The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-12-03

is it hard to see that against such o
power the strongest organization OF
labor will wage a doubtful or losing
fight.
And thus I think the American
laborer must see that the trust bodies
trouble and degradation for him, ana
that in his relations to it is pre- emil
nently a monopoly, with all thai the
Eame implies.
ITS GENERAL sAPPING N MINING
But there is a more general, subtle
and pervasive exercise of the power
and action of a trust in the character
of a monopoly that | must mention
without ate mpting to pursue Its mani
fold and ofCentimes secret mazes. L
refer To its power to destroy, and It's
undoubted exercise of that power, not
only by direct and open contests with
compositions. but by the indirect init,
midation of those who serve or deal
with those com petitorsin any capacity.
I have already cited the testimony
furnished by Mr.. Rice, the indepen-
dent refner, showing that the oil trust
not only attacked him directly by SAIL
ing its oils below cost in such markets
as he attempted to enter but lntlm1-
dated railroad companies and car-
construction companies until they re-
fused him the facilities accorded to
others; nay, more, that the representa-
tive of the Standard alliance at Louis
vile, KY, threatened a firm which
ventured to become the agent and
consignee of MI. Rice's oils i'll that
city with ga competition which will
not be confined to coal oil or to any
one article, and will not be limi ed to
any n year"
In this way common carriers, pro-
ducers in other industries from whom
a competitor may desire to buy, and
dealers who may desire to buy from
him, are made unwilling to have bust
ness relations with him, through their
dread of mourning the hostility of such
a great,and many-headed combination.
1t clothes itself with a cloud of mys.
terry and thus adds to their fears, until
competiti IN hampered and ~boYcotted
at every turn gives up the contest and
sinks into subsection or ruin.
THE TRUST A CHAMELEON.
To all this the organization of the
trust easily and promptly adapts itself.
Any given corporation has its general
powers marked out and defined by its
charter, and when it venture to xer
else other powers it's acts are ultra vtres
and void, and may involve forfeiture
of its existence.
1t cannot, therefore, meet an emer
gency by an immediate occupation of
some other field of operations, or by
the prompt adoption of some new and
unrelated business. But a trust, hav-
ing no such legal or other necessary
limitation of its powers or sphere of
action, may combine in it's organiza-
ton, which is generally a secret one,
as many corporations and as many
kinds of corporations as its purposes
of production, of warfare, of compel
ton or of clandestine intrigue may re-
quire.
Charters are obtainable under gen.
eral laws in many of the States by
merely fling in the proper Office
articles of agreement and paying a
small fee for them. Hence the man
ayers of a trust can at any time form
new corporations, subsidiary to their
main organization, for the single pur-
pose of crushing a troublesome rival
or of wrecking or terrorizing some re-
mote but necessary producer or Gus.
toners of that rival, or for the sole
purpose of making some special con.
tract, or of receiving, it may be, some
railroad rebate, not allowed by law to
be directly made OR granted. The
connection Of such corporation
with the trust may not be susceptible
of legal proof, nor even suspected by
the public-may indeed be unknown
to any but the Utmost circle of man
agers-yet it can be clothed, at once,
with all the power of the entire com.
bination, for accomplishing the pur-
pose for which thosa managers have
called it into being. Itmay be likened
to a squadron of light cavalry, secretly
enlisted in the service of the trust,
but not wearing IT'D uniform or march.
ing under its %colors, that can be used
either for a direct assault upon a pre-.
sumptuous opponent, or for cutting
his line of supplies or of communica.
tions, at a point so remote and un.
guarded that he may never suspect
the true source of the mysterious blow
that has disabled or Frustrated him al
the very time that he felt himself SAT
est and strongest.
Fl TRUST AN AMBUsCADE.
We have now considered the trust
in its four most important and best
known relations, but | cannot dismiss
this part of my subject without dwell
Al