Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-11
Gentleman From Arkansas De.
livers an Impassioned Speech
on Trusts
WOULD JAIL CORPORATE HEADS
savaeely Attacks Financial Magnates
and Says His Bill Would Put Trusts
Out of Business Calls Sherman
Bill Worthless and Would Reduce
Presidents Salary and Expenses.

Washington. Dec. 11.-Senator JEFF
ferson Davis, of Arkansas, .oday de-
livered passionate address In the
senate in support of his bill for the
regulation Of trusts. He was given
close attention by the senators and
spectators.
Davis began by declaring it was
not his purpose to retain his seat IN
4 the senate until his hair shall have
grown gray before taking up the work
actively in .hat body. He proposed
to present quickly, fearlessly and as
intelligently as he might. some living,
2 burning questions before the Amerl-
can people. 1t was for that reason he
had determined to speak upon his bill
to suppress trusts, pools, combina-
tions and cOnspiracies.
Il undertake to say he continued,
that If this bill is enacted into law,
and is faithfully and honestly exc
cuted, the trusts will be wiped from
the face of the earth and no longer will
we feel their grinding and destroying
grip on the aireries of trade and COM
merce."
A domestic corporation found fixing
the price of any article would, by his
bill, he said, have it's charter forfeited,
and foreign corporation guilty OF
such act would not be allowed to do
business in the United States.
THE trust evil" said Davis, rs a
cancerous sore upon the body polite
just as upon the human body. The
only remedy, the only successful
treatment, is the surgeons knife.
Attacks the Sherman Law.
.Congress should not hesitate in its
work of destroying trusts because OF
any fear of unsettiing business he
continued. He spoke Of the Sherman
antitrust law.
i Has it proven effectual?" he asked.
"Has it destroyed a single trust: Un-
der its operation have they not grown
strong, defiant and arrogant. Almost
for seventeen years the Sherman law
has been upon our statute books, more
than four times as long as 1t took the
north to wear out the south upon the
bloody fields of battle. Nearly seven
years of Roosevelts strenuous terra
has passed. with all the machinery OF
the government at his back and with
the great power of the chief executive
in his hands; yet 1 ask, will some re-
publican senator upon this floor tell
me of one trust which he has even
tanned, much less destroyed?
This is an age when men have gone
mad in their frenzied efforts for the
dollar. This is an age when money is
placed above man. when gold is placed
before God, when we would sGil our
souls, our government, our all ior one
bright smile from the God of Nam
mon. When we look to the leading
cause Of this great wealth upon part
these great corporations and the
causes leading to their formation, to
the formation of trusts, We are COM
PEELED to go no further than the repub-
lican authority itself, and take the
sworn testimony Of Mr.. Havemeyer
the great sugar king-who has gone
to his reward be it good or bad; who
has gone to that land that cline,
where st. Pete1kdoes not take Sugar
in his where money is of no value.
Tariff the Mother of Trusts.
He recalled Havemeyers statement
before the industrial commission that
"the tariff is the mother of trusts"
s'Under the operation of this system
of government" he said, ''f1fty-one men
In the United States. multi-million-
aires, If you please. have amassed
total fortune of s3,295, 900 and own one
thirty-ff of the entire wealth of the
nation
9e explained that his bill would not
tho f.ornnra fippS to coll their
products in one part of the country
at a less price than they sell such
products IN another part.
Prison for tho Magnates.
"What is needed today by the trust
magnates Of this union in order to
make them respect the law and obey
its solemn mandates he said, 'is
that they he treated like ordinary
felons. Land them in penitentiary:
place felons stripes 'doxology of a
misspent life upon them, and you will
see that the trusts are busted and the
people will get relief
He declared that while he is an
alarmist, he is not an anarchist or So
cialist. He spoke of the great ex-
penses of the government. Our pres
ident." he said, "and I speak of him
in the most respectful terms. besides
his salary of $4,000 per year, and
say that is not excessive. is paid by
this congress. $4,000 per year for
travelling expenses, approximately
$4,000 annually for his living eN-
penses.
"Ah, Mr. President, that is enor-
nous. This is unreasonable. The
president of the United States has
five children, l believe. 1t is true he
should live in accordance with the
dignity of the position which he oc-
cupies, greatest executive upon the
face of the earth, but Mr.. President.
] have the president skinned block
in the matter of family. I have eight !
children. 1t don't take $4,000 for
ny living expenses, no sir, The