The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-08-16

they took OF + money as If it was their mothers
milk, and you never saw men more anxious for
it. Mr.. Borda sold his colliery to us at large
price, and DR.. Rommel sold his coliery at a
men looked with eager eyes to the time when
great corporation, as We were, would become
the miners Of coal, aud when, instead Of sell
ing fifty thousand, sixty thousand, tr one hum
dred thousand tons of coal by factors, We would
turn our business over to them, and let them
get forty cents a ton out Of an annual product
Of millions Of TONS. But we were not to be
caught in that way. Having once concluded
to go into the business, we made up our minds
that we would sell our own coal. You see,
therefore, the reason for the opposition OF these
gentlemen. We shipped last year, of the bus
mess formerly done by factors, one million
three hundred thousand tons Of coal At for,
twenty tho lsand dollars annual profit taken
out Of the pockets of eight or ten men. No
wonder they look angry! No wonder they de-
clare war! And Mr.. Borda appears here in the
position of Achilles and Thersites in the event.
| full Iliad which is to end with the destruction
Of the company. Think, gentlemen, OF five
hundred and twenty thousand dollars year
| for doing nothing, taken ont of the pockets Of
| eight Or ten me- n! No wonder that they think
very badly Of us, because we deprived them OF
the profits IN which they were accustomed to
participate
Another WOr0 ABOUT the SUBJECT OF mlQOle-
men. Some years ago was in the State OF
New York, and, / think, one of the most in
teresting business operations ever saw was
the manufacture of cheese by the farmers in
that State. There is no more perfect system in
the wOrla than that combination OF farmers for
heese manufacture which exists in the State of
New York; and when we can bring the produc-
ton Of coal within rules as strict as theirs, and
manage our business upon principles as broad
and comprehensive as they do, we shall have
attained the perfection OF a commercial enter
| prise. Every farmer whose cow produces the
milk that enters into the cheese g.ts just soch
proportion Of the price which that cheese brings
in Liverpool as is due to the proportion Of
milk that entered into it's consumption, and
there are no middlemen in it. Fifty or sixty
or one hundred farmers unite and send to a
cheese factory the milk from their cows. They
fatten their hogs off the offal, and the man who
makes the cheese gets certain sum per pound
for making it; and so hundreds OF other cheese
factories throughout the State Of New York do
the same and they have an agent paid by the
association in Liverpool, and one paid by it
in other parts Of Europe. and the cheese is
sold on account of the owner OF the COW in the
markets of the world, and there are no mid
dlemen connected with it. Why should the
producer be fleeced for the purpose of paying
a profit, which if due to the business, ought t.
be due to him whose capital is risked in its
prosecution? Why, gentlemen, look at the
grain trade What would become of the prop
erty Of the United States of America If the
, great grain trade of this country, which goes
into our international exchanges and adds tc
the value of our commerce, were leveied upon
as it went down to the waters edge by band
OF factors and despoiled at the rate Of twenty.
} five per cent. upon the original value to the
farmers Is it not just as important for the Com
monwealth of Pennsylvania that any product
, of its soil should re directly sent to market
and that the business should be prosperous
az it is that the grain-trade should be.
THIS sounds very plausible; but where
does its logic lead?
Z II it is right TO buy up all the mines
of coal in State and drive all the retail
coal merchants out of business, why
would it not be equally right to buy NJ
all the farms, raise all the wheat, shil
: it and sell it? And if railroad compan
les can borrow money in Europe witt
; which to purchase all the coal lands, VIII,
= may they not in a few years more Dor
, row money enough to buy up all tn,
: wheat lands? They compelled the own
:, ers of coal mines to sell out to them b,
. !. discriminating against them in transpor
tation. Why can they not do the sam
thing with the wheat raisers? 1t is tru
that for time they may cheaper coal t
the consumer by concentrating in thei
own hands the profits which forlnerl
supported hundreds offamilies and thous
ands Of human beings But when the
!. have established monopoly OF tn
:. mines, the transportation and the reta
= trade, is it not I'M the nature OF thing
!, hat they will put up the price? An
= what remedy have the people? The
; are powerless in their hands.
Look at it now. These corportions, wit
!. unlimited credit abroad and compile,
control Of the business ut home, are alb
:. to bride the newspapers, corrupt tn
+ Legislature and even control the court
= They can crush out their enemies an
=, build up their friends. The highe
~ powers Of the human mind become the
+ servitors; genius. talent, eloquenc
a cunning, ara their tools. The Devil,
= cred people will eventually be driven
al resist them by force, even as the stsrvt
lu artisans and peasants OF France rose I
:, against the devilish arts of that aristo
= racy which had combined all Eurol
:. against their liberties. The ignora
~ Frenchman found that the gnillotine "
- the only match for the superb cunnir
40 Of his enemies.
Every man must deplore such resul
vet it seems to be advancing with t
Il certainty of doom. The more the pc
pie are plundered the more contemptih
they viii become; the more SUGGEST
n the corporations are. the more arroga
4. they will grow; they win thus advan
lIy step by step. from point to point. I'M
he Legislatures become . mockery a
ow newspapers = farce. A struggle "
ny then come which will either wipe Q
;:h republican institutions in one half {
ZEN nation, or win forever prevent the exi
ves ence Of . corporation in our midst T
ere States will take possession Of the ros
~ beds and allow private parties to +
,is. trains thereon IS they now run stea
or. boats on the rivers, paying only %