St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-27
NOT THE QUESTION.

The president of the Northwestern
Fuel company addresses a letter to the
speaker of the house, the substance of
which is a statement that his company
has not made a profit to exceed 20 cents
ton on its coal during ten years last
past. There is something of the argu
ment of the wager in his offer to submit
dis books to a committee to prove this
fact if. presumably, the state, to whose
officer he addresses himself, will pay
whatever proht the examination shall
show the company has received less
than 20 cents ton, he agreeing to pay
the treasury all excess of profit over
that figure. Of course. Mr.. SAUNDERS
knows that there is no authority to ac-
cept such proposition, and we presume
he made il more to emphasize his conf
dence in his statement than with any
idea of its acceptance.
But the question at the base of all
this discussion. though often lost sight
of, is not at all whether his company is
making large or small profits, or no
profits at all, but whether or not his
company is part of combination of
wholesale coal dealers, the purpose of
which is 10 control the markets and alb
solutely shut out all competition. If
this is the case, 1t Is illegal, unlawful
and dangerous, even II Its purpose were
purely philanthrOpic, and were to pro-
vide the public with fuel at cost. 1t is
the vital question of individual freedom
OF men to engage in any business they
~ AI,nf,
best judgment may direct, regardless
of what others may do, and responsible
only to themselves for what they do.
In free country any man must be
free to enter the vocation of coal dealer
on any scale he wishes to, and to con-
duet the same without dictation or in
reference from anybody. When this
right is taken away, whether by law or
conspiracy, a blow is struck at liberty
and our institutions. No matter what
the pretense or purpose of the Interior
ence may be. its result is the same. The
effect, the loss of manhood, the suDsui-
tuition OF cringing seryitude for manly
independence, is already demonstrated
in the difficulty which the committee
meets in getting the retail dealers to
testify. They are cOwed by the loss of
their liberty, of which the combine has
robbed them.
Mr.. SAUNDERS would be the first to
raise his hands in protest against the as
sumption by the state OF the entire coal
business. He would denounee it as an
invasion Of the field of private enter
prise; as peternaIistic use of govern
mental powers which was needless and
dangerous. And yet it would bother
him to explain wherein the difference
in principle is between the control of
the business by the state ami by his
combination. What difference there is
is in favor of state control. If Mr..
SAUNDERS read or heard the speech of
Mr.. DONNEILY in which he scOffed at
those who are resisting the strong set
towards paternaliSm in government, ne
might gather from it the fact that it is
the actions of business men like him
self in his and many other branches of
enterprise, in forming these trusts and
combinations to control prices, that are
giving to their victims their despairing
conclusion that the only relief is in a
paternaIism of government that will
take over all these various businesses to
itself. The trusts and combinations are
the stOutest allies of the Nationalist.