The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-11-18

known to have taken out his quota of
assets. Why? Because the Standard Oil
Company still persists and has control
of all the markets. During this time
dividends have risen to upward of e.
900 per annum. What they have
been of late years nobody knows. A re-
port of the New York senate says:
'All this vast wealth is the growth of
about 20 years; the property has more
than doubled in six years, and with the
increase the trust has made aggregate
dividends of over $50,000,000. 1t is one
of the most active, and possibly the most
formidable moneyed power on this con-
tinent"
Two years ago the attorney-general of
New York declared:
The members of this combination are
now president and directors of $4,000
miles of railroad, one-fifth of the total
mileage of the United States. It's sur
plus is invested in banking, in natural
and manufacturing gas companies, in
beds Of iron ore and coal, and in crude
Oil production, in lead and zinc, in tur-
pentine and cotton seed oil, in steel, in
jute manufacture, in ocean steamships,
in palatial hotels, and in street railroads.
MIR. ROCKEFELLER' WEALTH.
Six years ago a friendly New York
journal made out that Mr.. Rockefeller's
income was $2O,OOO,OOO a year, which,
it was observed proudly, made him the
richest man in the United States
perhaps in the world" Another paper
raised it to $36,000,000. 1 believe Hese
to be huge exaggerations. The secretary
of the company modestly puts his own
income at 6 100000 per annum, and that
of the principal member of the concern
he did not say the chief-at 6 1 800 900.
The total of Mr.. Rockefeller's estate is
reckOned here variously at somewhere
between 925,000,000 and twice as much.
There may we'll be discrepancy; it is
difficult to keep pace with the growth Of
such colossal fortunes "A few days ago
a little piece of his real estate-a beau
tiful summer house at North Tarrytown
which had been rated at 500, ,O00 was
put up by the commissioners to G200, 900.
The whilom "bookkeeper of a country
store" protests. Methinks he doth pro
test too much.' ---t.,-.-.
Meanwhile there are other worlds to
conquer. Mr.. Rockefeller is the owner
of large steel plant near Cleveland,
and he is said to be forming an enormous
pool in steel. The little scheme credited
to this Napoleon of combinations Is to
control the west as Carnegie is said to
do the east. l am inclined to believe the
report, because it is so vehemently de-
MED
Riding on the Baltimore and Ohio line
the other day, while the train was wind
ing through the sinuous, rugged and
picturesque valley of the Potomac, the
thought occurred how would the British
hOusekeeper stand the tyranny of these
trusts. Think of him retiring to rest
on Sept. 1, and waking the next morn
ing to find that coal has risen IS ton.
Yes, this is just what has happened here.
The anthracite coal regions in Pennsyl-
vania is in the hands of a combine, as
the slang is-including the railways
and they have recently made the an
nouncement of a rise of 81 so. Anthracite
is hard and nearly smokeless fuel, uni
versally burned in houses and, many fac
tories, and it's monopolists control 50,-
900 900 tons per annum. This little rise
they have just ordered means, there
fore, net addition to their incomes of
G15,O00,000. .. .....~ f.
The simple minded Briton, reared in
a land where the strongest corporations
are weak before the law, asks, What is
the reason for this?" But the coal trust
does not give it's reasons. 1t fixes prices.
This is the great American secret Of
commercial success: Fix your own
prices" l have before me list of 139
combinations, syndicates, combine
and trusts, covering nearly everything
that human beings eat, drink, or use,
each one of them trying to emulate the
Ctop6or ri Oi1 QYopon1ar
EVERYTHING CORNERED.
Nothing is too little or too big for
these concerns, from locomotives to lu-
cifer matches, beef to buttons, l can
find scarcely anything of consequence
that has escaped, except bicycles, and a
friend assures me that cycle trust is
dead certainty very soon. While l am
writing comes the news that the leather
trust has cornered and raised the price
of that commodity. So the game goes
merrily on. And yet the constitution of
the republic the laws of the several
states the decisions of the state courts,
and of the supreme court, are all against
these monopolies. If it were not so woe
full it would be ludicrous to see how
the Standard Oil Company has set at de-
fiance for years state legislatures and
judges; yea, even the federal executive
and the interstate commerce commission
of congress. There is an absolute mo-
notony of condemnation by the people,
the legislature and the law. Yet I fail
to find single instance of effective legal
restraint, while all the time the evils
are mOnstrous palpable. Bankruptcy,
broken hearts and DEATH" says Demarest
Lloyd, have kept quick step with the
march of the .conquerers of iron and OIL"
The railways are the greatest offend
ers. The potent, irresponsible railway
magnates, it is universally believed, have
shared the plunder; and without any
question, their preferential treatment
has created and ruined trades. Hence.
the strength of the Populist cry that the
great means of conveyance should be
owned by the state. No man of sense
will allow himself to be dazzled with the
aggregate splendor of these illicit deal
ings, nor mollified by the stories of this
or that charitable contribution. In the
City of Cleveland there is one especially
fine suburban road, the Euclid avenue,
said to be the handsomest residential
street in America. I.confess It's lowell
ness. Noble houses in their separate
grounds, beautiful lawns, cheerful .piaz-
general level of taste and well being
that are delightful to contemplate. The
Standard Oil king has two Of his man.
sions in this avenue. Il was told that he
had just given land WORTH, 81 ,000, 900 to
the municipality, andit was impressed
upon me that he was a devout disciple