St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-21

A Globe Editorial Enlarged UPOa
"a hiEos0phic Discourse.

"A hiEosOphic Discourse.
To the Editor of the ODE.
In the GLOBE of last Wednesday l found,
read and filed away a valuable article on
the subject of Socialism and Monopoly"
AS l suppose many of your readers had the
good sense not to pass csreleSsly over the
thoughts and arguments Of that editorial,
| will not take time nor space in making
quotations. | can now only refer to the
general conclusion Of the first paragraph as
entirely correct and very timely. 1t is
''worse than folly to attempt to ignore
the fact that socialism has taken deep
root in the United States, and that it is
organizing with unprecedented energy to
give expression to its peculiar form OF doc
trine III the legislation Of the country"
The second paragraph of the article re-
ferred to finds the ause of this rapid and
unexpected spread of socialism in
that modern monster, monopoly.
am not disposed to object to
this conclusion, and will. for the
present, assume it TO be the one and all
sufficient cause of the spread of sucialist!c
doctrines. But | would like to inquire what
is the or gn of monopoly? The editor
seems TO take it for granted that the legls-
fatures Of the country are responsible fer its
present power and its past rapid growth.
If that conclusion is correct it goes far 10
show that the people have not the intelli-
gence and the strength of will needed in
country where representative government
is depended upon for the preservation of
popular rights. Liberties and institutions.
The people have been warned for 100 wears
i'll regard TO the dangers arising fro.
monopoly. The old United States bank
Ian,,ut.ooA Nd HacfrnyoI
olistic tyrant. Fifty years ago the press
numbered against m0nopolies, and stump
orators made them the theme Of their most
eloquent etfo is. And yet, in spite of all,
the monOpolies are here, and are generally
regarded as the vampires that are sucking
the life blood of the nation. We seem
pOweress to overthrow them. or even
TO check their rapid advance i'll wealth and
power. Surely the cause of this SUCCESS OF
the dreaded monster must lie deep in the
foundations Of society. y recent writer on
the philosophy of social and political
science. says that competition produced
conservative rivalry, then destructive con
test, then monopoly" Prof. Clark, for
merry of Norlhtield Mimi. now lecturer on
political economy at Amherst, Mass. agrees
with all other wrteTs-Save and excepting
always newspaper writers-in attributlng
monopoly to the great law of competition.
George Stephenson. the great engineer,
said: Where monopoly is possible com
petition is impossible" The great capital
lists will not destroy their profits or their
capital for the sake Of keeping up COMPETE
tive warfare. They prefer to unite and
make money rather than to fight and lose it.
Can the Legislature destroy competition?
If So how?
l think the true enemy Of monopoly is
that foe to OmpetitiOn-co-operatio The
next ed!tOral-the one immediately follow
ing the article Oh moRepoly-is headed. 1t
Ought to Succeed"-that is, corporation
ought to succeed. And SO it will, # the
press and the people give 1t some help. 1t
alone can destroy monopoly BY overthrow
ing competition. Why look to legal re-
str.cti0ns or remedies when we find our
selves powerless to eject men free from the
tendencies which lead them to do the bid
ding of the great money despots of the day.
A new system, based on correct moral
and economic principles, is what is needed.
Let us have it, ANTI MONOPOLY.
Minneapolis, Nov. 20.