Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-14
COMBINATIONS AND POOLS.

Mr.. Chenault is an able and popular law
yer of Louisville, Ky, who is interested in
several railroads in Louisiana and is in
Texas on q prospecting tour. Addressing
What-Not he said: Your state has very
hattering future before it. II has now
reached the point where it will settle up
with great rapidity, and its future progress
is infinite. There is not another state in
the Union that is standing the present
financial stringency as well as Texas. Your
people seem TO be prosperous, your COM
mercial transactions are profitable, and
your merchants are the most substantial
and solvent men in this country"
What-Not-''Do you think that the rail-
road commission will retard railroad con-
structionl'
Mr.. Chenault-'Certainly not. This
commission issue is now before the Ken
lucky suffragans as the work Of the con-
Stitutioual convention; but have no idea
that it will interfere with railroad con-
struction. l suppose your people look upon
this railroad question in the same manner
as we do. We want railroads; but we are
not running around searching for some
highwayman to rob US. We are
willing to give the railroads ex-
act Justice; but we are also de-
termined to bring eXtortion in freight rates
to a premature end. There are four veins
Of American commerce, the monopoly of
which means the oppression OF the con-
suIuers. They are production, manufacture,
Transportation and distribution. BY throt-
ting competition with an exorbitant tariff
we throw monopoly of manufacture into
the hands of few men who are able to
abuse their privileges and extort through
combinations, By fostering combinations,
organized to control the production Of
wheat sugar. or any other commodity, we
are placing the public at the mercy of few
shylocls; by allowing our law-making
power to remain unconscious of the opera
lions of pools, trusts and Wall street specu-
lators, who corner the market and control
distribution, we again place the public in q
position to be robbed in order to enrich a
few; and by allowing the railroads TO pool
on freight rates, sweep ont competition and
control traffic, we are again neglecting to
protect the citizens from illegal taxation.
In my opinion, it should be unlawful for
any OF these veins of commerce to be mo-
nopolized by few men. 1t means the COM
plete destruction Of competition and an
oligarchial government. 1t may not be an
olgarchy in name, but If few men can con-
trol all of the avenues Of commerce
1t certainly forces the American
public into industrial slavery, and
prefer governmental slavery
to a peonage to corporate power.
1t is proper that the people should consider
this matter in time TO prevent the absorp-
ton Of all commerce by few millionaires
and railroad commission is simply guar
antee of commercial freedom to the citizen
by the state. The people should rule the
state and the state should control the rail-
roads and the other commercial veins by
laws which prevent combinations and
trusts. 1t is true that we have reached the
point in civilization where large enterprises
must be placed in the hands of corporations,
nevertheless, the individual liberty and
commercial freedom Of tho citizen Il IN.