St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-27


AS good is often extracted from evil it is
not improbable that if JAY GOULD should
make good his threat to sue the members of
the labor organizations for damage done to
his property by the strikers and should sue
coed in recovering, he would establish a
legal precedent that might be made service
able in other directions. If it be estab-
lished that a party who suffers damage
by reason of any combination against
his business interests can recover the
full amount of his losses against any
member of the conspiracy, then what
a wide field of litigation would be opened
up. For example, to commence with Mr.
GOULD's own favorite field of operations,
the New York stock eXchange-what a
splendid opportunity it would afford the
sufferers of the numberless bull and bear
conspiraces, which Gould himself has led,
to recover their losses from Jay GOULD.
There is JIM KEENE, for instance, who
would only be too glad to have legal prin-
ciple established by which he could recover
from JAY GOULD the several millions lost
in stock speculation on account of
the combinations which GOULD made
against him. The owners of deprecated
railroad stock which owed its depreciation
to the cOnSpiracles of the GOULD system
would like 10 get a whack at JAY GoULD's
seventy or eighty millions from which to
compensate themselves for the losses they
have incurred by GoULD's combinations.
Instances might be mentioned indefinitely
of individuals. companies and corporations
who would like to have the courts settle
principle by which they could re-
cover from JAY GOULD the in
Vulnerable losses sustained by rea-
son of his many combinations and conspir-
acies. 1t perhaps didn't occur to JAY
GOULD what great big glass house
he was living in or he would never
have commenced this business of throwing
stones. 1t is poor rule that doesn't work
both ways, and if GOULD can recover his
losses from combinations against him il is
just as reasonable that those who suffer on
account of his combinations should recover
from him. JAY GOULD may live long
enough to realize that his invention of legal
principles will return to plague the in
YentOr.
But aside from JAY GoULD's individual
operations, the principle he seeks to estab-
lsh may have beneficial results This is a
time when all sorts of combinations are
being made against the public. None of
the abuses in modern civilization are so
odous and oppressive as the facility with
which spectators combine to enhance the
prices of the necessaries of life to their
profit at the cost of consumers, by sus-
pending or counteracting natural laws of
demand and supply. There are the railroad
combinations the grain combinations. and
the thousand and one conspirices of specu-
lators to rob the people. Now, if prin-
ciple could be established that would make
every member of these various combinations
responsible for the losses that are incurred
by reason Of the existence of such conspir-
acies, it would be a great public benefit.
There is not a state in which the pinch has
not been felt at some time upon some arti-
Gle of consumption. There has hardly beer
time that it has not been so here in MIN
nesota for the last ten or fifteen years
How convenient it would be then that every
time Minnesota farmer lost ten or fifteer
or twenty cents bushel on his wheat be-
cause of the grain combinations that were
formed against him if he could walk right
into court and compel Mr.. PILLsBURY
to make good his losses to him. Accordins
to JAY GoULD's theory Mr.. PnLsBURY
would be responsible for the loss. no matter
where the loss occurred, as long as Mr.
PILLSBURY is a member of a grain syndi
cate. BY parity of reasoning, if Dakot;
farmer sold carload of wheat to be de
livered at st. Paul or Minneapolis. anC
after the sale the railroad combination
should advance freight rates 5 or 10 cent
on the bushel, then all the Dakota farme
would have to do in order to make up hi
losses by reason of the advanced freigh
rate would be to bring suit against Mr.. Hill
and recover damages because Mr.. Hill
happened to be a member of the railroa
combination. Such in effect would be tn
logical result of JAY GoULD's plan. 1t
not probable, however, that JAY GOULD i
going to follow out his threat. He is to-
Iong-headed not to know the danger G
breaking the pitcher at the well. He is NJ
going to set any precedent that will resul
disastrously to his own interests. that is,
he can help it. But his suggestion in respeC
to this matter may have the effect of direc
ing public attention to the grave abuses whic
exist and to awaken public sentmer