Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-04-01
FREE PRESS,


As has been mentioned before in these col
unins, II number of prominent citizens oil
New OH and other States have recently
organized Il society under the title OF "Ihe
National Ant, Monopoly League" for oppo-
sition 10 monopoly in general. especially 10
monopoly embodied in great corporations,
created by the States, yet, AS practically CON
Quoted, beyond State control. of this our
former townsman, Hon. l.. L. Chittenden OF
New York, - President and +. Il. Thurber
the wealthy wholesale grocer OF New York,
is Treasurer We find the objects of the
league set forth and indicated in a reply to
the New York Tribune, which attacked the
purposes Of the league as more heiiitlng the
Reds" and Communists of Paris, than free
citizens of the United States. We quote
from the reply.
To Tie Editor IF The Tribune:
The organization of the
Anti Monopoly League has been forced up
on the people ty abuses in corporate manage
ment which repeated Legislative Investigations
have pronounced fully proven" and which
the Hepburn Committee termed $50 glaring
in their proportions as to SAVIOR Of fiction
rather than actual history" Another legis-
lativc Committee has stated of the railroad
management Of one of the reputed owners OF
the Tribune (NIr. Jay Could, that ut ex-
poses the reckless and prodigal use of money
wrung from the people to purchase the cleo
ton Of the peoples representatives, and to
bribe them when in office.
a. - n. iE,t.. al
reports, it is time that the American people
were stirring to preserve the principles upon
which our system of Government is founded.
II, on the other hand, there is no truth in
them, then, as stated by Judge Black, the
railroad managers are much abused individ-
uas, and the men who are trying to hold
them to some responsibility to the public are
in the highest degree culpable.
respectfully submit, however, that there
can be but ore reasonable answer TO this
question, and 10 meet the well-fOunded COM
plants of the public with a comparison of
the men who make these complaints to the
reds and communists of a bygone day in
Paris is to force upon the people of the
nited States disregard for law and order
which every good citizen must deprecate. In
a recent article from the Graphic, uching
upon the objects and purposes of the Anti
Monopoly League, We find the following:
If we ever lave conflict between capital
and labor in ills country it will be because OF
the INJUSTICE done the masses by corporate
monopolies Il therefore behooves all classes
of citizens and particularly those who have
property, TO sustain the efforts now being
made by reast nable and intelligent citizens
10 limit the power of men who, to Use the
words of committee of the United States
. ..,Nl .f but
personal and corporate aggrandizements.
The principles advocated by the League
are as follows:
Our principles Anti-monopoly
We advocate and will support and defend
the rights Of the many as against privileges
for the few.
Corporations, the creation of the State,
shall he controlled by the State.
Labor and capital, allies not enemies
Justice for both"
If Messrs. Gould, Vanderbilt and their
confreres go on watering stock, corrupting
our elections aud legislatures and discrimi-
Mating in their management of public high
ways until the people become desperate, they
must expect desperate remedies II they
only knew it, the men who are now seeking
by legal and constitutional means to limit
their power md prevent these abuses, are
their best friends, and yet they repudiate the
idea that they should submit to any control,
aud through their journals decry and mis-
represent all efforts to that end.
The statement that the League proposes to
advocate laws 10 prevent paying dividends
on watered sock, the Tribune terms "a
piece of demagogism fit only for persons who
are too Ignorant 10 know that a five per cent
dividend on a stock Of twenty millions is pre-
cisely equal to dividend Of ten per cent
on stock of ten millions, and that no laws
restrict the merchant, the lawyer or the farm
er from getting 20, 80 or even so per cent
profit upon the capital invested by him in
his business
his passage IS very suggestive: NO one
will dispute that 9 per cent on $50. 200, 900
is equal to 10 per cent on $40, OOO, 600 but
if the railroads are content with this, why ill.,
crease the stockf No one will find fault
with the railroad making 10 per cent upon its
actunl cost, but the public do object to pay
ing unlimited dividends on unlimited stocks,
and | do not think it is piece of ''dema-
gogsm" To advocate laws to prevent
taxing the public to pay dividends on
watcred stock. Your comparison OF the
merchant, the lawyer or the farmer to
the railroad Is equally unfair Neither
of these citizens have been given public
franchise to perform public business, and
if they had been, the law of supply and de-
mand, and Of competition, works freely IN
their cases, while with railroads it is partial
w imperative In the one case the welfare
of the public is protected by the operation of
these natural laws IN the other it is not and
therefore the railroad and the telegraph
should he suhiec: 10 regulation in the inter
est of the public have always noticed
that when great corporations have been ask
ing privileges from the public they put for
ward their public nature very prominently
but when it comes to performing their duties
to the public they generally claim the priv-
lege of private citizens.
The Anti Monopoly League recognizes the
fact that corporations have both their rights
and their duties and it proposes as far as
possible 10 see that both are observed.
F. b. TnurBEg.
SENATOR EDMuSDs has been giving the