Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 1900)
6 Conservative * ANTI-TUUST LEGISLATION PROPOSED Y MR. IIUYAN. The prominence Mr. Brynn is now giving to the trust question justifies an inquiry into the kind of legislation his pat ty has proposed to correct the evils which he declares exist. During the last session of congress an amendment to the Sherman anti-trust law , in accord with the suggestions made by Mr. Bryan at the Chicago trust conference , was proposed by the minority. In a speech in the house of represen tatives on June 1 , 1900 , Hon. Ohas. A. Littlefleld , of Maine , shows up the ab surdity of this amendment and the in capacity of those proposing it to deal with the trust question. Speaking upon the section which made it a criminal of fense for a corporation to engage in trade outside of the state granting the charter , Mr. Littlefleld said : "The fact which determines what corporations , firms , etc. , are subject to the provisions of this section is simply whether it owns or controls any planter or business or a majority of the stock in any plant or business similar to its own in any 'other state , territory , or place outside of the one in which it was first chartered , organized , or formed,1 etc. "Observe that they do not provide that the corporations or institutions in regard to which they legislate shall be engaged in interstate commerce or shall be engaged in crushing out competition , or that they shall be monopolies. They do not undertake in this section to deal with this juggernaut , this 'hydra-head ed monster. ' They submit this bald , naked proposition. A firm organized and doing business , for instance , in the city of Washington cannot have a place of business of similar character in Bal timore unless it first files a long rigma role of details specified in regard to publicity. "Next , what ? That it shall before shipping or attempting to ship any of its goods , brand them with the name of the article , the name of the firm selling same , and the place to which it is to be shipped. "Next , what ? Having provided that a firm which has a place of business in two states , though not in any way connected with a trust there is no suggestion of a trust made in this sec tion after having complied with these provisions with reference to publicity and the requirement that they shall brand their goods before undertaking to ship them , they go further and say they shall not be shipped at all. That is the proposition ; that is the proposed demo cratic legislation : Here is the lan guage : " 'Every such corporation , association or partnership as referred to in this sec tion , and every officer , agent or attor ney thereof , THAT SHALL SHIP , OR OFFER , OR ATTEMPT TO SHIP , OR SELL OR DELIVER FOR SHIP- MENT , OR PUT IN THE WAY OF TRANSIT , to any other state or terri tory , or to the District of Columbia , or to any foreign country , any article or merchandise dealt in , manufactured or produced by it , or shall violate or fail to comply with any of the provisions of this section , shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor , and on conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars and not ex ceeding five thousand dollars , and by imprisonment of not less than six months and not more than one year. ' A Cznr-Iiilco Proposition. "I now come to the favorite panacea of our friend , the democracy , for this gigantic disease. Section 12 provides : " 'That whenever the president of the United States shall be satisfied that the price of any commodity or article of merchandise has been enhanced in con- spquence of any monopoly as defined in this act , he shall issue his proclamation suspending the collection of all customs , duties or import taxes on like articles of merchandise or commodities brought from foreign countries. Such suspen sions shall continue as long as such en hancement in price of such oommodi- Dies or article of merchandise exists , and until revoked by the proclamation of the president. ' "MY FIRST OBJECTION IT MAY BE A DEMOCRATIC OBJECTION- IS THIS : THERE NEVER WAS AT TEMPTED TO BE WRITTEN INTO THE STATUTE BOOKS OF ANY STATE OR OF THE UNITED STATES A PROVISION SO VIO LENTLY IMPERIAL AND CZAR- LIKE AS THIS PROPOSITION. It gives to the president of the United States the power to enforce upon an or ganization which is assumed to be crim inal , for the express purpose of punish ment , and that punishment is expected to be business ruin , the penalty of the law without even giving the offending party the right to be heard. The presi dent brings the charge ; he tries the cause ; he renders judgment , and he ex ecutes the sentence. If that is not Oicsarism , if that is not imperialism , if that is not centralization run mad , I ask you to distinguish it. Search the records of this country or any other and see if you can find anything that will equal it. No court within the bor ders of Christendom ought to counten ance for one moment o , statute which , under any circumstances , so flagrantly violates the fundamental law as to au thorize any man to pass upon the guilt or innocence of any other man or set of men without allowing them an oppor tunity to be heard. It is only in the infernal regions that they determine a case without hearing. Yet that is the proposition of our friends on the other side. "Where Was Colonel Bryan ? "There was a tariff bill that instead of destroying the sugar trust encourag ed it , AND WHERE WAS WILLIAM J. BRYAN COLONEL BRYAN , THE GREAT ? HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMIT TEE THAT REPORTED THE WIL SON BILL THAT HAD A PREFER ENTIAL TARIFF PERPETUATING THE SUGAR TRUST UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES , NOW OUR DEM- / OORATIO FRIENDS SAY , 'OH , LET US SUSPEND THE TARIFF ON TRUSTS. ' BUT WHERE WAS WILLIAM - LIAM J. BRYAN WITH HIS 'SIM PLE LITTLE BILL' IN 1894 ? "Let William J. Bryan lake that and explain it in some of these speeches that he is about to make throughout the coun try. Let him answer that when he dis cusses trusts. William J. Bryan intro duced in the Fifty-second congress a bill ( H. R. 8977) ) and another bill ( H. R. 9004) ) providing for placing trust-made articles upon the free list. It was the session when the Wilson bill was passed. "What did William Jennings Bryan do with those bills ? He had them very promptly referred to the ways and means committee , of which he was a member , and of which our democratic friends had the control. Where are those bills ? They never were resurrect ed until I dug them up two or three days ago , encumbered by the dust by which they were intended to be smoth ered when they were referred to the democratic committee. " MR. HEWITT TO MR. SCHNIT/EK. Dear Mr. Schnitzer : I am very glad to be reminded by your letter of the 7th inst. of the fact that you were good enough to ask my advice in the political exigency which then existed. The political situation at this time is of a very different character from that which presented itself four years ago. At that time it seemed possible to main tain a distinct democratic organization , based upon the fundamental principles enunciated by Jefferson , and which had continued to govern the party in all previous presidential elections. The nomination of Palmer and Buckner was not made with any idea that they could be elected , but in order to preserve an organization about which sound democrats - ; crats could rally , in case the heresies of the Chicago platform should be repudia ted by a subsequent convention profess ing to be democratic. The recent convention held at Kansas City has , however , rendered all such ex pectation hopeless. The party which calls itself democratic is in reality popu- listic and based upon doctrines which , if carried into effect , would produce poli tical anarchy. No doubt you are fam iliar with Taine's "History of the French Revolution. " In the second volume , entitled "Democracy , " yon will find all the heresies of the Chicago platform practically announced and the dreadful consequences of striving to put these false doctrines into operation are re- 1 !
