ihimmmih 'iwivnwtiim. -i
OCTOBER 30, 1908
will reduce your wages and make your compen
sation smaller than it is, wo tell the laboring
men that if we win wo will amend the anti
trust law so aB to take the labor organizations
out from under the operation of that law, and
now come these heads of railroads to tell their
employes that if they dare 'to ask for relief
from this anti-trust law, they will be punished
by a reduction of wages. We say in our plat
form that if wo win wo will limit tho writ of
injunction so that a labor dispute will not In
itself be a sufficient ground for the issuance of
that writ that there nrst bo something, done;
there must be conditions that would justify that
writ, even If there were no labor dispute, before
it shall bo used in such a dispute, and now
come the heads of these great corporations and
notify these men that if they dare to ask for
relief from this writ of injunction under those
circumstances they will bo punished by a re
duction of wages.
Wo say in our platform that we are in fa
vor of trial by jury in cases of indirect con
tempt, and now come these heads of corpora
tions and tell these laboring men that this trial
by jury which is guaranteed tc a convicted crim
inal shall not bo given to tho laboring man and
if he dares raiso his voice in protest ho shall be
lashed into submission by a reduction of his
wages. ,
In this case there is no shadow of an excuse
for the threat because our platform specifically
declares that no rate reductions shall be mado
which will compel a reduction of wages. Wo
give a guarantee to the laboring man that Is
not found in the republican platform, a- guaran
tee that has not been given by the present ad
ministration. That is what this all means, my friends.
They tell you that if I am elected business will
bo bad. Let them give bond that business will
be good if I am defeated. They have no way of
securing you against the failure of their predic
tions. Let them show that they have been an
notated prophets and have a right to tear away
the veil and tell you what lies before you! Who
is this man whoso election is to be a balm In
Gilead and remove all financial distress? He
is tho member of the president's cabinet whom
the president appointed to be his successor. If
he could not, last fall, prevent a panic when he
was in the cabinet, how can he prevent one next
fall, merely by raising him a little higher. If
he and the president together could not protect
you from the panic last fall, how can he hope
to do it all alone if the president deserts him
and hides In tho jungles of South Africa, hunting
tigers?
Observing among the crowd a number of
students, Mr. Bryan said to them that he had
discussed the labor question as he had because
"of this new menace to their independence."
Addressing himself specifically to tho stu
dents, Mr. Bryan said that they build their lives
upon ideals. The young man, he said, who Is
preparing for a career is learning or he ought
to learn that there is but one thing that is in
vincible and that Is truth. He ought to learn
that truth will triumph- in time over every
obstacle. With his Ideals he is interested in
pure politics. All he wants is a chance and he
is willing to take his chance under fair condi
tions and under equitable laws. T want these
young men to understand the contest which lies
before ub. I have been nominated without the
aid of a president. No man with an army of
officeholders was behind me to coerce men Into
my support. T had no great corporation to
threaten Its employes if they did not favor my
nomination. I had no rich relatives to put jip
money for the circulation of eulogies of me.
I have had to fight my way from the time I was
a schoolboy and I have had nothing to build
upon except the.confldence of those who believed
with me that I believed what I said and would
be faithful if entrusted with power. And now
that I have been made the candidate of my
party just as one of these schoolboys may be
mado the candidate of his party in the years
to come, I ask these schoolboys if they aro
not interested In purifying politics so that a
man can have a chance to make a fight for the
people and not have an election bought away
from hira by the secret contributions of preda
tory wealth which are not to be known until the
people have voted. We are making an honest
fight. We are giving you the names of our con
tributors. We are putting in our plqtforra what
we think ought to be done. We are appealing
to the intelligence and to the judgment of the
American people and all we ask is that every
citizen shall be allowed to think as he pleases
and then allowed to vote as he thinks. That is
our platform, our plan. Wo leave our case
with you.
The Commoner.
MR. BRYAtf AT MANSFIELD, OHIO, OOTO-
BE It 21
From what wo havo learned from the re
ports sent to us and from reports that como
directly from tho republican organization you
are already prepared to vote, and you havo
given such strong intimation of how you oxpoct
to vote that tho republican national committee
finds it necessary at the last moment to turn
all its guns on Ohio to savo the candidate's own
state to him. it Is worth something for ub to
know that tho platform of tho republican party
has already been repudiated by the republicans
of Ohio, that the republican candidate has al
ready been repudiated by tho republicans of his
own state and if within two weeks of tho elec
tion they become so frightened that they havo
to dovote their energies to tbo rescue of this
Btato from tho opposition, if in his own state,
whore ho has lived, If in Ohio which has been
tho cltidel of republicanism, they have to mako
this desperate fight In his behalf what chanco
ha3 bo in other states whero tho conditions havo
not been so favorable to him and his party? If,
my friends, these gigantic efforts are necessary
in Ohio what hope havo they in Indiana? If
these efforts aro necessary in Ohio, how despor
ate must bo their chance in Now York and in
Illinois.
After again speaking of tho notice given by
the New York Central to tho employes of a cut
of ten per cent In case of his election Mr. Brynn
concluded with tho following appeal to tho la
boring men:
"Laboring men, the ballot was given to you,
not to tho railroad superintendents, and it was
given to you because you havo a right to pro
tect yourselves and your children, and if they
can threaten you with a reduction of wages. If
these men at the head of great Industries hold
their employes as their body servants and tholr
retainers and vote them In a bunch, how can the
American people secure redress against any
grievance, however great.
Tho World is In a position to state
positively that George R. Sheldon, treas
urer of the republican national commit
tee, was associated with Charles W.
