The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-09-25

but az you have brought It UP, ! Al
swer you that In my judgment the
measures you advocate would be Who'll
" ineffective in curing 9 single eyil.
and so far as they had any erect a&
all. would merely throw the. entire
business Of the country into hopeless
and utter confusion.
Deeds Against Words.
Il put Mi. Taft's deeds against your
words. I ask that Mr.. TAFT be judged
nv oil his deeds, for he wishes mono
OF them to be forgotten. I ask that
you be judged both by the works you
wish remembered, and by the words
you wish remembered. and by the
words that seemingly you and your
party now desire to have forgotten. 4
ask that your present plans tor regx-
lating the trusts be Judged in connec-
ton with your past uterances that you
did not believe In their regulation, but
in their destruction; and again In con
'nection with your past ~utterances to
the effect that only government own
1ership by 9 complicated national and
state system Of railroads would avail:
and again by your past utterancAs
when you proposed to remedy all tho
sufferings of our people by q depre-
ciated currency. For several years
now i have been steadfastly fighting
to secure thorough-going and far-reach-
ing control in the interest Of the pub.
lie over the business combinations
which do an interstate business. II
this effort l have been as much ham
spered by the extremist, well meaning
or otherwise, who demanded visionary
and impractical ~radicalism, as ~
those other extremists, no less dan
gerous, who stand for the r~eactionary
refusal to remedy any grievance. one
side. the side on which I am obliged
to say you have placed yourself, has
shown itself to be Just as much ths
enemy Of progress 40 the other.
"A Hard Shot.
II hold 1t entirely natural for mr.
great law-defying corporation to wiEA
to 3 you placed In the presidency
rather than Mr.. Taft. Your plans ti
put . stop to the abuses Of these cor
,porations are wholly ~chtmerical; how
chimerical your last plan, you viii
yourself see, II you read Governor
Hughes speech at Youngstown, Ohio.
To recall to your mind what Governor
Hughes said, ! quote as follows:
"'When we consider those (prs-
posed) remedies (of Mr.. Bryan against
the trusts) w find ourselves journey
ing in a land Of dreams. Again, tho
magician Of 1896 waves his wand. At
the stroke difficulties disappear and
the complex problems Of modern bust
ness are forgotten in the fascination
OF the simple panacea. The most i'm
portant proposal OF Mr.. Bryan is that
any manufacturer or trading orpora-
ton engaged in interstate commerce
shall be required to take out a federal
license before 1t shall be permitted to
control as much as only five per cent
OF the product in which 1t deals, and
mo corporation shall be permitted to
control more than SO per cent Of the
total amount of any product conl
sumed in the United States"
Tt might be interesting to inquire
what is the meaning OF "any product
consumed in the United States." Does
1T refer to a class of commodities!
And, If so, now shall the classes be
defined? Or does It refer to each
separate article OF commerce? And IL
SO, what account does this proposal
take OF the skill and initiative Of mar
ufactnrers who have built up a more
OF less exclusive trade in particular
articles, often protected by trade
marks, although in most active con-
petition with other articles designed
for the same general purpose and
seeking the same market? In & de-
sire to correct the evils Of business
are we to place an embargo upon hon
est endeavor whose activities present
none Of the abuses requiring m
dies? And, II not, what statutory def
millions shall be found to be adequate
and just II We lay down our prohi-
ibition In terms Of volume or rate oe
business and not in terms Of right and
wrong? II we adopt MI. Bryan's pre-
posal, to what period Of production IL
the prohibition to apply? Is the ex-
cess for q day or for a month to DO
considered? Or is the average pro
duction for q year to be taken? And
what system shall be devised BY
which suitable information may be fur
nished in the nature Of danger sig
mails along the routes Of trade so that
the manufacturer may know when he
is about to exceed the prescribed ra-
ito? He may justly be required to
govern his own conduct, but how shall
he be appraised Of the conduct of 9TH
ers upon which is to depend his guilt
or innocence?'
Would Mean Paralysis.