The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1896-05-07
ion to a just distribution u profucta,


according T. his ability, 70 each acc0rc
( ing 70 his needs. " More Of Us might /
socialists if We did not believe that n
most Il rs would be shirks. under f.
vOrable circumstances, and II we di
not see letter solution # the problem
Gun patent Law system should BE- re
vised q abolished But the worst evil
Il trusts are not occa4ioned BY patents
Cur tariff legislation, as we'll az GU
system # internal taxation, foster
trusts and adds greatly 10 their evils
They, with all kinds IF indirect taxes
must be abolished before we can et01
plundcrlng Oh d magnificent scale Gu
Sugar, Stccl Rail Steel Billet. Mai
and Window Glass trusts are sample
II those that are almost entirely tariff
trusts. They might exist were there NJ
tariff, but i would be only because thcy
can produce more economically than car
small producers. They could no longer
make cxorbitant monopoly profits
/ What are termed natural monopo-
lies can best ~ dealt with either bv
government ownership OF control or by
taxing them t. death. Municipal own
crshlp of ga-, water and electric light
plants has everywhere demonstrated its
superiority T. private ownership 1t
should be greatly extended and should
include docks and perhaps also grain
elevators and telephones Railroads,
like rivers, canals and public HIGHWAYS.
are natural monOpOIics and should be
owned aud operated or owned and leased
tor short periods by federal. state and
municipal governments. There is no
other way Of keeping monopoly profits
IRON gong into private pockets or Of
giving the public the full benefit Of our
IRON and steel highways Discriminate
ing rates to preferred or favored ship
pers Will cease only when private own
ership ceases.
Discriminating rates it should be
noted, are responsible for some Of orr
greatest trusts. But for them the Stand
ard Oil and Beef and Coal trusts might
never have been born Under govern
mental ownership all shippers would
be treated alike, and the millions of dol
lars that have been returned as draw
backs To favored shippers and are today.
III violation Of federal laws, being re
turned to the Sugar, Beef, Oil and Iron /
Ore trusts, would be saved to nontrnst /
Practically all of the unoarncd
ana undeServed profits of the Beef and
standard Oil trusts have come from al
lances with transportation companies.
Inc fear Of q governmental or office
holding oligarchy is a bugaboo kept be-
ere the people by those who are giving
II, 600 brides to legislators with one
land and are pocketing 81 600, coo mo-
'opoly profits largely stock iobbing
nos) with the other hand. There IS
2ore political corruption where such
a5ural monopOlies as gas and water
'orks' steam and street railways, are in
riSat" hands than where they are IN
er public control Tie armies of post
lasters and public school teachers are
ot Is great menace to good govern
-ent as are the officers of railroads who
cal III public grants and municipal
dnchlses and who are constantly MAX
lg and Unlnaking officeholders. max /
lg favorable and designating unfavor-
Die legislation.
IeIcgraphs and telephones are more
less natural mOnOpolics and should
'rhaps be entirely or partly owned ana
'er2ted by government. There Is more
for public telegraph and
iephohe system today than there was
a public postal system 100 years ae.o
than there IS now.
lhere remains but one great class of
lsts-those owning mines Of coal. oil
g oora1, etc. Undoubtedly the best
y 70 loosen the grip Of these trusts is
taxation, either III tho form of roy
les or II the form Of land value tax
II pennsylvania would increase tax
OF her coal and oil lands until the
I rental value Of every acre of these
luable lands was taken in taxation
l't would happen? No corporation or
que ol corporations could afford to
'hese taxes and hold mines idle to
tflct production. The Reading rail
81 combine, which now owns nrac-
ally ali OF the anthracite coal lands
TINS country aud has them mort
,ed Tor several hundred millions of
iars, would be compelled at once to
OF give away all Of the mines that s
ouId not work at a profit. Hundreds B
small corporations and mining com 4
les would at once form: comment IS
!, stopped III the early seventies. &
10 again appear; twice as much coal 3,
10 be mined; there would be q g
Y demand for miners; wages vould Is
as nigh OF higher than they We're kI
- 80; miners would cease to be III
es; corporation stores would disan- H.
:; the price of hard coal would be
one-haf OF two thirds of present
8 III eastern states; both producers DeS
consumers would, in fact be inn WI
sely benefited by such taxation
only could Pennsylvania meet All ce5e
lef expenditures from the taxation wOr
Ter MINES (and thereby Tighten the
zen OF taxation on her citizens1. hnt eiltI
politics would be much less co1,.,,n+
now. Wo
le same cause applied in other states
"a produce the same effect mon
> on IRON, copper, lead, silver and =
ores, upon veins or deposits Of salt
gas; phosphate, borax and, in fact.
all things produced from mines
or stream Wherever it is possible
' natural mOnopolies thew shonId ssS
Sed until the speculative profits Of 81
ng them idle disappear. This fay "a
he opportunities. to production is s
ing only tax that cannot be
sed over TO and collected from the
iinef. 1t would benefit all and in
none 1t Is the arch enemy of mo-
les and the 1,0sc5l H., ,-ot