The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-07-16
TRUSTS AND INCORPORATES.
New York Globe.


trne, instant in service-iS Hon. William
l.. Wilson, Of West Virginia. Notwith-
standing his legislative youth he vas Well
up with the foremost, not only on the
" avs and Means Committee OF the last
House. but on the floor and on the hu>t
ings, in the great struggle for tariff re-
form. He is a type of class greatly
needed in American politics, and untor-
tunatelv not frequently seen. Studio :,
scholarly, scientific, an honest tb Tker,
and morally incapable OF resisting hiS
own logic, the public service such II: +
is likely to render is measured only bv
the OPPORTUNITIES which come IN his way.
The essayi>t in this country IS very
rapidly taking the place OF the conGlr.-
sional debater and the stump spe Ike.
The printed page is supersed'pg oral dis
cussion, and it is through ihe printed ard
written word that the minds Of men are
reached. Mr.. Wilson has tee e ore done
wisely and well by his eptanoe Of a
proposition from the Is: mo e sun O
prepare for that steady and energetic
journal series OF articles analyzng aud
exposing the system of trusts and mo-
noro'ieS which has grown up Nnjer ile
auspices Of the f'edcralist Republican
party. The first Of the series va, pub
Iished in the sun OF July 3D.
The monopolists' plea that prices are
regulated and reduced in The Amcric .
marhe; by domestic competition emo a
the protected manufacturers was cNplodeo
by the following paragraph in Mr.. Cic,c-
lands tariff message Of 81: 'but il i
pow notorious that this competition it .
often strangled by combinations, quite
prevalent at tins time, and generally
called trusts, which have for their object
the regulation Of the supply and price Of
commodities made ana sold BY the mem
bers of the combinations. The people
can hardly hope for any consideration III
the operation Of these selfish >ohent>.'
This statement Senator Sherman boldly
denied at the moment, and MIR. Blaine
continued 10 deny and combat il a. ia,
! very end Of the last campai91l, insisting
that trusts were myths, and that If they
actually existed they would be ben, hcai
and not hurtiu. This paragraph va~
loaded oadcd with shot and ,heli and
grape and canister. 1t wa> deadly
blow and raised q ycll of anger ana
anguish through all the camp, Of mpuol-
oily, because il struck a vital point. Nv.
Sherman attempted t. eI..le it, force and
confessed his own error BY speedily ln,ro-
ducimg a Bill for the restraint 81 trusts
and the existence of trusts to-day. con
tlnental IN their reach and operation,
ruthless III he greed and cruelty ol their
! manage mcnt, cornering and controlling
Ina ,.e,l ~ -
l'nijed States, i ten and deprecated bv
All and denied and defended by none.
That hey are rendered possible ~ The
existing monopoly tariff, cNcept in cases
where the article atfc Ell is 81 exclusive
American production, is perfectly plain.
secure against foreign competitions, 10.
thing can be easier than combination
among domestic manufacturers or pro
ducel~, agreeing to limit production when
necessary, and at all time 80 maintain
/ prices at the highest taril notch. hnd
! lilS they have done, almost without cN-
! ccpnon, at the expense both ri the
American operative and th, American
consumer.
Bat the tlu>t i, in each case, whether
the iclc it Is intended u control is Of
exclusive domestic production or ci for
riyn and domestic alike, tie bursting of
discrimination. W here it has not its
origin IN lsrltl duties, discriminating in
lH'lo 'Hly and opprc>Sivcly a-ail~t the
LASS or American consumers, 1t is the
u pnstcr. Dc9utlcu by coujunctiou Of law
les and r~pon~lDlc railroad manu"c-
meat with private creed. SIR. Wilson
% ) that tie STANDARD OH was the lore