Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-02-27
Dangers Of Corporate Greol.

Announcement Of the organization Of q
new cattle and beef syndicate with John
II. FIagler, Of the Standard on Trust, SIS
President, calls attention prominently to
that monopoly again. M. Flsgler is the
Standard o. man WHO recently invested
nearly - 600 600 %. laial Florida hotels
merely flr amus neat, 90 use bis own
words. Since then lie has bsugb. couple
of Florida railroads to connect his pslstiaI
hotels with tire outer world
A couple of years ago Mr. F.5glsr, Mr.
Bostaick. Johu ID rd William Rocksfe'-
Ter and some Of their associates acquired
co1trol Of tbs Richmond T=rmina, AID a
stem of connecting raIrosGsin South.
The same gentlemen secured the New
Yuk ard New England road. John d.
Rockefeller obtained control Of st. Paul,
and this same cHqre If miilienaiTea in-
81. ste6 largely III other railroads.
Sal daId on men organized the Amer
sean Cotton OIL Trust and secured control
% that Industry. More recently they
bought out tle most eNton i've dealers lie
iuroeutiuo, with headquarters in St.
Louis. and including q lac of turpentine
tank GAYS They have long been the most
extensive mauu.ae ure-s Of barrels 10 this
country. aud 10 coDro. of the principal
clphuuc acid works They have gone
rsely into the manufacture of red and
wolfe lead and paints generally, These
same people have pul large ums OF money
into the manufacture o. pate glass.
Vsly recently they tava figured as eN.
.eusiye purchase OF territory IN he North
western Olio OH fields Mo- for immrdi-
ata u-e bu, cs an investment Standard
meu aul Standard companies have bsen
equally oct've in buyisg and securing con-
mol of Pennsylvania oil property and Ter
ri.0ry. Daring few years pas, this trust,
of ocean steamers ard q railroad tank line
OF over 1000 cavs o. it's possessions, built
docks 40 Chicago and Duluth and laid Q
pipe line from Lima 20 CniC5go.
Well, what of this? Why this trust Is
zs.tiug rich SO rapidly it hardly knowa
what 10 90 with i,s profits. This private
1tir' of Nj. BiaIne'3 Is becoming O
monstrcus public opprsssor. Despite the
argument otis learned counsel, at an enor-
nous salary, that It'll public beueiactoT
cheapeliug light Go consumers as cOmpeti-
tive companies could not do, this m0nOp-
oiy is squeezing millions annually f,om
the people. To has bee1 squeezing these
millions from producers ana consumers for
years until the possessions of the trust and
it's Individual memherl aggregate Q total
value Of about 5000, 600 0OO
liz does 10. stop here The grasping
mans ers Of She original trust think every
other business 10 which they invest should
pay similar profits. Mansgera Of other
corporations believe their property should
earn equal dividends. Trusts are spriag-
idg up on every hand, particularly in In
dustriSs protected from foreign c0mpeti-
ton by the tari6. Prices to consumers
are forced mp 20 the highest possible
limit and prices paid 10 producers OF raw
material are forced down until they aye
on lhe verge of bankruptcy. Labor is
gouged so every turn. When other
methods i0g swelling profits fail to produce
desirable results, employees are compelled
TO work overtime at reduced wsgss.
All this tends 70 decrease the efficiency
Of labor and tie excellence of our products.
American labor Is the most efficient in the
world to-day, but ovcr-workiug will re-
duce 10 to the level OF the labor of Europe
Tt is impossible for any NAV TO long main
tain frst-class cudeavor for Ia hours q day.
lie must either become dull or consume
his pbysicel eGeIg. aud die.
such Is the curse q corporate greed in
this country. Such wss the curse Of the
greed Of landed aristccrats in the couu-
tries q. Europe years ago. The difference
is chat machinery in this sge turrs ont
kireIy fortunes compared with those Of
former times. AUlltOnaire3 have become
common. But the inevitable result OF con-
tinuatiou Of the system is not hard to see