The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-22

more influence on the election next day
than all the arguments that had been
made in the campaign. Applause). And,
| If that was possible, then what will be
possible II we permit these trust develop
ments to continue until a few men con-
troll all the sources of industry and the
/ rest of tho people are merely employed
| without hope Of inNependenee7 | am will
ling to get down on my knees at morning
and say to our Heavenly Father Give
us this day our daily bread,s but God
| forbid that we should make millions of
our fellowmen get down on their knees
at morning and say to trust magnate.
| "Give US this day our daily bread" and
have him reply II will II you vote the
ticket I want you to-" loud and con-
| tinued applause).
Business interests
In the campaign through which we have
1 passed, many business men have been led
to throw their influence against our party
| because they had been deceived into be-
lieving that the democratic party was
the enemy of the business interests Of the
country, but many of them have learned
something in the last few years since they
have come in contact with trust methods.
They might furnish an excuse for ignor.
ance few years ago, but they can't ex-
cuse their ignorance now
Rockefeller Illustration.
The trust representatives have talked SO
frankly that you all ought to know what
is in prospect. The son of John D. Rock
efeller, defending the trusts, used the
best illustration that has vet been used.
He said that as the American Beauty rosa
could only be brought to it's perfection by
pinching off ninety-nine buds, that the
strength OF the bush might flow into the
remaining bud, and so it was impossible
to bring great Industrial enterprises to
perfection without the pinching off of the
weaker ones and smaller ones-a frank
| illustrations candid statement-a brutal
| illustration. / had rather have a hundred
flowers that they might give fragrance to
hundred homes, than just have one flow
er with its fragrance monopolized by one
home. (Applause.) And instead of a few
great trusts whose managers would send
down unearned wealth from generation to
generation, while other people toiled with
out prospect of rise. l had rather have
hundreds and thousands and tens of
| thousands independent industries each
! one giving hope to thousands of men
daily. (Applause) The democratic party
is not satisfied to punish a few trusts 1t
wants to drive out of existence every
private monopoly and make it impossible
| for another one to rise in the United
| States
The Rate Bill.
Well, there is another question upon
which I want to touch. The republicans
clai mthat they are entitled to great deal
of credit for having passed rate bill.
| 1 want to thank the President for what
he has done in this regard. l have been
very glad to give him credit wherever
could, and I believe it is good policy for
our party, as well as right in principle,
| for us to help him whenever he attempts
to do anything that is for the advantage
of the people. (Applause)
We can show our loyalty to the ideas
when they are presented by others, as
well as when presented by our own party,
for it requires something more of devotion
to praise some good thing done by polit-
zeal opponent than to praise some good
thing done by our own party but, my
friends. where did the President get his
inspiration; who suggested the rate bill 10
him? Did the republicans have con
ference and ask him to do 1t? Did the
convention adopt a platform requiring 1t
No; where did he get the SUGGESTION from
the democratic platform. Six years ago
man came to my house while the Kan
sas City convention was in session, came
| in and showed me a plank that he said
he had tried to have inserted in the plat
form at Chicago-he was clerk in the
Interstate Commerce commisson-and
when he failed to get a hearing for it az
the republican national convention, he
came to my house to see II could help
him get it in the democratic platform: and
when ] showed him a draft OF the plat
! form they were considering at Kansas
! CITY and read him the plank, he said 1t
| was all right, and he put his own plank
in his pocket and went away. He could
not get that plank in the republican plat
form it was in the democratic platform
before he asked for it, and when the Pres
ident decided something ought to be done,
he found authority for his action, not In
a republican platform, but In demo-
cratic platform. And when the bill came
ND in the Senate, they could not find a re-
| publican in whose hands they could put 1t,
so they put it in the hands Of demo-
crat-Senator Tillman OF South Carolina.
! (Applause.)
| That democrat, Senator Tillman from
| South Carolina, managed the bill In the
| Senate (applause), and 1t was improved
by amendments proposed by democrats
Senator Stone, a democrat from Missouri,
| introduced an amendment restoring the
! criminal clause of the interstate COM
merce law 1t had been stricken out few
years ago by a republican Senate ana
| House and President Roosevelt himself
|
posed an amendment restoring the GRIM
| inal clause and after while republican
proposed similar amendment, but when
! the time came to adopt the amendment
the Senate decided that Senator stones
was better worded, and so his was ac-
cepted instead of the republican amend
ment Senator Culberson of Texas intro
| duced an amendment prohibiting the dis
! tribution of passes-a very important
amendment-and then the democrats sup
ported Senator LaFollette to give this
| commission the power to ascertain the
| vrlue of the railroads today, but the re-
publicans voted against 1t and defeated it,
and the democrats tried to get other
amendments which would have improved
the bill had they had their way. and then
after this bill had gone through, the re-
publicans made 1t the basis of their cam
4 paign, and now they are saying stand
| by the President and elect republicans to
back him up in his reform movement.
Why, If you want to back the President
lp in a reform movement, you want to
! put a democrat behind him and not a re-
| publican. (Applause)
Democrats Stood BY President.
| The democrats in the House and Senate
stood by the President better than re-
publicans did and all over this country
! today the friends of reform are asking
themselves whether they cannot better
! help the President by electing democrats
instead of republicans, for these demo-
Gratis pledged to reforms before the Pres
! ident took his position in favor of them.
! These democrats will stand behind him.
no matter how far he goes; they will walk
right behind him, and then If he gets
faint hearted and starts to back, he will