davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
Purpose of the Message.

And now, stripped of all gloss and
pretense, we arrive at the object of
the administration:
l. That the purpose is to lay the
heavy hand of the national govern
ment on the respective states. To
deprive them of that power which they
now possess of declaring the condi-
tiOns upon which business may be
done within their borders by foreign
corporations.
2. To arrest the efforts of the va
rious states to protect their people
against the aggressions of criminal mo-
nOpolies.
3. To enable monopoly to pursue
methods, which, under the decisions
of the Federal courts. are now de-
clared to be Illegal.
4. To make of the capital of the ma
ton A city of refuge to which every
criminal conspiring against free and
open trade-every scoundrel who de-
sires, through the power of aggregat-
ed money to crush individual or cor
porate enterprise, can fee and cry
sanctuary"
1t is the last step toward Centraliza-
ton.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
Federal Office Holders Power.

To place this discretion ia federal
office holder is TO grant TO him the
power to specify which particular
trust OF combination shall be licensed
to prev upon the people of the United
States-a power greater than that
DOssessed by any monarch of modern
times.
If the act be so drawn as to apply
only to certain classes of corporations
what shall this classification be ?
Shall it be only those corporations
possessing a certain amount of CAPT
tai? Or those which exercise a more
or less complete monopoly ?
Shall we solemnly ascertain first,
that a concern is so large as to be
dangerous. and then grant it a special
nrerogative and privilege not granted
to or exercised by those institutions
which are smaller and less dangerous?
Shall we remove the great and pow
erful from the puryiew of state con-
troll. yet subject the small and strug-
Cling institutions TO state legislation ?
The mere statement of such propO-
sitiOn is so appalling as to shock the
dull sensibilities of the special plead
er" of monopoly, even though he be
President of the United States.
The only remaining condition, there
fore, is that the law shall be so framed
as to permit all institutions engaged in
interstate commerce to avail them
selves of it's privileges and protection.
This being the case, let us see to what
extent it will affect the business of
our country
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
Betrayal of the People.

| question whether there has ever
been presented an example paralIeling
the betrayal of the people by the Re-
publican party. Neither do l know Of
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
The Presidents Vain Promise.

The President blandly promises us
the government will be good: that the
government will not permit monopoly
And yet the very purpose of this bill
is to permit monopoly!
The President tells us that the bust
ness of these Institutions will be
wisely regulated by the government
The experience of all the years demon
strates that instead of the govern
ment's wisely regulating these insti,
buttons, the concentrated lobby OF all
the predatory interests of the country
will regulate the government.
The proposition appalls the magma
ton and arouses the opposition OF
every patriot, regardless of party. 1t
is at war with the history of our
country. 1t is violative of the funda-
mentaIs of the constitution as they
have always been understood in the
past, 1t proposes a commercial, II
nancial and governmental revolution.
1t can only be accomplished by assas-
mating the liberties of the respective
states and by annihilating the princi-
pies of local self-gOVernment.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
Taft's Startling Message.

But on January 18th. 1910, there came
from the pen OF President Taft. the
most startling paper of this decade, if
not of our country's history. This
message embodied the following prop
ositionS:-
1st That under the present law
corporation NAV grow so large as to
occupy the entire field, to the eXclu-
sion of all others, and yet be perfectly
legal, unless it resort to coercive or
unfair business methods in order to
crush or prevent rivalry.
Ind That the Department of JUS
tice is powerful enough to ascertain
whether a corporation is pursuing le-
gal methods, and to punish those in
situations which have violated the law.
If these statements are true, then
the present condition ought to satisfy
the most ultra-believer in the wisdom
of large combinations, provided he is
satisfied to have such combinations
limited to fair and honest methods.
Having thus declared that under the
law a corporation may grow to any
size, yet be immune from punishment
so long as its methods be hOnest-the
President proceeds to recommend a
change of the law, not as might be
imagined to limit the size of the cor
poration so that it cannot groWa into
the proportions of a monopoly On
the contrary, the purpose of theRres-
ident, plainly, is to relieve from PROSE
cution that class of corporations which
are because of their unfair or illegal
methods) now subject to the laws pen
alties.
The sole purpose of the President,
necessarily, is to extend the powers
of these combinatiOns-mah safer the
field of commercial aggression, and set
at defiance the efforts of state govern
ments to protect their people. This
is demonstrated beyond all cavil in
his language. which l quote:
q therefore recommend the enact
ment of a General Law providing for
the formation of corporations to en-
gage in trade and commerce among
these states and with foreign nations
Protecting them from un-
due interference by the states and reg
ulating their activities so as to pre-
vent the recurrence. under national
auspices, of these abuses which have
arisen under State control.
The conflicting laws of the different
States of the Union with respect to
foreign corporations, make it difficult
if not impossible, for one corporation
to comply with their requirements so
as to carry on business in number of
different States"
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
A Menace to Labor.

