The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-05-25
MONOPOLY AND IT'S FRUITS.

MONOPOLI AND I1B FRUITS.
Address ~ Pref. AAlcr-rhs OIL No.
nsp~ly and the lDuilasrS % raI-
Morality.
from tho New York Hsraid.l
Chickering Hall WINS crowded in every
part 10 listen 10 Prof. Felix Adler's i'd
dress upon monopoly. He spoke for .
hll hour, and several Of the sentences
he uttered were followed by hearty up.
plausc. liz said:
1.-THE danger Of monopoly ID real and
grave. II Is oil the moro grave because
tho organs Of public speech are too
oftcn silent with respect TO II, and its
cncroachments are rarely made fully
known. When We perceive : fortune Of
BOO, OOO,0 In the hands Of . single
person We may well begin 10 ask wheth.
er such concentration Of wealth In likely
10 cndanger the safety Of the republic or
not. Let us consider few Of the points
that are urged in favor Of mcnopolists.
II is said that capital can only render
its most efficient services when IL II
uA"rocu III t61Bc QuouutAeOs 4uA1 ID
trno. II il furthermore said that large
capital must be controlled by . single
mind; that there must be captains Of
industry, men whose genius, like military
commanders, enables them TO Iced tho
armies Of industry. This Is also trne.
In former times commander actually
owned his army had proprietary right
in the service 81 his soldiers, and tho
head OF county WAS supposed to own
the country. But this view has long
since been abandoned. A distinction
between executive control and owner
ship has long since been made in tho
army and in the state. So, too. : time
will comc when IL will be made In the
domain Of industry where there will be
great capital and great directors Of capt.
tai, but not, therefore, great capitalists
when the captains Of industry will con-
tent themselves with the honor Of direc-
ton, with the charm that lies in the OK.
ercise Of great authority, and pecuniarily
with the ample salaries which the general
joint stock companies Of the future can
well afford to pay them. Il il said that
the possession Of great fortunes may DO
: public benefit when the possessor use
them for large philanthropy; but y .
matter Of fact We have little guarantee
that they will be so used, and in plain
speech many Of the wealthiest are at tho
same time the meAnest
All this discussion would be OF little
immediate significance II il were not for
the circumstance that the evil results
which monopoly has already produced,
n,NH - x,~,n,& - 1l.s-
try have become 80 palpable and OPP
pressive. About year ago an article
was published giving some account Of
the great monopoly which has laid its
heavy hand upon the oil regions Of New
York and Pennsylvania, and setting
forth facts which. taking them q report
ed in the atlantic Monthly, must fill
one with horror aud indignation. Il 10
there charged that hundreds OF families
have been ruined by this monopoly |:
that thousands Of persons, honestly
seeking to earn the means Of subsist
ence, have been thrown out Of employ.
ment by it. A l.t Of seventy-six rein.
cries is mentioned, OF which twenty-one
were driven out Of buAiness, thirty-ono
were dismantled, and the remaining
twcnty-fonr were leased or sought 10 DO
run in the interest Of monopoly or 10 be
shut down in order to keep up the price
artihcially by this meanA AL this
would have been impossible without the
collision Of the great railroads that Aro
supposed to be common carriers, serv-
ing the public 1t large. II is stated
that the great railroads have returned
millions ON millions q rebate 10 oil
monopoly, and that they finally refused
- carry oil for the competitors Of tho
monopoly ut any rate, thus seeking to
shut OF the competitors entirely from
the market. And all this in free coun-
try, in which the laws are supposed 10
b made and enforced equally for the
benefit Of the whole people The late
President Garfield once compared the
great corporations TO the robber Baron
Of tho middle ages, who levied tribute
ON the passers by. The simile is but
too strikingly true. Take this one in.
stance Of tho many reported in the
article ~ which / have referred, where
the agent of the monopoly entered the
Office Of one Of the few remaining COM
petitors ana gave him to choose be-
tween this alternative: Either to re-
duce production by onc-half, to pay a
tribute to the monopoly and 10 sell ut
any price it might fix, Or 10 accept
financial ruin instead. II waa the Ian.
guage Of the rohler who demands the
purse Of the traveller or his life. It was
sheer brigandagc and nothing better.
But not only does the monopoly in.
lnre these private interests. il also intro
duces or perpetuates corruption in the
management ii our political affairs. The
party politician needs the means Of the
great corporation, the great corporation
needs the vote Of the party politician.
Thus one monopoly il served by an
other. and they combine to injurc the
interests Of the people. their common
prey. We arc told thar the people 81
Pennsylvania in vain sought redress fos
their grievances from the Legislature,
from The courts, from the Governor oi
the State. and finally from the Congress
Of the United States. Somehow the
legislAtnre, the courts, the Governor
and the Congress refused 10 act, and the
people obtained not what they sought
il il possible for IN 10 divine the reason!
And now there Is added another cir
camstance that makes monopoly dan.
gerons Il d the extravaganza and DIS
play which are its fruits. Here in the
city al New York We witness, think fos
the first time in the history Of the re-
public. the building of magnificent pal.
aces by private citixena. These palaces
arc the fruits Of monopoly. They are
a. such-in the name At morality I dare
70 say-an eyesore and = shame. do
not believe that any 81 the truly .edu-
Gated and refined will envy this display
OF magnldcence nor those who display
it. They are not, from any higher esti.
mate Of human life. enviahle. And vet,
when We perceive this new and evil
fashion of palace-bnilding in our city,
Ne cannot help recalling 10 mind I
few things We cannot help recalling
10 mind that there ID NO provision
made for the chronic sick in our city /:
that there are hundreds of desperately
poor and nick people who arc turned
away from the door OF every hospital.
and forced 10 die in neglect and needless
pain. because there is not wealth enough