Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-03-31
ANTI-MONOPOIY.

at Cooper Institute on Monday night
Naturally, those who participated fail
to perceive that the meeting did harm
to the cause which it was intended to
promote. Most of them were sincere
and honest the meeting was large !;
and the conclusion Of those who are
for the moment incapable of seeing
both sides of the question involved,
would naturally be that public opinion
had already been strongly aroused, and
would by the meeting be aroused still
more strongly, to support some definite
and ncedful reforms. But the
thoughtful observer will perceive that
no clearly defined or rational remedy
for existing abuses was advocated by
the meeting or its speakers. If he is
sincere and large-minded, the observer
will also note with regret that steps in
the last degree impracticable or unjust
were advocated with a reckless and
violent spirit, wanton disregard of
private rights, and an obstinate blind
ness as to ultimate consequences to the
people as whole, which better beft
the Reds and Communists Of bygone
day in Paris than the free citizens of
the selfgoverning and prosperous
United States.
1T IS hard to make narrow reform
ers understand that extreme measures
usually tend to defeat the cause which
they are designed to promote. The
Native American" could not under
stand that few ultra proposals,
accompanied by few violent and
unjust acts, caused complete revol-
ution of public feeling against the
movement to restrict the influence Of
foreign-born citizens in public affairs.
The greatest reform of the century
the abolition Of slavery-would never
have been effected, had not the
Republican party scrupulously CON
fned itself to resisting the spread
of that system Of labor. The blatant
demagogism Of Kearney, and the
violence Of his followers, completely
disguised the country with agitation
against the importation of Chinese
laborers. The senseless and unjust
measures adopted by the Granger
influence caused a revolution against
the reforms in transportation which
reasonable men desired. The intoler-
ant spirit and intolerable demands of
the Trades Unions, eliminating in the
great railway strike and the conse-
quent riots. aroused all the conser-
vatism Of the country to resist and
put down tendency which, if I'M
checked, could only have ended in the
destruction Of all rights of property
and the disintcgratien of civilized
society
Mr., Black, the chief speaker Of
the meeting on Monday, bases his
whole argument upon the assumption
that railroad corporations ARE public
servants and trustees The common
sense Of intelligent and conservative
men instantly rejects the assertion,
and 10 revolted by the conclusions to
which it logically leads. Trustees and
public servants cannot honestly make
money out Of their trust. They do
not invest their own capital. Every
sensible man knows that builders and
owners of railroads never would bave
put dollar of their own money into
the business, taking ali the risks
which attend any other venture Of
private means and enterprise. in the
expectation that they would be com
PEELED to account to the public as
trustees for the use of their own
money, and permitted to take as their
profits only such sum as public COM
posed Of shippers and travellers might
be generous enough to give them
Mr.. Blacks fundamental assumption
is huge falsehood. Every sober and
reasonable man knows that it is. and
is moved instantly to reject move
ment based upon 50 shameless an
attempt to eonfseate to the State the
property Of individuals.
The resolutions adopted at this
meeting demand laws, in effect, assum-
ing for the public complete control and
practical ownership of property in
vested by individuals in an honest
legitimate branch of business. Laws
TO prevent pooling and combinations,
though farmers, merchants, lawyers,
and men of every other occupation
daily combine, in the exercise of
their right as free citizens, to secure
a fair return for their investment of
money and labor; laws TO prevent
discrimination against any citizen,
though every merchant, every farmer,
every lawyer. and every free citizen
in the land. has the right to charge
less for his property or scrvises AZ
wholesale that at retail; laws ito pre-
vent paying dividends on watered
stoek'-a piece of demagogism fit
only for persons who are too ignorant
to know that FIVE per cent. divi-
tiend on a stock of $50, 900, 900 is
precisely equal to ten per cent
dividend on stock Of $40, 100000,
and that no law restraints the merchant,