The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1892-03-22

Gov. ABBETT's decision to sign or veto
the Reading coal combination bill will
haye a marked effect upon his chances
for the United States senate. The Demo.
cratic press just now is offering the ex-
cuse of partisanship for Its passage. The in
dependent press of the state is waiting for
the final review and disposition of the
bill, and their support of the governor
for the United States senate depends en-
tirely upon his action in the matter.
1t seems almost impossible that Cover
nor Albeit would saddle his party with
such a monstrous load of monopoly, in
view of the following antitrust plank
adopted by the Democratic convention in
1889:
The increasing number of combinations
to control the necessities of life is fruit
full source of alarm to the people. The
so-called trusts" which are combina-
tions to control prices without regard to
the natural rules of supply and demand
are opposed to the letter and spirit OF oui
laws. They cannot be justified upon any
fair plea of commercial enterprise Fol-
the benefit of the few these combinations
infiict cruel burdens upon the many
causing penury and misery among those
who are dependent upon the product OF
their daily toll. The tendency of our adj
vancing civilization is to increase the
general average of human happiness, and
the corrective hand of the law must be
used to abate conspiracies which are
stumbling-blocks in the way of the gen.
arol ,,ro0rouo of the nQonla
And yet it hardly seems probable that
the Reading lobbyists would spend
quarter of million of dollars in securing
the votes of senators and assemblymer
for the passage of the bill if they did moi
have some assurance of the act finally
becoming law. OF course the Reading
road will contribute handsomely to thu
Democratic corruption fund whenever
called upon, but it is doubtful if victor,
can even then be secured in face OF thu
righteous indignation that will be ex
pressed at the polls next November.
The Democratic party has always claim
ed to be arrayed against trusts and mo
nopolies, but the present state of existing
facts shows that party to be in possession
of one of the most gigantic monopolie
that has ever existed IN the state.
This bill passed the two houses by thu
shameless use of money, and it is alleged
by the New York World, that man,
of the members of both houses wer'
purchased. The members of thu
house were paid, it is said, from $500 t.
81, 1000 except one. Senators are said t.
lave received from $4,000 to $4,000
Richard Reading, representative of th'
Pennsylvania Railroad company, say
that it costs his opponents 100000 to pas
the measure.
This action of the legislature destroy
one element of public bene6t-competi
ton in the supply of one Of the essentia
commodities of life. The combination
can make the price ofcoal as high as the
please. The public has no redress Boil
ers IN factories must be heated, engine
must be run, houses must be warmed anC
dinner must be cooked. The matter al
fects every member of the com munity
man woman and child. and yet the con
lsumers of coal will have to pay the in
ssr7asad nr0fit To fBa- combine which !
| 1t was only short time since tina
the legislature, by resolution, denounce'
the deal as contrary to law and publ
policy. and appointed separate committee
to investigate but for some ultra reason
these astute politicians suddenly departed
from their platform and previous declare
tons and committed an act diametricall.
opposed to all which they have hereto
fore professed.
The expression of the voters next fal
will send tidal wave of rebuke over thi
state that will leave no doubt of the elet
ton of Republican governor and legif
lature