The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1896-09-19


into Mckinley finance committee
amounts to 1852, $50, 900. Their for
tunes range from $1,000, 600 to sl25,-
900, 900, and average about $l2, 000,
600.
To the ordinary citizen these figures
are incomprehensible in terms of mon
ey. They must be translated into
land valuation or the assessed wealth
of great communities to be understood.
When it is stated that the property of
these As men equals the total assessed
valuation of nine States and Territor-
les Of the Union, having an area of
sS9,515 square miles and population
of / ,3lS, 269, the meaning of the fig
ures is clearer. In other words, the
area of the territory, the assessed val
ne of which equals the wealth Of these
As men, is greater than that of all
Europe, except Russia, and is three
fifths larger than that of all the cul-
tivated farming lands in this country.
But it is In power-political, flnan-
cial, industrial and commercial-tha
this vast aggregate of wealth must be
measured. The vital question from
the standpoint of politics is; What
does this combine of capital, controll-
ing the machinery of production, of
distribution, of transportation, the
means of living, working and trading,
mean in the conduct of government,
the shaping of legislation and the di-
rection by powerful influences of the
various departments of the govern
ment?
AT the head of the list is the name
Of John ID. Rockefeller of the Stand
ard Oil Trust, who is credited with a
fortune of 1925, 900, 900. Has the
wealth Of the Standard Oil Trust been
made legitimately? Does it stand for
monopoly or free competition? Has
its influence been exerted in favor of
honest government, pure legislatures,
upright courts and just laws or the
opposite of all these? Have its officers
endeavored to protect the people In
their rights or to plumber them?
Cornelius Vanderbilt is on this COM
mittee and has "a fortune of 800, 000,
900. Is there no faint of monopoly,
plumber, law violation and corruption
in the Vanderbilt fortune, and have
its representatives stood for the rights
of the plain people and the toilers?
C. P. Huntington with $50, 900, 600,
the head of the Pacific Railroad Com
blne and of the Pacific Congressional
lobby is on the committee. Can the
people look to Huntington as their
friend and the champion Of honesty
in government and finance?
Can Pierpont Morgan, who repre-
sents $25, 600, 600 on Mr.. Hanna's COM
mittee, be depended upon to support
financial system which will protect
the people from the money sharks and
prevent the fnanciers, bankers and
brokers from enjoying opportunities
to profit by the manipulation OF the
money market and the issue of bonds?
| Has Armour of the Meat Combine
made his money by legitimate and
open competition and will his influ-
ence be exerted to protect the produc-
ers and consumers from unjust dis
elimination?
These are the men whom Hanna
has organized into a political commit
tee to save the country from the
Democracy and to protect the rights
and interests of the plain people, the
producers, consumers and wage-earn-
ers. This is the aggregation OF mon
opolists that has been put up as bull
wark of the constitution, the laws and
the institutions of the country and as
the conservator of patriotism and hon
esty in politics.
What do the people think of the
aggregation as a committee of public
safety in politics. st. Louis Republic
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