The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-10-15
Rrvnn,s Trnst s.Remedy.,.


Apart from Bryan's acknowledge
rnent that it would take him about two
years, even with friendly house of
Representatives, to begin to do any
thing in the way of indicting his IVA
garies,' as Governor Hughes calls
them, on the American people, his
scheme for preventing trusts has at
tracted most attention during his late
visit to New York. Bryan and the
Democratic platform propose to "pre-
vent trusts by prohibiting any cor
poration from doing more than so per
cent Of the domestic business in any
particular line. That ~ one corpora
ton could appropriate for itself only
one-half of the home market
Even were such restriction consti-
tutional and practicable there would
be nothing to stop another corporation
under the same control from doing the
other 80 per cent of the business. The
scheme would, however, be utterly
impracticable. Say John Jones and
John Smith own n patent for manu-
general demand They have a monop-
oily Of all the business in that line In
the United States. Does Bryan pro
pose to compel them to part with half
their business to Bryan and a follow
ing of 'sgrafters'' waiting for such
chances? OF course Jones and Smith
would not do it, and no court In Amer
lea would order them to do 1t. Bryan,
being a lawyer, ought to know that
the business OF any concern Is valu-
able asset, treated as property by the
courts and bought and sold as prop
erty. If conducted In a lawful man
ner the business is legitimate, no mat
ter how enormous.
The extent OF n business does not
constitute a wrong, provided the. bust
ness has been acquired by methods
not In violation OF law and equity.
Whether a business be great or small,
II conducted in an Illegal manner,
those guilty OF the illegal acts should
be punished. Bryan and the Bryan
platform assume that because bust
ness is a monopoly-and, as we have
pointed out, the manufacture and sale
OF every patented article is a monopoly
half of that business should be con-
hscated.
Remarkable how Bryan and his
platforms stick to the so per cent con-
hscation programme! He wanted to
take so per cent or the value OF every
dollar Of American money twelve and
eight years ago, and now he wants to
take away so per cent OF the buslness
OF any one who has a monopoly, even
though 1t may be only a patented toy
or toothpick.
It may be assumed that Bryan sees
the absurdity of it all himself and
knows that he is simply trying to fool
his hearers into believing that he really
means to do something terrible TO the
trusts II the people will give him
chance. He is mistaken, however.
The people are not such fools as he
thinks; they are not SO readily de
cefved, and the count of votes on the
night OF Nov. 3 will remind him sharp
" that it is no easier to mlslead the |
American electorate now than it was
In 1896 and 1900. II Bryan means
what he says, he would be as dan
gerous in the White House as Moro
running amuck in an American gar
rison in the Philippines. II Bryan
does not mean what he says, he is a
humbug and a charlatan. In either
case the only course for the self re-
spectlng voter Is to give his ballot for
TAN, whose public career is his plat
form and whose principles are as hon
estly entertained as they are sound and