Senator John Sherman's Address to The Senate

September 1, 2025

Central Thesis

Jim presents an edited reading of Senator John Sherman's 1890 speech to the Senate arguing for legislation against trusts and combinations in restraint of trade. Jim frames the speech as relevant to his critique of contemporary ad-supported media systems, suggesting parallels between the dangers of unchecked corporate power in Sherman's time and the influence of advertising and corporations on public discourse today.

Key Arguments

• Unlawful combinations threaten public interest: Sherman argues that trusts and combinations, driven by the "law of selfishness," disregard consumer interests and dictate terms to transportation companies, ultimately creating a dangerous concentration of power.
• States cannot handle national trusts: Because trusts operate across state lines, Sherman insists that only the federal government, through the courts, has the jurisdiction to effectively address them. State courts lack the power to reach beyond their borders.
• Bill targets combinations, not competition: Sherman clarifies that the proposed bill aims only at unlawful combinations, not at legitimate partnerships or corporations engaging in fair competition.
• Congressional power to regulate commerce: Sherman defends the constitutionality of the bill, emphasizing Congress's power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce and prevent contracts that restrain it.
• Monopolies defy state authority: Jim seems to agree with the content of the address, and implies that today's versions of these monopolistic corporate practices require our attention.

Notable Passages

• "The sole object of such a combination is to make competition impossible. It can control the market, raise or lower prices as will best promote its selfish interests, reduce prices in a particular locality and break down competition and advance prices at will where competition does not exist."
• "If we will not endure a king as a political power, we should not endure a king over the production, transportation and sale of any of the necessaries of life. If we would not submit to an emperor, we should not submit to an autocrat of trade, with power to prevent competition and to fix the price of any commodity."
• "Sir, now the people of the countries are feeling the power and grasp of these combinations, and are demanding of every legislature and of every Congress a remedy for this evil... You must heed their appeal or be ready for the socialist, the communist and the nihilist."

Rhetorical Approach

Jim uses a straightforward approach, presenting Sherman's speech with minimal embellishment, but using a few voices and sound effects to demarcate the different areas in the document. He allows Sherman's words, interspersed with his own brief explanations and definitions, to make the case. The episode relies heavily on the authority of Sherman's position and the historical context of the speech. Jim implicitly connects the historical problem of trusts to his broader critique of contemporary advertising, inviting listeners to draw their own parallels. He positions himself as a curator of important historical material rather than a polemicist in this episode.

Connections

References to two unspecified "recent books" that cited Sherman's speech, motivating Jim's interest. Mentions of the podcast's blog attackadspodcast.blogspot.com.