The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-10-12
"THE TRUSTS MUST CO."
30 Says the New York Press, which Would
Feed Then on rroiectinm 10 XII Them.

% says the New DIX Gfe>s, W Mon W Out0
Feed Them ON Protection Ia XIII Them.
The New York Press has begun "A
crusade against trusts. Just listen
how IL denounces them editorially:
1.-The American people are face To
face with two great CANCERS. One of
them is the attempt TO break down the
protection Of American industry and
reduce American labor To the abject
and degraded condition of labor abroad:
the other is the attempt to build up
trusts and make them omnipotent in
politics as well AS in trade. The free
trade movement against American la
Dor tends to do both. II means the
breaking down Of American industrial
independence. the paralysis of indus
try and the prevalence of strikes. desti-
tuition and anarchy. The trusts choke
the life out Of competition and destroy
that equality Of right and Of oppor-
tunity that is at the very basis Of free
institutions"
TRUSTS undoubtedly add 10 the cost
Of the articles whose production they
monopoliz.. The trusts. by their cnor-
nous com binations of capital. tal:c
freedom Of trade by the throat and
trample out Of existence the business
man or firm that dares to compete with
them. Their methods at the best are a
menace to the welfare Of the com
munity. and are distinctly anarchistic.
not stopping short in well known in
stances Of the anarchists dynamite
and violence. The trust. with brazen
treason against the fundamental
principles of American liberty. says
virtually to every citizen outside of the
trust: Thou shalt not dare To COM
pete with this business of ours. II we
cannot crush you by fair means we will
by foul means. American laws pre-
tend to protect you in your right to
com oete, but we set those laws at de-
fance and laugh them to scorn. This
is anarchy. There cannot be freedom
without the right Of competition in
legitimate trade. The time has come
when the American people must choose
between the sovereignty Of the people
and the sovereignty of trusts. The
trusts are intrinsically despotic"
This is rich. To hear the Press talk
about freedom and compe tition in
trade. 'fundamc ntal principles of
American liberty" and trusts that adj
vance prices and take freedom of
trade by the throat" just as If pro
lection" had not created or fostercd
every one OF those hundreds of trusts:
and as if il too were not the enemy of
freedom and competition in trade and,
indeed of American liberty. which
first showed itself in opposition to tariff
luties on tea and other articles.
The Press fails to show how free trade
would build up trusts In fact there
is no American trJst that is not in
some way benefited by protection
and there is no trust that would not be
injured by free trade We challenge
the Press to name trust, which. as
such. would be benefited by free trade
and to produce "A scintilla of evidence
to this effect Is the sugar trust which
owns the republican. and has made
traitors Of few of the democratic sem
ators. spending money at Washington
to get free trade? Why. then. did
Havemcyer and Searles go To Washing
ton. after the house bill had made all
sugars free? lave the steel rail. the
whisky. the wall paper. the borax. the
STANDARD oil or the coal trust kept lob
bies in Washington for years for free
trade in these products The idea is
ridiculous. PROTECTION" annually puts
hundreds of millions Of dollars into the
pockets of these trusts. The most of
them would never have been born but
for the protection" guaranteed them
by high tariffs. which choke the life
cut Of competition"
1t is refreshing to hear the Press ac-
knowledge that trusts advance prices
after it has been declared for years
that protection was causing a rapid
decline in prices. There is "A conflict
in evidence somewhere or the Press is
beside itself now that its favorite tar
if system has gone to pieces and is fol-
l,x,. ,.if ~