The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-12-18
DAVIS OF ARKANSAS MAKES
MAIDEN EfToRf.


stsong Arraignmeut oi tho Trusts
wants Fclons' Stripes Tut ON Rich
vtuistovs ." the Lava.
Washington. Dec. 1f.--Senator JEFF
Davis OF Arkansas. delivered q red
hot speech In the senate this after
noon. II was his maiden EFFORT In
that body. and was the first set speech
bv any senator In the sixtieth con-
srsss. Moreover. II was made Jus,
nins days AFTER he had taken his sea,
- member.
Il wxs In advocacy Of the destruc-
tion Of trvsts and the placing ef fell
on's stripes upon rich malefactors. He
declared that prison sentence star.
me John ID. Rockefeilef In the face
would make him q aw-abidinx >eiti-
sen. He stismasised Wan street spec.
u'ators a. gamblers and thieves, and
CHARGED them with precipitating the
recent money panic. He criticised the
annual salary of President Roosevelt,
which he put at sils.ooo. He said
he did not need that sum TO live on.
And I've got the president skin
ned q city block In the matter OF a
family" he exclaimed. "T have eight
children; he has only f,ve."
He ridicuied the adnninistratio I
anti-trust policy. and challenged any
Republican senator to name trust
which Roosevelt had "cven tanned" In
his seven years OF octopus hunting. y
In eontemptuous tones. Davis de-
c'arsd that unless conditio as caanse a
4it WIN not be long before American
Statemen are wearing knee breeches
With brass buckles and powdered wigs
nd bowing down 10 seml-royalty."
WIS speech was upon a bill which
he introduced shortly after the OPEN
ing OF cognress. making any attempt
to regulate and control prices !. con-
spiracy. punishable by a heavy flne
and long imprisonment II further
provides for the revocation OF the
companies charter. and permits re-
covery u the purchase. price.
"Are We In earnest when we go be-
4brs the American peopleg" he asked
"and tell them that trusts are bad
things; that trusts ought to be de-
stroyed; that trusts ought to be wiped
fom the face Of the earths Then
answer the people who this bill should
not become law Does it interfere
with vested rights?
IN, remedy which means only their
destruction can be too drastic. Any
thing short OF destruction; any tenn
porizing. any palliation of this wrong.
win not satisfy an outraged public
and win not bring the relief desired.
the trust evil Is cancer sore upon
the body polite. just ms upon the hs-
man hody. The only remedy is a
s~rye0p's insss- Cut " .out. by the
roots ana destroy the virus, +
: ut - the bounded duty OF congress-
% act II we don't destroy the trusts
then ItrembIc for the public. I trem-
bic for me scvernment itself. The
creature Is growing greater and
stronger and more powerful than its
creator. IL permitted for only few
years TO run without check or hind
rance. instead Of the government pre-
scribins the terms upon which the
trusts do business. trusts will be pre-
scribfnx the terms upon which the
government may do business
Nearly seven years of MIR. Roose-
selt's strenuous terms has passed
with all the machinery of the govern
ment a his back. Yet. I ask. win
some Republican senator upon this
Moor tell me one trust he has even
tanned. much less destroyed?
1T has been said that corporations
should be treated Justly and fairly.
That Is too often the shield behind
which cowardly public servants evade
their duty"