The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-08-25


sition to every form of private monop-
oily. The student of history will find
that upon this subject as upon other
subjects of government the great
founder of the democratic party took
his position upon the side of the whole
make a private use of government, or
strive to secure special privileges at
the expense of the public.
Il have in discussing the tariff ques-
ton, presented one of our remedies,
namely. the removal Of the tariff from
imports which compete with trust made
goods. This, we believe, would greatly
lessen the extortion practiced by the
trusts and bring about the dissolution
of many monopolistic combines. But
we are not satisfied merely with the
lessening OF extortion or with the dis
solution Of seine of the trusts.
Exterminate Monopoly.
Because the private monopoly is In
defensible and intolerable, the demo-
cratic party favors it's determination.
1t pledges itself to the vigorous en-
forcement of the criminal law against
trust officials; these officials are inti-
party in the present campaign. Take
for instance, the chairman of the re-
NTr D,-.-
pOnt of Delaware. He is the defend
ant in a suit which the government
brought and is now prosecuting Mr.
Dupont is charged with violation OF the
antitrust law. Why should he be put
on the executive committee and then
be given control of the speaking part
of the campaign? If you talk to re-
publican leader about penitentiary
punishment for offenders, he favors
fining corporations on the ground that
it is impossible to convict individuals
but when you urge fines you are told
that fines are unjust to innocent stock
holders. We favor both fine and i'm
prisonment, but we think it is better
to prevent monopolies than to first au-
thorize them to prey upon the public
and then try to punish them for doing
So Mr. Taft favors control OF trusts
instead of determination, but after
years Of experience the people have
Ioo, f1,of
ernment.
"Our platform does not stop with
the enforcement of the law; 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 does not con-
tent itself with a definition of the
wrong or with denunciation of it, It
proceeds to outline remedies. The first
is a law preventing duplication of di-
rectors among competing corporations
No one can object to this remedy un-
less 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 than
to make one board of directors serve
tons. 1t is not necessary for corpor-
ations to enter into an agreement for
the restraint of trade if the corpora
tions can, without violating the law,
reach the same end by electing the
same directors.
"The second remedy is one upon
which I desire to dwell at some length
We believe it to be simple complete
and easily enforced remedy AS stated
in the platform it is:
ga license system which will, with
out abridging the right of each state
to create corporations, or it's right to
regulate as it will foreign corporations
doing business within its limits. make
it necessary for a manufacturing or
trading corporation engaged in inter-
state commerce to take out federal
license before it shall be permitted to
control as much as 25 per cent of the
product in which it deals, the license
to protect the public from watered
stock and to prohibit the control by
such corporation of more than so per
cent of the total amount of any pro-
duct consumed in the United States
/ 'Tt will be noticed, in the first place.
that care was taken by those who drew
the platform to provide that there
should be no abridgment of the right
of state to create corporations, or of
its right to regulate as it will foreign
corporations doing business within it's
limits. This plan, therefore, does not
in the least infringe upon the right Of
the states to protect their own people
1t simply provides for the exercise
by congress of the power vested in 1t
to regulate interstate commerce AS