Morse in at least one of his Ico pools,
and, moreover, got out of it with largo
profits.
Tho World is also In a position to
state positively that the documents
which show Mr. Sheldon to have been a
member of Morse's ico pool and which
also show his profits, are In possession
of the United States officials who aro
prosecuting Morse and Curtis.
Why Mr. Sheldon was not called to
tell on the witness stand of his member
ship In one of the Morse Ice pools, char
acterized by Judge Hough as "an asso
ciation of adventurers," and placed on
the same IpvcI with John F. Ca'rroll,
Isaac Guggenheim, John W. Gates and
Charles M. Schwab, has not been explained.
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SENATOR CULBERSON ON STEEL
Senator Culberson of Texas has written the
following letter:
To the Editor of the New York Times:
Dally papers today publish another letter from
Attorney General Bonaparte to Mr. Josephus
Daniels, tho talented North Carolina editor, on
the relation of the administration to the steel
trust. Before alluding further to that particular
controversy, some general observations aro
pertinent.
The products of the steel trust, which enter
the daily life of every citizen, are highly pro
tected by the tariff schedules, ranging from
27.08 per cent on some articles to 95.5C per cent
ad valorem on others. This duty, together with
the substantial destruction of competition which
the formation of the steel trust and Its allies
havo accomplished, enables the combination to
sell steel rails, which, according to Mr. Schwab,
can be made for $12 a ton, at $28 in the United
States, while they are sold abroad for from $20
to $23 a ton. The tariff profits of the steel
trust, that is, the profits arising entirely from
the operation of the tariff, it has been estimated,
exceed $80,000,000 annually, about $1 on every
man, woman and child in the United States. In
Sr S- .h03?rb,!f nt tUty lhIfl. unconscionable
thn Vm 1 1. IV tA ,nlp,c ncopl": notwithstanding
the fact that the steel trust was already a prnctl-
SivDi;n.0po,.yi: aUd WftB ,n combination w th lt
aJ JitinTfhi t0)r8 th '',r?mo"1 na expressly
admitted that ho approved the absorption by It
of Its principal rival, the TonnoHsoe Coal and
I ft? n(Jinpn"y;, II ,B naturally to bo presumed
that tho president consulted Attornoy Oenoral
Bonaparte before giving hla approval of on Im
portant a matter affecting the future action of
tho department of juotico. But whether he did
" hlffl(p remains that tho administration,
yea, tho pros dent hlmsolf, has approved the tak-
thnt0rny ithc flPU.8.t f hla Ultor, and to
JiZLn nt nns furtnor rlvotted tho chains of a
glgant c monopoly upon tho public.
This Is not all. The stool trust and other
manufacturers of steel long ago combined In vio
lation of law to maintain theso oppresslvo prlcou
and havo operated openly and publicly. Tho ex
istence of such a combination Is a rnnttor
common knowledge The trust, In fact, has bee
bold enough, or has thought It safo enough wltk
Ujo present administration, to act officially, and
mako proclamation of Its lawless purposos. Th
oo "Tl8 aIneared In tho Now York Sun of Mar
2525, 1908'
STEEL PRICES TO STAY UP
And No More Conferences on the Subject
Until Summer Passes
At tho meeting of stool manufneturora
yesterday It was again decided to matntal
prices at tho present level. This Is the
same determination arrived at at each of
three previous meetings, except that In thni
caso It is announced that tho policy will
probnbly bo continued at least during the
summer months. Tho ofilcal atatomoat
was as follows:
"At tho mooting today of representa
tives of tho principal manufacturers of stool
fn this country tho opinion was expressed by
each ono present that tho prices of steel
are reasonable, and should not bo reduced;
that reduced prices would not Increase pur
chases, and that most of their customers
do not expect or deslro any changes. Tho
opinion was unanimous that tho meetings
should bo discontinued for the summor
months unless tho chairman should doom
It advisable to meet af any time for reasons
which do not now appear."
Previous to tho big meeting, which
took place at 2 o'clock in tho office or E. II.
Gary, chairman of tho United States steel
corporation, there were Informal meetings
during the morning of representatives of
companies from all parts of tho country.
Tt has been soml-authorltatlvely announced
that ofilclnls and beneficiaries of tho stool trust
have contributed enormous sums of monoy thin
year to the notional republican campaign fund.
In view of that statement, and the facts here
recited. It seems to mo tho people aro ontitled
to know:
1. Whether. Judge Taft, If elected presi
dent, will recommend to congress a reduction
of the Iron and steel tariff schedules, and If so,
to what extent.
2. Whether Attorney General Bonaparte
Vlll at once proceed to dissolve this combination
of steel manufacturers, and punish the offend
ers, and whether Judge Taft, should ho bo elect
ed, will favor such legal proceedings.
C. A. CULBERSON.
New York, October 14, 1908.
CLEVELAND ARTICLE A FORGERY
Broughton Brandonberg, tho man who soli
to tho New York Times an article alleged t
havo been written by the late Grover Cleveland,
declaring In favor of Taft as against Bryati, has
been arrested In Ohio. He will bo returned to
New York to answer to tho charge of forging
Mr. Cleveland's name to tbo Times article. The
republican national committee circulated tke
Cleveland article throughout tho country but ha
not apologized for It or wb drawn It now that
it has been shown to bo spurious.
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At Mingo Junction, Ohio, Judge Taft
made a prosperity speech. Later fie dis
covered that fie wiui speaking from the
steps of a great mill wliich had been
closed for nearly a year,, throwing two
tfionsand men out of employment. No
wonder the dispatches soy that Judge
Taft was "nettled."
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