The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-08-23
rur1.w OF EVOLUTION IN BUSINESS.

-
MANY neonle in the United States is a fear
of what are called Trusts !" ana Comoi-
! nations in business. Many people Tear All
tho evils Of monopoly from these. IHE
| Tr,ys has ON severai occasions pointed out
| that the only monopoly which the spirit OF
| onr institutions condemns is a monopoly
! oreated and protected by statute law. That
sncb monopoly as one man. or several men
acting in concert, may establish in any line
Of business by their thrift, energy and
enterprise is monopoly which our
Institutions foster and encourage;
that when such a monopoly as tins
is established in business that
monopoly is simply property IN
that form. and that we can permit no at
tack upon such form of property without
abandoning the principle that property
once lawfully acquired must be protected
by the whole force Of society; and that to
abandon this principle is to establish an
archy and chaos.
When manufacturer of shoe backing has
pressed his goods upon the attention OF the
world until he has made the world believe
that il cannot wear shoes properly
polished until it uses his backing, he
has established what is in one sense mo-
nopoly in the business Of selling shoe black
ing. But. if he used none but lawful means
in pressing his goods upon the world at
tenton. his monopoly is one which he had
perfect right 20 establish and the law en-
couraged him at every step whilst be was
establishing it and rejoiced in his success
when he cot il established. When the bust
ness once grew to proportions that fixed II
upon a solid basis, the intangible thing
called the business" became as much his
property as the house in which he con-
Quoted the business. and the moment So
ciety tolerates any war upon that
mans business" though It be monops
oily in a certain sense, society permits the
introduction of principle that must sooner
or later overthrow his right Of property IN
his house Such principle is Communism
pure and simple to end in either absolute
despotism or anarchy.
But that position of the public which has
taken the alarm At the magnitude to which
some TRUSTS" and Combinations" have
grown, permits their fears. nevertheless. 10
override these very plain elementary prinoi-
ples and they clamor for repressive legisla-
ton aimed at the overthrow OF successful
business ventures that have grown to very
large proportions, although such legislation
would be necessarily just what we have de-
scribed it. legislation in the interests OF
Communism 10 end in despotism or an
srchy. They say true principle must be
abandoned in view of the overshadowing
danger to society that comes from these
enormous aggregstions of capital in few
hands.
The TIMES refuses TO abandon principle
In face Of any emergency whatever.
In fixed and unhinching adherence to the
true principles of Democracy, which mean
equal Justice to all men, it finds the panacea
for all supposed ills.
Leave the matter to itself with distinct
notice to the rich man that he shall receive
that exact justice which is the poor mans
right. and the fixed and inevitable laws of
evolution will develop phases and stages
of society which turn orr fears and ankle
ties of to-day into the tests of tomorrow
and resolve anticipated evils into certain
benefits. There was never any business
vet. there will never be any business in the
future which lawful competition cannot
control. and that competition will certainly
be always undertaken when the profits are
such as 70 justify it.
A singular and striking illustration of the
truth of these views has recently come TO
light. The railroads between the Pacific
coast and the East some time back pooled
their issues, and have been charging for
transportation across the continent rates
that the public thought too high. The re-
salt is that an old-time line of clipper ships
has been established between San Francisco
and New York. which now takes ton Of
freight from San Francisco to New York,
whence 1t is shipped over competing railway
lines to Kansas City and arrives there at
cost of $40 less than what the freight would
have been if the goods had been shipped 10
Kansas City from San Francisco direct by
rail- The San Francisco Call states that the
freight on a ton of hardware from San
Francisco to New York by rail is S47, while
all on-perishabls freight by the clipper
line is only Is ton.
Here is clear and forcible illustration of
the everlasting truth and soundness of our
doctrine. The supposed evil is removed,
but the trans-continental railways have been
left undisturbed in possession of the rights
which the laws conferred upon them. How
much better that the evil should have been
removed by this silent but inevitable law Of
evolution than that our records should have
been stained by statutes compelling these
railroads to abandon rights which were
clearly theirs.
| THE NEGROES DEMAND FOR THE
FORCE BILL.