Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-02-23
A SUMNER JUGGLE.
ALEARNED PROFESSOR "PUTS
HIS FOOT IN IT."
Peculiaritics of the Order of Nature
Natural Monopoly. Natural
Filth and Natural Small.
pOX Pestilential
Blessings.


the "plain people to be sure, that
monopoles are not particularly
beneficert institutions. even as re-
CARDS the "greatest good to the great
est number" to say nothing of the
whole. In fact, experience has taught
this same ''plain people" that mon
opolies invariably were the means Of
exploiting the producers, whether
mental or manual, to the uttermost
farthing.
Indeed, the popular good sense
has been so thoroughly impressed
with the innate viciousness of mon
opolies that they have become a
synonym for all that is evil as re-
CARDS the general veal. But it
seems that the ''plain people, are
as usual egregrious asses. As custom
ary, they have neglected to apply
those "scientitic tests" to their CON
clusions which would have at once
convinced them of their erroneous
deductions and would have COM
PEELED them, however contrary to ex-
pcrience, to hail even the most
monstrous monopoly as one of the
greatest, yes, the most supreme
boons in the "order of nature"
But happily for the befogged mass
of incompetent thinkers-the "plain
people"-the "order of nature" has
provided a means for their enlight-
ennent. A writer of an "import-
ant paper" in the independent, who,
by the way, is a professor of enor-
nous repute, clearly demonstrates
that this universal notion that mon
opolles are necessarily villalnous is
sheer idiocy.
But let us hear what our most
potently learned and epigrammatic
professor really says.
After an array OF details, laby
rinthian in their intricacics, he sum-
marizes thus:
"Monopoly is not an invention of men,
least of all a modern invention or a pro-
duct of capitalistic society. 1t is inter-
woven with the whole life of man on
earth, in all it's forms and from the
earliest times. 1t is not reasonable to
denounce natural monopoles because,
if they are founded in the order of ma
ture, no one is to blame for them, and
nothing can modify them but such APP
plication of intelligence as may change
their form, or combine their action with
new forces. Neither are natural mon
They have great utility and advantage"
etc.
Thus saith the professor.
In scanning this paragraph by
the learned gentleman, which, by
the way, is fair eptome of the entire
article, we observe several affirma-
tions.
First-"Monopoly is not an in
vention of man.
Second-"lt is not reasonable to
denounce natural monopolies, be-
cause, if they are founded in the
order of nature, no one is to blame
for them"
Third" Neither are natural
monopolies all. or always, mis-
chievous, they have great utility
and advantage"
How sweetIy consoling it is to be
thus convinced by one of the great
oracles of science, that this piece of
elaborate mechanism for wholesale
robbery, which, in its diverse forms,
has ground to abject poverty thous-
ands, aye, millions of the contemp-
tible chatf, otherwise known as the
plain people, is not an invention of
man at all.
How ineffably soothing it must be
to that large but unfortunate con-
tingent, the riff-raff of Gods crea-
lures, who labor for some giant
monopoly and receive but pitiful
recompense for their toll, to know
that no one is to blame for this in
human ogre which is glutting itself