ny part in the Progressive campaign, and that
almost all the others, some thirty in number, were against us, and some
of them, including the President of the Harvester Trust, openly and
enthusiastically for Mr. Wilson himself. If he reads the newspapers
at all, he must know that practically every man representing the
great financial interests of the country, and without exception every
newspaper controlled by Wall Street or State Street, actively supported
either him or Mr. Taft, and showed perfect willingness to accept either
if only they could prevent the Progressive party from coming into power
and from putting its platform into effect.

Mr. Wilson says of the trust plank in that platform that it "did not
anywhere condemn monopoly except in words." Exactly of what else could a
platform consist? Does Mr. Wilson expect us to use algebraic signs? This
criticism is much as if he said the Constitution or the Declaration of
Independence contained nothing but words. The Progressive platform did
contain words, and the words were admirably designed to express thought
and meaning and purpose. Mr. Wilson says that I long ago "classified
trusts for us as good and bad," and said that I was "afraid only of the
bad ones." Mr. Wilson would do well to quote exactly what my language
was, and where it was used, for I am at a loss to know what statement
of mine it is to which he refers. But if he means that I say that
corporations can do well, and that corporations can also do ill, he is
stating my position correctly. I hold that a corporation does ill if it
seeks profit in restricting production and then by extorting high prices
from the community by reason of the scarcity of the product; through
adulterating, lyingly advertising, or over-driving the help; or
replacing men workers with children; or by rebates; or in any illegal
or improper manner driving competitors out of its way; or seeking to
achieve monopoly by illegal or unethical treatment of its competitors,
or in any shape or way offending against the moral law either in
connection with the public or with its employees or with its rivals. Any
corporation which seeks its profit in such fashion is acting badly.
It is, in fact, a conspiracy against the public welfare which the
Government should use all its powers to suppress. If, on the other hand,
a corporation seeks profit solely by increasing its products through
eliminating waste, improving its processes, utilizing its by-produ