The Globe-republican., 1892-03-24

that trust will be formed. When any
class of commodities or facilities for
performing services are capable Of being
concentrated in the hands of few men,
whether because of natural or artificial
~ created conditions, there is tempta-
ton to combine.
Under free trade the trust would be
supreme. For then we would be COM
pletely at the mercy of Great Britain
for our supply of many articles, and
this condition would be realized: Before
large supply. of commodity could
reach us, it would have to be collected
in a few seaports, there to pass through
the hands of few exporters, who find
trust the most convenient means Of
raising the export price to foreign con-
sumers. And this is Just what has act
ually taken place again and again, so
that there is no country in the world
that contains more trusts, more obnox-
ious monopolies than Great Britain, the
home of the economic heresy of free
trade. As Manager Cattarns, of tho
General Steam Navigation company, the
largest steamship company in Great
Britain, said, when testifying before the
British Royal Commission in 1866:
''Of course We all have freight rings.
They can do more than individual ship
owners can do to meet foreign COMPETE
ton, and they do so. These combina-
tions are natural and advantageous, and
they exist not only in the shipping
trade, but in every other, and am sure
that it is only by such combinations and
their accumulation of resources that
they are able comparatively to meet for
eign competition"
In other words, the trust is regarded
as the natural result and product of
free trade, especially for the purpose Of
breaking down foreign competition.
What, on the contrary, has been the
condition in this country? Only few
days ago the New York Commercial
Bulletin, itself stanch free trade paper,
speaking of the steel beam combination,
said:
1.-THE collapse of this combination il
Illustrates very clearly the danger which
every such combination has to confront,
and before which nearly every one of
them goes down. The exceptional prof
its realized are powerful inducement
to other manufacturers and capitalists
to engage in the same business. The
more obstinate and compact the combi-
nation shows itself in maintaining prices
the more outsiders are convinced that |
they can afford to engage in the compe-
tition with it. The only way to
keep such a combination alive, by what
ever name it may be called Or under
whatever legal forms it may be organ
lied, IS to supply product to the pub
lie at such price as to discourage all
The trusts or corpora !
tons which have consistently done this
have prospered. All others have been
disaster for themselves,
though in many cases it has long been
deferred"
Can better testimony be presented?
Trusts flourish under free trade, die un-
der protection.
But there is another aspect to this
question. If the production of given
is to be controlled by trust
1t all, is it not better that the trust
should be in this country, subject to the
regulation and punishment of our laws,
han in England or some other country
where we cannot reach it? At least, if
t is here, we can attack it, we can de-
'troy it; if it is in England, we are
helpless and at its mercy.
Protection offers no inducements to
rusts, but if they are formed we can
control them. Free trade offers every
nducement to trusts, and when they
ire formed, puts them beyond our
each. Which system will the people
prefer?