The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-09-17
BRYAN ON
CUBAN AFFAIRS
Holds That Fifty Per Cent
Output Forms a Trust.
HIS FIRST STATEMENT
Commenting on Steel Trust, Points
Out He Has Adopted a Stand
ard For His Paper.

ROANOKE. Va, Sept 17.-WlllIam
Jennings Bryan last night gave the
tlrst expression he has made on the
present Cuban situation. When inter-
viewed In his car just before he left
here for Lynchburg and asked II he
would say anything about the situation
In Cuba and whether in his opinion the
United States should intervene Mr..
Bryan dictated the following state
ment:
81 am very glad that the adminlstra-
ton recalled the troops landed at Ha-
vana. While we should do I'LL In our
power TO bring about peace by offer
ing the good offices Of our country, We
have no business interfering with their
local affairs. They must settle the dis
putes among themselves. bat / would
he glad II both parties would be willing
TO accept mediation with the idea Of
bringing about an agreement through
the good offices Of our government"
Mr.. Bryan pointed out that this ex-
preston was the first he has made ON
the present situation In the Island. and
this was all he cared to say. Mr.. Bryan
spent the day resting at Holllns instl-
tute, college for young women, six
miles from Roanoke, In the country.
where his daughter, Grace. has been
entered In school. He delivered an
address TO the students in the college
chapel. The college chaplain read the
thirteenth chapter Of the first Corin-
thlans. and Mr.. Bryan followed IN a
talk that lasted one hour, dwelling on
faith. hope and love.
Mr.. Bryan. with his wife, left at
p. m. for Raleigh. n. c.. via Lynch
burg and Greensboro. He Will speak
at Raleigh, Durham. Burlington and
Greensboro today and at Kernersvllle,
Winston, High Point. Lexington, Sails
bury. Concord and Charlotte tomorrow.
He will speak at Columbia, S. c., on
Wednesday.
The Iron Trade Review obtained
from William J. Bryan a more definite
statement of his position In regard to
the so called trusts. In letter TO Mr.
Bryan, George Smart, the editor OF
that paper, said:
"ln your recent address at Madison
Square Garden, New York, you de-
fined a trust to be any corporation
which controls so much OF the product
OF any article that it can fix the terms
and conditions Of sale Later in your
address you say, 1t is far easier TO
prevent a monopoly than to watch it
and to punish it, and this prevention
can be accomplished In a practical way
by refusing a license to any corpora
ton which controls more than GER
tain portion of the total product, this
proportion to be arbitrarily fixed at
point which will give free operation to
competition.
"lf you consider the percentage too
large, to what extent would you COM
pei the corporation to sell or disman-
tie its plants SO that it will not be a
trustY
TO this letter Mr. Bryan responded
as follows:
"Your favor at hand. l thank you
for the information given in regard to
the steel trust. l note that in some
cases it controls more than half of the
product and in some cases less. / am
not prepared to state just how much
proportion corporation can control
without becoming a trust in the sense
that it limits competition, and compe-
tition controls the price and terms of
sale. For the conduct of my own pa
per draw the line at so per cent and
do not accept an advertisement of
corporation controlling more than so
per cent of the product in which it
deals. | have only been contending
for a principle. The details are less
important, as they can be determined
according to experience and expert
ment. l am inclined to believe, how
ever, that the steel trust controls more
of the product than~it is good for the
American people that one corporation
should.
''In saying that corporation should
not be licensed when il controls
enough TO eliminate competition | do
not mean to say that the individual in
dustries that are under one manage
ment should be destroyed The cor
poratlon should simply be compelled TO
reduce Its factories until its production
10 Ia the limit fixed by the law"