Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1908-08-27

for evidence Of zeal IN their prosecu-
He has, for several years, been
the intimate official companion Of the
President manifested in his message OF
January.
Ii, in the presence of an peo-
Pile, and In the heat of a campaign, the
Republican party contents 1tse2f with
a colorless platform on this supJect'
what can we expect in the way OF ac-
tivity when the ~exigenaies of the cam
arc passed If, when Mr.. a
10 appealing to the Roosevelt Rspubl1-
cans, his discussion of the subject Is so
and his SO apologize
apathetic, what reason have we to
either vigor in the enforcement
OF the law or earnestness In the search
additional remediesS
Contrast the Democratic platform
with the Republican platform. No
where 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 does not stop with the
enforcement OF the aw it demands
the enactment Of such additional legis-
lation as may be necessary to make it
impossible for a private monopoly to
exist in the United States.
The Democratic party @ not con-
tent itself with a definition Of the
wrong or with a denuneiation OF it. II
proceeds to outline remedies. One OF
these is a law preventing a duplication
Of directors among competing corpora
tions. No one can object to this rem
edy, unless he is in sympathy with the
trusts, rather than with the people who
are victimized by the trusts. There is
no easier way OF sitting competition
Hhan to make one board OF directors
serve for a number of competing cor
p~orations. It is not necessary for cor
porations to enter into an agreement
for the rstraint of trade, it the corpora
tons can, without violating the law,
reach the same end by electing the
same directors.
The Democratic party is the defender
of competition and the only great party
which is seeking to restore compet1-
ton. Mr.. Taft has, in the discussion
ofthis question, employed harsh words
instead of argument. The word
"soeialistis'' is hurled at the Demo-
cratic party and the Democratic plat
form. Now, as q matter of fact, it is Mr..
Taft's party and not the Democratic
party which has given encouragement
to socialism. While protesting to alb
hor socialism,, the Republican party
has gone halt way toward socialism In
endorsing its fundamental principle.
The socialists bases his contention on
the theory thatseompstitionis bad. and
/ that an economic advance is to be
found in monopoly. The socialists,
however, wants the public 10 ave the
benefit of the monopoly and. therefore,
tovors government ownership and op-
Grafton of all the means of production
and distribution.
The Republican party has gone al
most as far as the socialist party in the
economic defense of the monopoly, but
it permits the benefits OF monopoly to
be enjoyed by a comparatively few
men, who have secured a dominant in
fuence in the government. I beg to
call Mr.. Tatt's attention to the fac
that the Republican party has stimu.
lated the growth of socialism in two
ways: First, by the endorsement thai
it has given to the theory that trusts
are a natural and necessary outgrowtE
of eur economic conditions, n
second, by permitting the development
of abuses which have been charged
against individualism. If he will OK
anime the vote publishedin the WorlC
Almanac, he will find that in 1900 thu
Republicans polled 7,2OS, pa votes and
that the socialists polled but S5,991
in the same almanac, he will find tina
in 1904 the Republicans cast 1925, 4Ss
votes and the socialists 402, 1885,. Not.
w~ithstanding the factthat the Repub1i.
cans have boosted of their last national
victory, their party polled but All, 00(
more votes that year than our years
before. This scarcely more than cover.
ed the natural increase in the Republi.
can portion of the population, while
the socialists vote increased more thar
three hundred per cent, and the in
crease in votes was almost as great al
the increase in Republican votes.
The Republican leaders have been il
the habit OF sneering at the socialists
while blindly Indifferent to the causes
that have contributed to the growth