The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-24

er extremists. no less dangerous. who
stand for the reactionary refusal to
remedy any grievance.
One side, the side on which l am
Obliged to say you have placed your
self. has shown itself TO be just as
much the enemy of progress as the 9TH
err. | hold Ii entirely natural for any
great law defying corporation TO wish
to see you placed in the presidency
rather than Mr.. Taft
Bryan's Plans chinericaI.
Your plans to put stop TO the
abuses of these corporations are Who'll
ly chimerical: how chimerical your
last plan is you will yourself see IL you
read Governor Hughes's speech at
Youngstown, o. To recall TO your
mind what Governor Hughes said. I
quote as follows:
When we consider those (proposed)
remedies (of Mr.. Bryan against the
trusts We find ourselves journeying in
land OF dreams Again the magi
| clan of 1896 waves his wand AT
stroke difficulties disappear and the
complex problems of modern business
are forgotten in the fascination of the
simple panacea.
The most important proposal OF Mr..
Bryan is that any manufacturing or
trading corporation engaged in inter
state commerce shall be required to
take out a federal license before 1t
shall be permitted TO control as much
as % per cent of the product in which
1t deals and no corporation shall be
permitted to control more than so per
cent of the total amount of any pro-
duct consumed in the United States.
1T might be interesting to inquire
what is the meaning of any product
consumed in the United States Does
it refer to a class of commodities? And
IL so, how shall the classes be defined?
| Or does 1t refer to each separate arti-
Gle Of commerce? And II so, what &C
| 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 Oft
en- protected by trade marks. although
in most active competition with other
articles designed for the same general
purpose and seeking the same market?
No Embargo on Honest Industry.
I'm a desire to correct the evils Of
business are we to place an embargo
upon honest endeavor, whose activities
present none of the abuses requiring
| remedies? And If SO. what statutory
definitions shall be found to be ade-
quate and just if we lay down our pro-
| hibition in terms of volume or ratio
of business, and not in terms of right
and wrong?
IF We adopt Mr.. Bryan's proposal to
| what period of production is the pro-
| hibition to apply? Is the excess for
| a day or for a month to be considered?
Or is the average production for year
| to be taken?
And what system shall be devised
| by which suitable information may be
| furnished in the nature of danger sig
| nails along the routes of trade so that
| the manufacturer may know when he
is about to exceed the prescribed ratio?
He may Justly be required to govern
his own conduct, but how shall he be
| appraised of the conduct of others upon
which is to depend his guilt or inno-
cence?
Let us repeat that no law-defying
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 to prac-
tice what you have advocated would
bring. This paralysis would affect
the wage worker. the farmer, the small
business man more than 1t would af-
feet the great business man. But it
would affect the latter, too.
| Therefore l hope and believe that
all far-sighted citizens who wish to
see this country prosper in material
things will support Mr.. Taft. But
above all ask support for him be-
cause he stands for moral upiift OF the
ration, because his deeds have made
good his words, and because the poll
cies to which he is committed are OF
immeasurable consequence alike to the
honor and the interests of the whole
American people. Very truly yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
Hon. William Jennings Bryan, Lin
coin, Neb.''