The combinations which control the
price of all the American people con-
sumo are rapidly extending their
power over the markets in which the
people must sell their labor and the
products of their industry.
Just in proportion as factories COM
bine under one management, they cir
cumscribe the chance men have to
sell their labor. The man who finds 200
small manufacturers competing tor
his labor is INDEPENDENT. The
laborer who must apply to single
great factory and finds 200 men clam
oring for the same job is DEPEND
ENT.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
History Repeats Itself.

How aptly these words describe the
condition of to-day! How ferVently
the people looked to the last Republi-
can congress for relief! To what a
shameful betrayal were they led.
History repeats itself. The angry
commons battered at the doors of Par.
Lament in the days OF Elizabeth and
were promised relief Monopolies
were declared illegal by sweeping and
generous provisions, and then eXcep-
tions written into the statutes which
preserved in tact the license of many
a titled rogue!
So the last congress was assembled
in extraordinary session. We were
promised immediate relief. But it was
demonstrated that the little finger"
of the trusts was thicker than the
Presidents loin." The voice of the
people and the cry of conscience and
duty were alike silenced by demands
of ''the interests"
The paper trust was found more
powerful than the united press of the
country;
The copper combination more pnten-
tial than the protest of eighty million
consumers;
The wooden monopoly wrote its own
schedule and perpetuated its own
graft;
The steel trust was able to keep the
field and bar all competition;
Every combination was successful.
The tariff was actually raised
THE people asked for bread and
were given a stone"
They prayed for fish and were CIV
en- a Serncnt."
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
MonopoIy's Black Shadow.

The people realize that monopoly is
here with all the ugly features which
made it oppressive when created by
the royal grants of Queen Elizabeth
and Charles /. Its black shadow rests
upon the land. Its blighting presence
is felt in every home. One class OF
combinations arbitrarily advance the
price of all the people consume. An
other system of monopoly fixes an
equally arbitrary value upon all the
farms produce.
APPLY we may employ in char
acterization of present conditions
the quaint language of Sir John
Culpepper, when, in the long Parlia-
ment, more than two centuries ago, he
Indignantly inveighed against the pari-
sites of the court who held mOnopolies
by royal grant, in the following terms:
They are a nest of wasps-a
swarm of vermin which have over
swept the land. Like the frogs
"of Egypt, they have gotten pos
session of our dwellings. They sup
4" in our cup. They dip into our
dish. They sit by our fires. We
" find them in the dye pot, wash-bowl
" and powdering{ tub. They share with
" the butler in hi box. They will not
" bait US a pin. We may not buy our
" clothes withdk 1T their brokage
These are the leeches that have
" sucked the commonwealth so that it
" is hectical!
MIR. Speaker, have echoed to you
the cries of the community. l will
" tell you their hopes. They look for
" a blessing on this Parliament"
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
Plain Statutes Ignored.

Here is the absurdity of our sys'
TEN: we pass a law to protect home
manufacturers from foreign competi'
ton: we then authorize the formation
of a corporation large enough to mo,
nopolize the home market and destroy
domestic competition; we follow this
by the enactment of penal statute
declaring all monopolies illegal; we
then fail to enforce the penal statute.
In a word, we create a condition
which naturally produces brood OF
trusts and then engage in mimic war
fare against them.
Manifestly, the course of wisdom is
to begin at the other end. Remove
the condition which produce monopoly
and it will cease to exist.
Reduce the tariff to revenue basis
and competition from abroad will at
least in part relieve us from the ex-
actions of domestic combines.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
Limit Capital of Corporations.

A reasonable limit placed upon the
capital of corporations will render the
existence of monopolies impossible.
This proposition is neither novel
nor radical.
Our own state, until recently, linn
tied the capital of private corporations
to $4,000, 10000. The majority OF
the states have for years written SIM
liar wholesome provisions into their
laws. This, because it has always
been recognized that unlimited capt.
tai means unlimited power, and unlim-
tied power is invariably followed by
great wrongs.
Hence the wise lawmakers of many
states place a limit to the capital
which can be possessed by any single
corporation.
Their efforts have been nullitied by
the fact that in a few states and ter
ritories, corporations were allowed to
be created with unlimited capital.
Under the provisions of the Inter
state Commerce Act, these concerns
are permitted to invade, do business
in the various states, and enjoy sub
stantially all the rights of, although
they could not exist as domestic cor
poratiOnS.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
National Incorporation Act-ResuI

