The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-09-08
BRYAN PROCLAIMS KEYNOTE
FOR THE CAMPAIGN OF 1908
Regulation of Trusts to Be Paramount
Issue Before Acknowledgment
Parties Struggle for Supremacy.

not even political enemy-could be so
cruel cri,a,o as to forbid me to speak Of those
nave derived not only partisan pleasure,
but also partisan advantage from the d..
VISION VISION. caused In our party by the money
grudge us the satisfaction that We find
IN the fact that unexpected conditions
nave removed the cause of our differences
on present issues. The unlocked Tor and
unprecedented increase in the production
f ~ s adaod mas brought victory to both
of bimetallisn-the former keeping the
gold standard which they wanted and
nme latter s securing the larger volume Of
who favor bimetalism IRE satisfied with
our victory OF the friends of monmetalisln
are satisfied with theirs. And we can
durance in the effort to restore to the
people the rights which have been gradu-
al !:r, oeen taken from them by the trusts.
IN progress during the past year have
disclosed the business methods Of those
t Wmo u Il. rev years ago resented any inspcc-
caiity under sounding phrases These
investigations have also disclosed the
s haWs h Of enormous norm campaign funds which
corrupt the ballot.
Trust Contributions Opposed.
,,.' The people see now what they should
can exterminnte the trusts 80 long as i,
owes It's political success to canpujrn
rom GS9,ntnbutions secured from the trusts
their money to any party except for i'm
munity expressly promised or clearly i'm
h a,sisi, IN; me president has ,recomnendcd
party has failed to respond. No impnr
Ia, 1ant ADVANCE can be made until this
pane w. influence ~, is eliminated and /
only challenge the Republican party to
bring forward effective legislation on this
ss us;@ but VIII set an example by re-
from corporations and by opening their
books 30 that every contributor OF any
EohsIae ,I'i sum may be known to the
puGie oeiore the election. The great ma
ahni,1a legislation. and the, officers
should not be permitted to use tho money
" OF tne stockholders TO advance their own
be individual. not corporate, and no party
can anord TO receive contributions even
IRON IRON, indi ,,. when the acceptance Of
these contributions secretly pledge the
party 10 Il course which it cannot openly
avoW. In other words, politics should be
honest ne ss, ama mistake political conditions
proHement In the conduct OF campaigns.
Trust Issue Paramount.
Importance OF issues. and while thu, next
congress will largely shape the lines ,lpon
which WINS the coming presidential campaign
that at present the paramount Issue in
the minds of IL large majority of the pco-
PIE Is the trust issue. | congratulate
he has taken to enforce the antitrust law
and my qualification is not lesscnc.l hv
the ~ fact that he has followed the Demo-
form in every advance he has made II
has been u great embarrassment to him
e ehMt me ,l ni" i,i upon which he was
publican party's record rather than with
promises of reform, even the enthusiastic
support ,,pr given him BY the Democrats has
taunt him with following Democratic
leadership: lie has probably gone ~ far
Us ;,s, ne could ,, without mourning the hostil-
trouble Is that the Republican pnrty is
In q position to apply effective and thor
ousnHoins reforms because it hus built
abuses which need to be eradicated. '''s
Before any intelligent action can he
taken against the trusts we must have
u definition of a trust; Because no cor
monopoly Of any important product tho
apoioEists for the trusts sometimes insist
that there ar, are IN reality no trusts Oth
against such trusts as may exist Without
doing injury to legitimate business. For
the purpose of this discussion IL is sufii-
cicnt to draw the line ut the point where
competition ceases to be effective ana In
designate as IL trust any cOrporntion
which controls so much of the product of
conditions of sale.
There must be no mistaking of the is
sue and no confusing of the line OF bnttlc.
open defenders The policy of the trns,
magnates will be to Insist upon .reas",.
able legislation and then tlmy viii rely
upon , IT,, their power to corrupt legislators
application Of amy remedies which would
Interfere with the trusts. Our motto must
be-, "a private private monopoly is indefcnsibc
must contemplate the total and complete
overthrow of the monopoly principle in
industry.
We need not quarrel over remedies.
we must show ourselves willing to sun
port any remedy which promises anbstnn-
tial advantages to the people in their war
be expected from the enforcement of the
criminnl clause of the Sherman anti
trust lazy, but this law must be enforced
but against all trusts and the aim must
be to inprison the guilty. not merely 10
recover c'' r, 2 fine. What is 4. fine of u thou
to a trust which makes IL hundred thou
sand dollars while the trial is in prog
ress? II the criminal clause is not good
to be enforced 1t ought to be repealed If
imprisonment ts too severe IL punishment
for the emlnently Respectable gentlemen
who rob eighty millions of people of I'M
dreds of millions annually the language
OF the statute ought 70 be changed. for
archy than the failure to enforce the law
against rich criminals while 1t is rigidly
enforced against petty offenders.
Tariff Fosters Trusts.
1.-The tariff question is very closely allied
to the trust question and the reduction
of the tariff furnishes AN easy means of
limiting the extOrtion which the trusts
can practice.
while absolute free trade would not
necessarily make IL trust impossible still
it is probable that very few mmnufict,lr-
ing establishmcnts would dare to enter
powered to put on the free list articles
competing with those controlled by Il
early day to consider the tariff question
more at length. | cannot permit this OPP
portunity to pass without expressing the
opinion that the principles embodied in
the protective tariff has been the fruitful
source of IL great deal of political corrup