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Show BRYAN'S OWN TRUST. Denounces Monopoly in Other People's Hands But Warns the Public Not to Infringe on His Private Book TrusVHis "First Battle" an Absolute Monopoly, In his speech before the Chicago conference on trusts, September 10, 1S09, , William Jennings P.ryan said: "One trust magnate may be more benevolent than another, but there is no good monopoly in private hands, and I do not believe it is safe for any man or group of men to monopolize any article of merchandise, or any branch of industry." in-dustry." Rather broad statement that. Mr. Bryan 'is much given to radical statements, state-ments, but one would have thought he would have stopped short of denouncing any monopoly of "any article of merchandise." It is over a year since Bryan made that speech denouncing each and every monopoly, but he is repealing the same doctrine to-day. October 10th, h asked in his speech at Nashville, Michigan: "Do you know of any good monopoly in private hands? Do you know of1 any man good enough to stand at the head of any monopoly, and determine the price of that which others are to use?" Well, there is a certain book, known as "The First Battle," which Is an article of merchandise, and an absolute monopoly in W. J. Bryan's hands. Quite an expensive one, indeed, to many poor men, who have felt that they must have it. On the reverse side of the title page of that interesting work we read: Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S06, In th e office of the Librarian Cons'res"' at Washington, D. C. Ail Kignts Keserved. On the next page is a warning by the publishers against any "fraudulent imitations." And there you are. This is the absolute, law-protected monopoly which in four years has mads' William J. Bryan a rich man. If it were not for Bryan's absolute monopoly of the book, farmers, work-mgmen work-mgmen and the horn-handed sons of toil in general could have secured the work for one-third or even a quarter of what they have had to pay for it No honest man will deny Jlr. Bryan's right to his boo, or his privilege to make what he can out of it. It has always been the policy of this country to respect Ihe rights of authors, and to give them a monopoly, or, as the law puts it, "exclusive right" to their works. The wrong is that a man enjoying this special protection, and getting rich by making poor men pay a higher price than he could get under the free printing print-ing of his book-anil free trading in it-should in his selfishness declare that other people shall enjoy no-such privilege, but have every vestige of protection taken away from them. A fine man that to set up as an instructor for the liberal-hearted, protee-tion-tavoriug people of America! Would Bryan destroy all patents too? They are monopolies, one and all, like his copyright. |