Patiently, no institution will avail
itself of the law unless the privileges
to be obtained are greater than those
which exist under state organization.
If the law does not confer such pene-
| fits and privileges, no institution will
ever seek incorporation under it. If
! il does contain advantages superior
20 those which can be exercised under
state organization, then all institutions
engaged in interstate commerce will
flock to Washington and insist upon
securing to themselves the benefits of
the national incorporation act
Who, then, pray, may we justly and
reasonably expect to at once abdjcate
state citizenship and seek refuge In
Washington
list All railways;
2rd. All telephone and telegraph
companies, for all are engaged In in
terstate commerce.;
Ord. Every great manufacturer, for
all ship beyond the borders of their
resident state;
4th. All insurance companies, for
they do business in different states
and have long been seeking protection
under the federal government against
the just legislation of the states in
which they do business;
5th. The great financial institu-
lions which are engaged in dealing
with citizens of different states;
9Th. Great wholesale and job5ing
houses, selling their wares in differ
ent commonwealths;
It'll. Stockyards companies;
Sth. The packing houses.
Why prolong the specification? The
all-embracing effect of such law will
be to centralize in the City of Wash
ington the control of over 80 per cent.
of the great business institutions OF
the land. And at the same time, to
deprive the sovereign states of the
right of control and regulation over
corresponding volume of business.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
The Sherman Act.

The Republican party has long
boosted that it wrote in the Federal
statutes the Sherman Act, which out
laws all trusts and conspirac:es. In
many platforms it has asserted its
purpose to vigorously enforce the law.
For a long time the courts gave to
the statute so rigid a construction as
to render it practically innocuous.
But continued wrongs, coupled with
an aroused public opinion and pro-
founder research, brought at last de-
cisions which seemed to breathe vi
tality into the hitherto dead statute.
No sooner did this condition arise
than we began to observe republican
leaders marshaling III defense of the
trusts.
PooseveIt's Remarkable Expression.
Ii was Roosevelt who declared that
there were good trusts and bad trusts,
and that in assaulting the bad, We
should be careful not to injure- the
good" This remarkable expression
was in the teeth of all history, and was
as radical as would have been the
declaration that there are beneficent
despotismS Monopoly is commercial
despOtism.
Following on Roosevelt's statement
came the usual assurance that the Re-
publican administration was preparing
a war of determination against every
form of criminal combination, and
that it would rid the land of their evil
SWAY
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04

The farmer no longer sells his prod
uct in the open market. Every well
informed man understands that COM
bination, express or implied, exists,
which fixes the market price of all
live stock every morning. To all in
tents and purposes, competition has
ceased.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
The Borax Graft.

lions serve to prove the truth of this
assertion:
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1910-08-04
Grain Gambling.

The value of cereafs is yet theoret-
ically fixed by the price at Liverpool.
But nevertheless. great American OPP
orators corner the grain market, gam
BILE in the products of the farm, de-
stroy the laws of supply and demand,
and substitute for the natural condi-
lions the arbitrary fluctuations of the
gambling board.
Thus. between the upper and meth
er mill stones" are the producing
classes ground.
Thus, do they part our raiment
among them, and upon our vestments
do they cast lots"
Against these intOlerable conditions
the American people have long cried
their protest. Succor by the Republi-
can party is a barren hope.
Nay, more: | assert that the evil
dence demonstrates that it is the pur-
pose of the Republican leaders to con-
tinue these conditions in perpetuity.
Taft to Perpetuate Trusts.
Hitherto all political parties have
agreed that monopolies and combines
in restraint of trade are illegal. They
were so at common law. They are SO
bv the statutes of practically every
The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1910-03-10

such a rest as will give to him
many long years of dignified ease.
May the young men be successors
in fact as we'll as in name.
Miss Fannie Brown of Charleston
Is visiting her cousins, Mrs w L
Bass and daughters.
Mr. E R Rodgers went to Florence
Monday to- take out letters of ad.
ministration of the effects of his de-
ceased father, Mr. John D S Rodgers.
Last Sunday while many in this
town were endeayoring to worship
their God, two local freight trains
were loading and uuloa' ing goods
at the depot and reguerly carry:
ing on the weekday work of such
trains. In this day and time when
nothing seeems 10 matter if money
goes with it, protest against such
conduct may seem idle, vet among
us there are still few who will
not let their holy day be desecrated
without murmuring.
WLB.
The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1910-03-10
cept the invitation.

M. and Mrs H G Askins will
remove here from Kingstree early
next week and for the future will
make their home with us. 1t were
needless to say that they will be
cordially welcomed back to their
old home and welcomed with the
wish that they will never again
have a moments yearnlng to go
elsewhere. Messrs il G and w L
Askins will take active charge of
the mercantile business built up
and carried on by their father. Major
S Nj Askins, for quite long time.
Major Askins came here much more
than a quarter of century ago,
when there was nothing at this place
except cross rcads, small depot
and some three or four residences,
and opened up his stock of goods
in small house near where Mr. j L
CMoore now has his double brick
store house. By his energy, thrift
and attention Mr. Askins built up a
large trade, the largest in this Sec
ton, during the eighties. In COM
mon with others be had his ups and
downs, but while many had their
downs aud "outs" he had no "out."
He might have gone and did 60
down at times but never "out."
Reverses could not daunt him, and
be always came through hard times,
a little battered but still on deck
aud doing business at the old stand.
Now that his boys can run the
business he rightly thinks he ought
to be permitted to take life easy and
let them bear the brunt of work and
worry. Maj Askins is not an old
man in years and feeling, but he
has spent a full mans life in
earnest work and has earned rest,
The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1910-03-10
IfTY-fOUR ACRES YIELD 76a BALES.
Mr. ] c Graham's Fine Cotton Crop =
Method OF Cultivation. ,

