The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-08-26

corporation can render an important
service 20 the public The democratic
party wants to employ every tnstru
mentality that can be employed for
the advancement Of tae common good,
hut the democratic party draws the
line a. the private monopoly, and de
Ciares that q private monopoly can
not bo justified on either economic or
political grounds
Mr.. Taft either misunderstands or
misrepresents the democratic position
in regard to the determination of the
principle Of private monopoly. IN his
notification speech. he says.
Mr.. Roosevelt would compel the
trusts to conduct their business in =
lawful manner and secure the hene
fits Of their operation and the main
tonaUCe Of the prosperity of the COun-
try of which they are an important
part; while Mr.. Bryan would Cxtirpate
and destroy the entire business IN or
der 10 stamp ont the evils which they
have pTaCtiCed."
Here is a confession by Mr. TAFT
that he regards the trusts as neCes
saTy TO the nations prosperity. for
he declares that they play an i'm
pOTtaut part in the maintenance OF
~ u AftlllNr duu lit CHARGES lIldI
would "extirpate and destroy" buSI
ness in extiTpating and destroying the
principle of private monopoly. Surely
his sturdy of the trust question has
been very superficial. if he sees dan
ger IN the restoration Of a reign oil
competition.
Replies to Taft's Argument.
Let us take an illustration: Sup
pose the democrats succeed in the en-
actment OF a law in harmony with the
democratic platform law requiring
every corporation to take out a fed
eral license before 1t is permitted 10
control twenty-five per cent of tie
business in which it is engaged. Would
this "Cxtirpate and destroy the busI-
ness of the country As already stat
ed, but very small per cent of the
corporations would be affected by the
law, and those affected would be the
ones that nave been giving the officers
of the law so much trouble during the
past eighteen years. As tle licensed
corporation increased it's business
from twenty-five per cent to fifty per
cent, it would be under the watchfuI
eye of the government. would be COM
PEELED 10 make such reports as the
government required, would be pro-
hibited from watering its stock. and
would be required 70 sell to all Gus
toners upon the same terms. due al
lOwance being made for cost OF trans
pOrtatiOn. Would il "extiTpate ana
destroy business to require these IL
ceDSed corporations TO do business on
an honest basis and 20 be reaSOna bic
IN their business met hOdS? Would
not the benefit aCCruing to the nine
ty-nine small corporations thus pro-
teCted from COuScieuCeIess methods be
enough TO Offset any evil effects that
might follow from such restraint OF
few big corporations? Is business so
dependent upon dishonesty and unfair
ness that It would he "extirpated and
destroyed if morals were introduced
70 1t? When the licensed corporation
reached a point where IT controlled
One-half of the business in which If
was engaged. it would. according to
the democratic plan. have TO stop ex
banding Would it .'extirpate and de
Stroy business 10 put this limitation
upon the greed of few corporations
Surely our plan could not iniuriOuSIy
affect corporations that might heTeaf-
Ter seek to establish a monopoly.
But possibly Mr. Taft thinks that II