The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-26

ness of the antitrust law could be
strengthened by amendments which will
give the federal government greater su-
pervision and control over, ana greater
publicity as to, the management of those
interstate commerce corporations which
have the power and opportunity to al
feet monopolies. That is ALL No point
ing out of remedies; no outlining of a
plan fer more effective legislation-simpl
q general statement that promises nothing
in particular. And Mr.. Taft's speech OF
! acceptance is even weaker than the plat
| form He gives no evidence of having
studied the question or of comprehend
ing the iniquities of monopoly. You
| look in vain in his notification speech for
any sign of indignation at what the trusts
have been doing or for evidence of zeal
/ in their prosecutions He has, for several
years, been the intimate official compan-
| ion of the president, but ne has caught
none of the fire which the president
manifested in his message of last Janu-
| airy.
and in the heat of "a campaign, the Re-
| publican party contents itself with color
/ less platform on this subject, what can
we expect in the way of activity when
the exigencies of the campaign are
passed? IT, when Mr. Taft is appealing
/ to the Roosevelt Republicans, his discus
/ sion of the subject is so lifeless and his
manner so apologize and apathetic, what
, reason have we to expect either vigor
in the enforcement of the law or earnest
| ness in the search for additional rene
1 dies?
Taft's Foolish Talk.
! In his speech delivered about year
ago announcing his candidacy Mr. Taft
| suggested that the present law be so
amended as TO permit reasonable re-
straint of trade. Such an Amendment
would be as absurd as an amendment
| to the law against burglary limiting the
/ law TO cases in which more than two
burglars entered the house ar one time
or took more than half they found. In
his notification speech he suggests ma
tional incorporation remedy Whlch
would make conditions worse because.
without adding TO the power of congress
/ TO prevent mOnopolies. it would deprive
the states of the power TO protect their
Now. let me contrast the Democratic
platform with the Republican platform.
! Nowhere is the difference in the temper
of the parties more noticeable; nowhere
is the difference in the method of deal
/ ing with questions more manifest. Our
| platform says:
\ "A private monopoly is indefens- 4
| + ible and intolerable. We therefore y
4 favor the vigorous enforcement of y
! 3 the criminal law against guilty trust 4
I y magnates and officials. and demand y
4 the enactment of such additional leg
+ islation as may be necessary to make y
y il Impossible for private monopoly Y
| y TO exist in the United States. Among
y the additional remedies, we specify y
= three First, law preventing a du- =
| y plication of directors among COM
y peting corporations, second, a license
y system which will, without abridg- 2
y ins the right Of each state TO create =
3 corporations, or its right to regulate
= as il viii foreign corporations doing y
| y business within its limits, make II
+ necessary for a manufacturing or
! 4 trading corporation engaged in IN
= terstate commerce to take out fed
| + eral license before it shall be per-
\ mitted 10 control as much as . per
! = cent of the product in which ii deals, y
| y the license TO protect the public from
| y watered stock and TO prohibit con- y
\ troll by such corporation OF more than
y % per cent of the total amount OF y
| y any product consumed in the United y
y States; and, third, a law compelling =
| y such licensed corporations to sS TO
y all purchasers in all parts OF the =
\ y country on the same terms, after
y making due allowance for cost of Z
/ y transportation"
Denver Platform Plain.
Here is a plain, candid statement OF the
party's position. There is no quibbling,
no evasion. no ambiguity. a private mo-
nOpOly is indefensible and intOlerable. 1t
is bad-bad in principle. and bad In prac-
tice No apology can be Offered for it.
and no people should endure it. Our
party's position is entirely in harmony