Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-03-17
AFTER THE TRUSTS

VI uo'0 'h thdl SlaUc III way Which
seems very comprehensive and very
practical. The bill now under con-
sideration undertakes to do more than
has yet been attempted by any legis-
lature upon that subject, in that it not
only declares all trusts illegal, but UNI
dertakes to define what shall consti-
tute trust within the meaning of the
law. A trust is defined to be 'any
combination of capital, skill or acts by
two or more persons, firms, corpora
tions or associations of persons COM
bined TO create and carry out restric-
tons of trade; to limit or reduce pro-
duction, or increase or reduce the price
of merchandise or commodities to pre-
vent competition in any form; to estab-
lish pretended agencies for the evasion
Of the antitrust law; to enter into any
contract to accomplish any of these
purposes, or to refuse to sell goods to
dealers or consumers, either as a pun
ishment or for purposes of coercion"
1t is perhaps not generally known to
how great an extent the people of the
country are affected by trusts which
fall within the definition above given,
or to what an extent the prices of
almost the entire list of the necessities
OF life are affected thereby. Between
the producer and the consumer inter
vene all the various combinations of
middlemen, carriers and merchants,
taking tolls of all that we eat and drink
and wear, for all of which the producer
at one end of the line and the consumer
at the other must pay.
There has just gone into effect in this
state, law offering as an inducement
to the raising of the sugar beet and the
manufacture of beet sugar, "a bonus of one
cent per pound. Under circumstances
of entirely free competition no doubt
but that the inducement would lead to
the development of great industry in
that line. The quality of beet which
can be raised here for sugar man.
ufacture is said to be excep-
tionally good, while there is
no climate and soil anywhere
which can at all compare with this in
the amount of its production. And
yet it may well be doubted whether in
the face of the great sugar trust of the
country any single mandatory of that
article could be made to succeed. The
bill under consideration by the Illinois
legislature contains a principal which
If carried step further and made to
cover organizations of labor for the
purpose of affecting the wages of wage
earners would, if its enforcement were
practical, make the most absolutely |
free competition prevail in every de-
partment of commerce and labor, and |
all men would be at perfect liberty to
labor or produce at whatever price
seemed best.
This question, however, is too far
reaching in its results to be materially
affected or at all revolutionized by the
legislation Of a single state. Trusts
may be prohibited in one state while
the prices of almost everything used or
consumed within it are affected by the
trusts of another. In this respect it is
much like the attempts which have
been made ever since the inauguration of
the era of granger legislation to control
and regulate the railways of the coun-
try, and to which our legislature so
recently added an additional chapter.
Their success has not been met with
the expectations Of the people, and in
fact it is doubtful whether in the
natural course of development and in
crease of business more satisfactory ,
conclusion would have been reached.
So it will be with the attempts of states
TO suppress orlregulate trusts. The /
will have the effect of agi-
tating the subject and keeping it prom
Inently before the people, and perhaps
Of producing sentiment of sufficient '
strength to ultimately make itself felt I
where it will be most effective. On
these and all kindred questions, that is '
all questions which in any manner s
control OF regulate the business of the l
country, and not merely that of partic-
nlar localities, no legislation has been :
Or can be of much value until the :
principles upon which their regulation u
depends shall be made uniform in all .
he states and subject to single iuris- !
fiction. This can only be accomplished
by national legislation. c
The Whatcom county contingent is a
not the only, kra oh of lo...x.----- ! =,