mistaking of the
issue and no confusing OF line OF bat
tie. The trust as an institution will have
few open defenders. The policy of the
trust magnate will be to insist on reason
able legislation" and then they will rely
upon their power to corrupt legislators
and intimidate executives to prevent the
application of any remedies which would
interfere with the trusts. 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 prin-
ciple in industry.
Vigorous Remedies.
We must not quarrel over remedies
We must show ourselves willing to sup
port any remedy which promises substan-
tial advantages to the people in the war
fare against monopoly. Something Is to
be expected from the enforcement of the
combination clause of the Sherman anti
trust law, but this law must be enforced
not against a few trusts as at present,
but against all trusts and the aim must
be to 1mprison the guilty not merely TO
recover a fine. What is fine of a thou
sand dollars or even ten thousand dollars
To trllSt which hundred fInr