The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-06-20
Trust" Government and Popular
Governments

The enormous influence exercised over
the government by the trusts is one Of
the most serious features of the present
highly dangerous combination between
the government and business. The most
dangerous class in this country is neither
| the ignorant voters OF the cities nor the
visionsries OF the rural districts but the
members and managers OF the trusts
who seek 10 control the council chamber
in order that they may control the mar
| ket place.
1t is not necessary to ask whether
| these men are better or worse than
| others; Il Is sufficient 20 observe that
| they are more dangerous: they are more
powerful and they use their power with
| a cynical disregard for even the appear
ance OF public interests. There is very
| little more concealment about the oper-
| ations OF the trusts at the seat Of gov
ernment than there is about the opera
| tions of shoppers In a dry goods store
| II you see the people who enter a store
empty-handed emerge WITH parcels, and
| II you see the managers Of the store
displaying their wealth and carrying
| large packages Of currency to the bank
for deposit. you need no further evidence
| that buying and selling is going on inside
even though you may not see the goods
change hands.
Nothing more dangerous could we'll be
| going on. Nearly all the indiscriminate
denunclation OF the money power finds
its inspiration I'm the influence exerted by
| great accumulations of wealth upon the
| men who hold the reins OF power Just
| now public attention Is fixed upon the
sugar trust. but this Is only one OF
many. The whisky trust has for years
| kept its agents in Washington; they can
| be found In the corridors OF the capitol
continuously when congress Is In seS-
| sion. 1t has procured legislation and
| prevented legislation, and IL has remark
| able facilities for procuring rumOrs OF
| legislation in the interests Of the specu-
| lations carried or hy its members Prob
| ably no combination has procured more
legislation I'm its own interest than the
/ Standard oil company. II has dealt more
| with the state than with the federal gov
| ernment, but I'm the tariff bill pending in
a congress that has declared Itself against
| reciprocity agreements generally, IL has
| secured the insertion of one little reel
| procity feature for its own exclusive
| benefit, whereby petroleum from any
| country that imposes a duty on our oil
| is subject to duty, other petroleum be
| ing on the free list.
| For many years past the manufacture
| of steel rails has been in the hands of a
very small number of persons who have
| never failed to exert controlling inter-
| est at Washington; whatever changes
might from time to time be made in the
| tariff the duty on rails was always kept
at a point where 1t prohibited importa-
/ tion and left the domestic manufactur-
| ers free to fix any price they could agree
| upon and by their agreement maintain.
| When the manufacturers of floor cloths
were asking for partial emancipation
| from the taxation of their raw materials
and were showing the great foreign de-
mand for these goods which we could
| supply, IL we would reduce slightly the
| cost of manufacture, the duties on lead
| and oil were advanced TO add to the pro-
| fits of a comparatively small number of
| persons banded together into trusts, and
| exercising the power at Washington
which a compact and very wealthy in
terest seems always to possess there.
| Whatever the form may be there is a
| purchase and sale of Legislation in the
| interest of those who can afford to pay
a very high price for it because they can
recoup themselves from the public. This
/ is a very dangerous fact. 1t shakes the
| public confidence in the government, and
| for the strength and perpetuity of the
| government nothing worse could happen.
| More than this. il excites a widespread
and bitter feeling against capitalists,
and prompts attacks upon property
which have already created uneasiness,
and which will certainly create alarm
unless the exciting cause is removed.
| The trusts are committing a great
! crime against government and against