The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-08-26

II
Now observe his trust remedy: max
ing manufacturing or trading cor,
poration engaged in Interstate com
merce to take out federal license be-
fore II shall be permitted TO control
as much as 25 percent OF the product
In which II deals, the license to pro-
hiblt the control by such corporation
Of more than fifty per cent OF the
total amount.
Every voter should study this prop
osition until he can clearly see the
system In operation: Bryan with his
executive force determining, when a
concern Is controlling % per cent OF
the product and then compelling II to
take out a federal license; the same
executive department determining
when a concern is controlling fifty
percent, and checking it-Heaven
knows howl
Bryan. the apostle Of free silver. de-
clare that the free coinage OF silver
at the ratio of sixteen to one was a
cure for all our commercial troubles.
and his theory played upon the fancy
Of the imaginative until they believed
that. by increasing the per capita of
fiat money everybody in reality would
have more cash. Now Bryan says that
by prohibiting federal licensed
corporation controlling more than
fifty per cent of the product, he will
emedy the trust evil.
Tere's the most brazen charlatanry.
Bryan condemns combination In
svery form. Yet. he does not mem
thon any cause for Il. and does not
propose any way of removing the
ause. HE PROPOSES TO CHECK
1T. II ne could prevent monopolies
md combinations forming, he would
not have TO violate all Democrats
principles and propose an elaborate
federal system for stopping monopo-
istn tendencies at a certain fiNed
,oint Then why does he arbitrarily
designate nifty per cent of the product
as the limit of commercial expansion?
We believe that a resourceful dom
'neering man. controlling less than
nifty per cent of some products. can
fix the price and terms of sale.
Bryan might as well try to stop a
flood by building a dam to hold the
waters back from the lower stretches
Of a stream, as to check the onward
sweep Of monopoly after 1T has ac-
luired the unrestricted control of
fifty per cent of the product. While
he dam holds. the lowlanders may
iweN In the contentment of fancbed
security; but the dam neither pre-
vents. the flood nor dissipates H. The
lam collects the waters. storing up
'atent energy until the accumulated
pressure bursts the dam, and CARRIES
heath and destruction an hundred
,old more disastrous by reason Of the
aery means employed to check IL. Mr..
Bryan may interpose an arbitrary pro-
libition to commercial expansion at
fifty percent of the entire quantity.
but either the monopoly will fAnd a
way around the arbitrary check or
he dam VIII burst under the pressure
md the channel of trade be obiter-
ited In a commercial flood that will
ievastate the country.
A good engineer would practice
reforestration OF the watershed at the
source of the stream and take scbenti-
nc steps to prevent the flood by re-
moving its cause; or. recognizing the
natural recurrence OF the pheno-
menon, introduce means 10 carry
away the surplus flood with the least
variation from normal
Either the natural and proper ten
iencies of the times Is toward CO
operation aud combination in the
Held OF labor and of capital, or II Is
not. IL II Is natural and proper, then
he monopollstic evils should be rem
died without obstructing the cur
rent OF trade IL Mr.. Bryan thinks
cooperation and combination are al
together wrong in principle, he should
propose means to prevent combin-
atoms, and not merely interpose an
artificial bar after a monopoistic ten
dency has been followed TO the extent
of acquiring fifty per cent OF the
entire quantity OF any one product.