The sun., 1907-12-18
TBE VOICE OF BAVIS or AR
KANSAS.

To THE. EDITOR or TIE SUN-Sir: It
would promote the public welfare IL zach
and every voter in the country read the
recent speech in the Senate by MIR. Davis.
the junior Senator from Arkansas. He
could then perceive the meat on which II
must be- that Roosevelt and Bryan feed.
and which has given to them both pOpu-
larity that not all voters north Of the Po-
tOmac and east of the Allegbanies under
stand.
Senator Davis il a victim Of panic dread
OF corporations. He appears TO be himself
sincere. or else a sincere ambassador OF
constituents who are sincere. Trusts
were nominally his theme. but he spoke
Of corporations. He defined the trust
which excites him, as amy combination OF
capital having for it's object the unlawful
fixing OF prices" Such a combination he
would have Congress suppress, His defini-
tion includes partnerships. Individuals,
however rich. escape his condemnation.
Any combination Of capital belonging TO
two or more persons is under the ban IL
IL "unlawTully' attempts 20 fix the price
at which il will sell thing il has.
Bryan defined. on his return from Europe
a trust to be "a corporation that controls
so large q proportion Of the total product
as to be able effectively to defeat corn
petition and fix the terms and conditions
of SALE Later on he named the percent
age Of the total product which should make
a trust" and Danish il from trade among
the States Size was to be the test
Mr.. Roosevelt in his last message TO
Congress thus defined "trust":
No corporation or association Of any kind should
be permitted TO engage in foreign ar interstate
commerce that Is formed for the purpose OF or
whose operations create a monopoly or general
control OF the production, sale or distribution Of
any one OF the prime necessities OF life
or articles OF general use and necessity.
Davis. Bryan and Roosevelt are in sub
stantial accord. All three Of them refer to
corporations Of good size with the ordinary
powers Of corporations. They do not refer
merely to public service. or public utility;
corporations.
The popularity of Roosevelt and Bryan
rests on the same foundation as that of
Senator Davis in Arkansas. All three pro-
fess to be in panic dread of the same thing.
Bryan breads IT, or says ne does. precisely
as from 1880 to lS9e he did the gold standard
"A crucifixiOn bogey that instantly dis
appeared as soon as Hanna, "a malefactor
Of great wealth. had accomplished the
nomination and election of Mckinley on.
in every sense. a gold basis Then Bryan
took up trusts. which have since been his
bogey. and Roosevelt followed suit in Jan
uary, 1900.
There is one part of the speech by Sena-
tor Davis that needs explanation. II is
this:
In addition to the ordinary appropriation for
the Presidents salary $50 OOO gave him SIS OOO
to ride over the country business trips and
otherwise ! speak Of the President In most re
spectful terms. You not only did that. but you
gave him sixty or seventy Thousand dollars for
something eise-I do not know for what purposes
aud altogether IL takes about sl2OOOO TO support
our distinguished President and his family.
To what items Of appropriation did the
Senator refer? In which statute can they
be fOundg ARKANSAS.
NEW XORK Dacamhar II