Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-09-24

cation and reforestation, in the admins,
tration of the postoffice. the interior and
agricultural departments, in the appoint
ments of foreign ministers and consuls.
if the spirit which has ectuated the DEM
ocratic authorities in the state of Okla
homa should be permitted to take con-
troll of the federal government at Wash
inston. Governor Haskell, by actions
which speak louder than words has de-
clared his disbelief in Grover Cleveal ads
motto, a Public Office is a Public Trust
And Mr.. Haskell is a representative leader
in the Eryan Democracy. What does Mr..
Bryan think of Mr.. Clcvelands principle?
What do the American people think of
Mr.. Haskel's contemptuous reversal of
it,
You close your telegram by saying
that you expect and will demand fair
and honorable treatment from those
who are in charge OF the Republican
campaign. l am not in charge OF the
campaign, but am greatly interested
in it. / have shown you above fairly
and honora~iy that Governor Haskell
Is man who, on every account l have
named, is unworthy OF any position in
ouI DuDlIt me. NJ III lIltI lllNtSliSd-
ton of these facts is required. They
are spread on the record before you.
and they were available before Mr.
Haskell was chosen for his position as
tres surer. You also say that you will
not permit any responsible member of
the Republican organization to misrep
resent the attitude of your party in
the present campaign. You Will have
no difficulty in getting me to repre-
sent it Alright, for my sole anxiety is
that the people of the country shall
understand this attitude clearly, and
shall then condemn it as it should be
condemned. You say that you have
advocates more radical measures
against private monopoles than either
or my party associates have been
willing to undertake. You have indeed
advocated measures that sound more
radical, but they have the prime defect
that in practice they would not work.
| should not in this letter to you dis
cuss your attitude on this question if
you did not yourself bring it up; but
as you have brought it up, | answer
you that in my judgement, the meas
ures you advocate would be wholly
ineffective in curing a single evil. and
SO far as they mad any effect al all
would merely throw the entire business
of the country into hopeless and utter
confusion.
81 nut Mr. Taft's deeds against your
words. | as. that MI Taft be judged
~ all his Gee DIS, for he wishes none of
them forgotten. l ask that you be
judged both by the words you wish
remembered, and by the words that
seemingly you and your party now de-
sire to have forgotten. l ask that your
present plan for regulating the trusts
be Judged in connection with your past
utterances that you did not believe in
their regulation but in their destruc
ton; and again in connection with
YOUR past utteranCes to the effect that
only government ownership by conf
plicatAd national and state system of
railroads. would avail; and again by
your utterances when you proposed to
remedy all the sufferings of our people
by 4 deprecated currency. For sew
eral years now | have been steadfast-
ly fighting to secure thorough going
and far-reaching control in the interest
of the public over the great business
combinations which do an Interstate
business. III tIllS l. IldSS uSeI
as much hampered by the extremists.
we!l-meaning or otherwise who de-
manded visionary and impracticable
radcalsm, and by those other eXtrem
lists, no less dangerous who stand for
tho reactionary refusal to remedy any
grievance. One side the side on which
am obliged to say you have placed
yourself, has shown itself to be pust
as much the enemy of progress as the
other. I hold it entirely natural for any
great law -defvng corporation to wish
to see you placed in the Presidency
rather than Mr. Taft. Your plans to
put stop to the abuses of these cor
porations are wholly chimerical: how
chimerical your last plan is you will
yourself see in GOV. Hughes speech in
Youngstown, O. To recall to your mind
what Governor Hughes said. I quote as
follows:
when we consider those (Propos-
ED remedies (Of Mr.. Bryan against
the truStD We find
ourselves iourneying in land of
dreams. Again the magician of 1896
waves his hand At a stroke diff
culties disappear and the complex
problems of modern business are for
gotten in the Fascination of the simple
panacea The most important pro- |
posal of Mr.. Bryan is, That any manu-
featuring or trading corporation en- |
gagged in interstate commerce shall be |
required to take out federal license |
before it shall be permitted to control |
as much as % per cent of the product |
in which it deals and no corporation
shall be permitted to control More
than 80 per cent. of the total amount
of any production consumed in the |
United States
1t might be interesting to inquire
what is the meaning of product con-
sumed in the United States. Does it
re fer to class OF commodities? And
if so how shall the classes be defined?
Or does it refer to such separate arti-
cles of commerce? and if SO. what
account 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, all
though in most active competition
with other articles designed for the