The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-09-24
Bryan an Enemy Of Progress.


''In this effort / have been as much
hampered by the extremists, we'll
meaning or otherwise, who demanded
visionary and impracticable radcalisn.
as by those other extremists, no less
dangerous, who stand for the reaction
airy refusal to remedy any grievance.
One side, the side on which | am
obliged to say you have placed your
self, has shown itself TO be Just as
much the enemy Of progress as the
other / hold 1t entirely natural for
any great law-defying corporation to
wish to see you placed in the presiden-
cy rather than Mr. Taft Your plans
TO put stop to the abuses of these
corporations are wholly chimerical;
how chimerical your last plan Is, you
will yourself see II you read Governor
Hughes speech at Youngstown, Ohio.
To call to your mind what Gov Hughes
said | quote as follows:
"'When we consider those (proposed)
remedies (of Mr.. Bryan against the
trusts ...........we find ourselves
journeying In a land Of dreams. Again
the magician of 1896 waves his wand.
At stroke difficulties disappear and
the complex problems OF modern bust
ness are forgotten in the fascination of
the simple panacea. The most import
ant proposal of Mr.. Bryan Is that
any manufacturing or trading corpora,
ton engaged In interstate commerce
shall be required to take out a federal
license before 1t shall be permitted to
control az much as twenty-five per
cent. OF the product In which It deals
and no corporation shall be permitted
to control more than fifty per cent. of
the total amount of any product con-
sumed in the United States
I" Tt might be interesting to inquire
what Is the meaning of any product
consumed in the United States. Does
ii refer TO a class commodities? And
II SO how shall the classes be defined
Or does It refer to such separate arti-
Gle OF commerce? And II so what ac-
count does this proposal take Of the
skill and initiative Of manufacturers
who have built up more or less ex-
elusive trade in particular articles Of
ten protected by trade marks, although
in most active competition with other
articles designed for the same general
purpose and seeking the same markets
In desire to correct the evils Of bus,
mess are we to place an embargo upon
honest endeavor whose activities pre-
| I. ,i,i,,
edes? And, If not, what statutory def
nItlons shall be found to be adequate
and Just If we lay down our prohibi-
tion In terms of volume, Or ratio oil
business and not In terms Of right and
wrong? If we adopt Mr.. Bryan's pro-
posal to what period OF production Is
the prohibition to apply? Is the excess
for a day or for a month to be con
sidered. Or Is the average production
for a year to be taken? And what sys-
tenn shall be devised by which suitable
information may be furnished in the
nature of danger signals along the
routes or trade 80 that the manufac-
turer may know when he Is about tc
exceed the prescribed ratio? He may
Justly be required to govern his owr
conduct, but how shall he be apprised
of the conduct of others upon which Is
to depend his guilt or innocence?
LET me repeat that no law defyine
corporation has anything to fear from
YOU save what 1t will suffer in the gen.
eral paralysis Of business which any
attempt on your part to reduce tx
practice what you have advocated
would bring This paralysis would af