Editor County Record
| According to promise you will
find below statement Of yield, etc,
of my last years cotton crop, 81
acres planted in improved seed.
From the "a acres gathered 1856
lbs of seed cotton, picking weights.
The percentage of lint runs from
3S to 40 per cent. At 3S per cent
this would give 36,G94lbs of lint,
which at 50Olbs to the bale pro-
duces 1880 bales net. Now, add to
this the bagging and ties, (the usual
way, 21 lbs or 73 bales and You
have 38,235lbs, equal to 764 five
hu1dred weight bales, or 73 bales
weighing 522l each: T..
Now, as to method, which | can
only give you in a general way,
as kept no accurate record.
One field, "a acres, was in cot.
ton the season of 1908. This was
we'll broken with a two-horse Dixie
plow; the other 80 acres was in corn
and had fine crop of pea-vines
left on the land. This was broken
with two horse Oliver plows. After
stalks had been cut and beds thrown
down with disc harrow, both fields
were we'll gone over with smoothing
harrow, rows laid off 4 feet and bedded
out with disc harrow, one furrow to
the row; before planting middles
were opened aud a mixture of 20Olbs
g s meal, 20Olbs low grad e
Peruvian guano (9-3-2), and 10Olbs
kalnit was applied On field of "a
acres, also put 4 wagon loads barn
yard and stable manure, bedded
The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1910-03-10
A VARIETY OF news
FROM LAKE CITY.
IMPORTANT BUSINESS CHANGE = new
PASTOR CALLED-C0AST Line
VIOLATES SUNDAY Law.

Lake City, March 9:-Dr W S
Stskes of Columbia spent two
DAYS last week in town. DR. Stokes
was reading-clerk of the State Sen
ate during the four years last past.
MISS Cecil Severance is at home
on a visit. She has charge of the
{ Western Union Office at Kershaw,
sc.
Miss Edith Carter is at home from
Richmond, Va,for a few weeks, after
which she will return to Richmond
Miss Mary Maude Rookie, who
has been teaching near Timmons-
VILE. is now at home on vacation.
Mr. G F Stalvey was in Conway
the latter half of the week just
closed.
Mr. Ned Kennedy of Sandy Grove
and Mrs Daisy Goodwin were married
at the home of the bride in town on
the 4th instant. Rev W l. Waite
performed the ceremony making
them one.
+ Mrs D H Oliver of Indiantown is
spending some time at her fathers,
Mr. M A Thomas's, near town.
Rev Mr. Boney of Accomac, Va.'
preached st the Baptist church
Sunday morning and evening. AT
the conference held after the morn
ing service a call to the past0rate
Of the church was unanimously ex-
tsnded to Mr. Boney. The un-
animity of the call is proof positive
of the earnest hope that he will ac-
The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1910-03-10

with Dixie plow and planted, cul:
tivating in the usual way. Last of
June applied 175 lbs high grade
top blessing in middle of rows with
Cole distributor. Yield was some
what better after the corn and peas,
Notwithstanding the additional ap-
plication of manure. Comme ICED
picking August 20, 19O9,S and finish
ed January Is, 1910. Had crop
been gathered promptly and proper
ly, the yield would have been much
better, and had 1 not sold good
portion of the crop at 10c, profits
also. We had almost ideal seasons
for making and gathering crop.
Tried an acre of prize corn also,
but "busted."
Yours truly,
&c GRAHAM.
Gourdins, March 2.
The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1910-03-10
4 Night Alarm.

Worse than an alarm of fire at
night is the metallic cough of Group
bringing dread to the household.
Careful mothers keep Foley's Honey
and Tar in the house and give 1t at
the first sign of danger. Foley's
Honey and Tar has saved many
little lives and is the only safe pre-.
paratlon for children, as it contains
no opiates. D G Scott.
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-08-10
Out Of the Depths.


fVE pres the
Ava doing Of newspaper
recognizing the
he Of
be
commanding republic
lead the Democratic
in
judicial office Of the Republicans
Jump policy manifest Mcclellan
the public credit much impaired and the efficiency
his official
office
efficiency, princpebefore relationship
a of
after finished abolished
property
Nowh with in
family;
things Cheerful charitable qualities
is his