Bisbee daily review., 1908-08-26
BRYAN ON TRUST QUESTION
AND HIS PARTY'S STAND;
SHAM Of REPUBLICANS
Party Power Has Sunbered for Nearly Score of Years
With the Sherman Antitrust Law in Force With
Criminal Clause and Only Recently Woke Up.
How Republican Leaders Thwarted
Efforts of the President.

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 25.-Nilliam
]. Bryan paid his respects this after
noon. following the notification cere-
monies of John w. Kern, TO the trust
question and the attitude of the Dem
ocratic and Republican parties TO
trusts. Mr.. Bryan said in part:
Nowhere does the Republican party
show its indifference to real reform
more than in its treatment of the
trust question. Here is the Republi-
can platform:
The Republican party passed the
Sherman antitrust law over Demo
cratic dereliction.. II has been a
wholesome instrument for good in
the hands Of a wise and fearless ad-
ministration. But experience has
shown that its effectiveness can be
strengthened and its real objects bet
ter attained by such amendments as
will give to federal government great
er supervision and control over, and
secure greater publicity in, the man
agement of that class of corporations
engaged in interstate commerce, hav-
ing power and opportunity to affect
moaopolies."
The Sherman antitrust law was
passed eighteen years ago; it has a
criminal clause which provides a pen
itentiary punishment for those who
conspire together in restraint of trade.
Ever since the enactment of the law,
with the exception of four years, lne
Republican party has controlled the
executive department of the govern
ment, and, during two years of the
four, it controlled the house of rep
resentatives. Instead of Democratic
dereliction, the Democratic party has
been urging, year after year, the
strict enforcement of that law, and
the Republican party has been eA
planning year after year why it was
impossible TO enforce it. Instead of
being A wholesome instrument for
good" it has been almost useless, so
far as the protection of the public is
concerned, for the trusts have grown
in number, in strength, and in AFRO
gance, at the very time when the Re-
publican party was boasting of it's en-
forcement of the law The steel trust
was formed Immediately after the
election of 1900, and a prominent Re
publican said, in a speech soon after,
that it might have prevented Re
publican victory if it had been formed
before the election.
Most of the trusts have never been
disturbed, and those that have been
prosecuted have not had their bust
ness seriously interrupted. The pres
ident has done something toward the
enforcement of the law, but not near
ly enough. and the Republican leaders
have thwarted him at every point. Fl
nally the president became so exas-
perated that he sent to congress 2
message which shocked Republican
leaders by the fierceness of its denun-
citation of the predatory interests.
The very convention that spoke in its
platform of the administration as "a
wise and fearless one," was com
posed largely of the senators and
members of congress who boldly op-
posed every effort to free the people
from the clutches of the faVor-seeIling
corporations
The Republican platform says that
experience has shown that the effect
iveness of the antitrust law could be
strengthened by amendments which
will give the federal government
greater publicity as to. the manag,
ment Of those interstate commerce
corporations which have tae power.
and opportunity to affect monopolies.
That is all. No pointing out of RENE.
dies; no outlining of plan for more
effective legislatiOn-simply d general
statement that promises nothing in
particular And Mr.. Taft's speech of
acceptance is even weaker than the
platform. He gives no evidence Of
having studied the question or of
comprehending the iniquities of a
monopoly. You look in vain in his nv
tification speech for any sign Of in
dignation at what the trusts have
been doing or for evidence of gear in
their prosecution. He has, for several
years, been the intimate official COM
paniop of the president, but he has
caught none of the fire which the pres
ident manifested in his message OF
last January.
If in the presence of an aroused
people, and in the heat Of g campaign.
the Republican party contents itself
with a corlorless platform on this sub
ject, what can we expect in the way
of activity when the exigencies OF the
campaign are passed? II, when MI
Taft is appealing to t>.e Roosevelt Re
publicans, his discussion of the sub
ject ia so lifeless and his manner so
apologetic and apathetic, what rea-
son have we to expect either yigor IN
the enforcement of the law or earnest
ness IN the search for additional rem
edies?
I have. in discussing the tarin ques'
tfon PRESENTED one of our remedies,
namely. the removal of the tariff from
imports which compete WIN trus'