The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-03-15
Competition and the Gold Trust.

The disaster these twin evils are work.
ing is not easily estimated. Fifty billions
it is claimed the latter has drawn from
the industry of the world in twenty years,
and its greed grows from what it feeds on.
The greed of the capitalistic class is being
observed by every other class of people.
Wholly CONSCIOUSNESS, pitiless and heart
less, it devours without remorse, or any
symptom of becoming satisfied. A blind
greed has seized the capitalistic class, that
has given it the savage instinct of a beast
of prey. The crushing out and destruc-
ton of business in order to devour the
remains has become mania with this
exploiting class. They are growing more
jealous and merciless toward the classes
that WELD less power of wealth than
themselves, and look upon them with
that suspicion and fear which wanton
injury always creates in the oppressor.
The last half century has created COM
plete economic revolution in the world.
Art and science have harnessed the ele-
ments and subjected them to mans use.
This has been called the era of labor
saving machinery which is missioner,
but rather the era of wealth multiplying
machinery Labor must be used or it
runs to waste. The machine has cast out
labor which is starving or begging.
Capital has usurped the machine and
claims the right to all it produces and
also the right to cast out labor to starve.
Competition was comparatively harm
less when brain and Drawn occupied the
field of industry and healthy emulation
spurred each to his best. But man against
the machine is helpless as the child in
contest with the man. Capital in posses
sion of machinery has gone forth like an
army with banners, conquering and to
conquer. Capital with machinery in its
possession has created the great factory
and work shop, conquered the individual
and reduced him to the life of a wage
slave Out of this condition, the indi-
vidual being conquered and reduced to
slavery or starvation, the battle of the
giants commenced for the markets, and
when they have become we'll nigh ex-
hausted they have halted in the destruc-
tive warfare and formed an alliance called
"trust," and this greater army of COM
petition has attacked and overthrown all
opposition till nothing more is left to
conquer. This last phase of the struggle
is not yet complete.
First these dangerous combinations
appeared among manufacturers The
mercantile business was next attacked,
and the great bazaar is engaged in destroy
ing the retail trade by gathering under
one firm and one roof every branch of
the retail business. The little shops, the
respectable store, are disappearing,
swallowed by their competitive shark.
This work of swallowing the little fish
is as yet confined to the large cities, but
when they have devoured all competition
in the city, they will reach out and estab-
lish branch bazaar store in every village
within a hundred miles or more of the
large city, which will be supplied from
the central bazar, ordered by telegraph,
and at reduced freight or a secret rebate
| The commercial travellers services will no
longer be needed and he will go to swell
| the increasing army of the unemployed,
seeking work and finding none. These
commercial travellers cost the proprietors
| Oh large MILLIONS yearly 10
sustain them. This present expense will
then be added to the profits and prices
cut till the village retail store will be
frozen out, as his city cousin is now in
the process of dissolution.
With present trend of affairs this result
is inevitable 1t has already far advanced
and is steadily marching on Nothing
aids this devouring process SO powerfully
as the gold money, or gold basis financial
system To make money scarce is to
close the avenues of employment and
weaken the people for successful resist
ance. Scarcity of money and low prices
for products of labor leave so narrow a
margin FOR the small traders that they
must soon fall victims to their powerful
rival, whose profits though small on each
sale, with the economy he is enabled to
carry into his business, make large
aggregate, and when freed from rivals he
can command prices as we'll as customers
Under the process that is going steadily
on the rich, heartless and shrewd are
bound to grow richer and fewer in num-
bers, while the poor are growing much
poorer and increasing vastly i'll numbers
To break this yoke that is rapidly re-
ducing the human race again to slavery,
the money monopoly which is at present
in the hands of few must be destroyed.
After this is accomplished other reforms
can be achieved but not until then. The
money power blocks the road to every
REFORM