West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-02-24

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They must rely largely for infor-
nation upon statements made by
persons who could not afford to give
information if their names were
given to their employers, and tor
this reason all letters to them will
be treated as confidential.
1t seems to us it is time for the
people to awake when in this, So
called, free country persons cannot
afford to give information to COM
mittee of Congress if their names
are known to their employers.
Congressman Rayner, of Mary
land, is rendering good service in
this fight for the public welfare, and
the following extracts, from report
of his speech before the committee,
will be read with interest: Is it
not a little singular that West Vir-
ginia is always silent in fight be-
tween the people and monopoly?)
"The States" he said, ARE power
less. Your Legislatures see the
danger, but cannot avert it. Your
local courts are without jurisdiction
upon any known principles of the
common law, and beyond any doubt
Congress has the well-defined power
to crush these anomalous growths
upon our institutions. There is no
intelligent man in the country who
is not in league with the monopolies
that can have any doubt as to the
propriety of the passage Of law of
this character and of the necessity
of prompt and decisive action. Will
you delay, he con inued, "a report
upon this bill one moment longer in
view of everything that you know
upon the subject of these Infamous
combinations to bankrupt private
enterprise, to depredate upon the
business interests, and to plumber
the people of this country? Why,
Sir, there is not day that some in
iquitous trust of this sort is not
springing into existence. We are
partners in guilt as long as we stand
idly by and permit these conspira-
cies against the rights of our con
stituents to be consummated.
"What do you want to investigate?
Whether these combinations exist?
Why, every newspaper in this land
is teeming with the proof. Do you
want to find out whether they are
blessing to the community instead
of curse? Such line of investi-
CATION would be absolutely puerile.
You might as well investigate the
subject as to whether larceny or
highway robbery or bribery is
benefit or detriment to the people.
Do you want to give them time to
come here and show by statistics
that they are lowering instead of
raising the prices of consumption,
and that they are engaged in a mis-
sion of philanthropy instead of pee
ulation? If that is so, then let Mr..
Jacob Sharp have the right to show
that when he bribed the representa-
tives of the people he was bene-
factor instead of a malefactor, and
ought to receive the plaudits of his
countrymen, because it was by reas
on of his bribery and corruption
that a great benefit was conferred
upon the people of New York. They
do bride, they do corrupt, they do
conspire to pilfer and Cypress. They
have never hesitated to buy Legisla
lures and courts whenever the occa-
sion required it and the opportunity
presented itself, and point to you
the history of the Standard Oil
Company in support of that fact, and
of all the other trusts that are now
following in its track and emulating
its example.
"Do you know the wealth of this
monopoly to-day? One hundred
and fifty millions, and still growing
Do you know its profits last year =?
Twenty five millions of dollars! |
have the figures here, and / hope
you will examine them. Do you
know with what amount of capital it
started? Less than a million dol
larsl How did 1t acquire the other
$149,000,000? BY system of high
way robbery and crime such as no
civilized country ought to permit or
tolerate. Individual enterprise, hon
est competition, transportation lines,
refneries, and pipe lines were all
trampled to death under its merci-
less march to ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Look
at the Sugar Trust to-day. Do you
want to investigate that? Summon
the Havemyers with their books.
Ask them two questions; first,
What was the value of their plant
when they went into the Trust?'
second, What are the profits that |
they are receiving out of itY. Why,
the total plant of all the refneries |
only amounted to $16,000,000. To-
day it is $60,OOO,OOO, and then, when
YOU are done with the Standard Oil !
Company and the Cotton Seed Oil |
Trust and the Sugar Trust. take up |
the Rubber Trust, with capital of
$50,O0O,OOO, and then, when you
have done with that, take up the