The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-08
ARROGANCE Of THE TRUSTS

Henry Demorest Lloyd. author of
Wealth Commonwealth" and one of
the leading political economists of the
world, furnishes the following inter-
! view to the New York Journal, at his
| beautiful summer home. Watch House,
| at Sakonnett, r. L.:
| What Governor Flower has said has
not nearly as much Importance as the
fact that he. public man, should
speak on the side of trusts and monop-
/ olies. He has been governor of the
Empire state, and still retains place
in his party prominent enough to war
rant his being mentioned as candi-
date for president, yet he arrays him
self in the face of an almost unani-
nous public opinion.
This public opinion has secured leg
islation from majority of the states
and from the United States govern
ment against trusts. 1t has put
amendments into the constitutions of
Is states forbidding trusts, and yet ne
| thinks it polite TO argue in favor of
them before a state convention of far
mers, and to repeat his championship in
interviews destined for universal cir
culation.
This action OF q former governor is
the more extraordinary from the fact
that the trusts and combinations which
he defends are forbidden by the laws
of his own state, and the most impor-
tant of them. the Oil and Sugar trusts,
have been recently declared unlawful
by the courts Of New York Such an
utterance py such a man is, perhaps.
the most significant occurrence OF the
day. 1t is q revelation that ambitious
men like Mr.. Flower believe that the
people and public opinion. so -called, no
longer control society and the govern
ment of this republic. This hardihood
is a cynical almost brutal declaration
that the real government of America
is not that Of the people, but Eaat OF a
great power. He speaks. in fact, not
as former governor of New York, but
as one of today real governors of New
York-one of the kind not dependent
upon the people for election, and one
who never means to get out of office.
These governors have not thought
il polite to admit this until now. but
a multitude of recent events, crowned
by Flowers utterances, show that the
master no longer thinks it unsafe to
crack his Whip. Democratic Mr.. Flow
er's advocacy of the tight OF monopo-
lies is brother fact with Republican
Speaker Reeds closure Of the mouse OF
representatives during the last session
to every business except to that which
was demanded by monnpolies. He is
to be welcomed as fnctionarT of
social progress. He is probing the
body polite for the nerve of liberty. He
is testing the people for the turning
point. the one unsettled matter in this
whole controversy.
Mr. Flower has adopted the policy al
, ways pursued by monopolists the policy
said to have been promulgated by Zach
Chandler in the Hayes and Tiden crisis
10 claim everything Siyili& ..,.o. ne
] iG 90
cooperation, therefore. clNiESaton. /
am the state" said Louis me Fonrteenth.
Il am civilization, says MonopolSt
nina ton of an era of hundreds OF years
of buying and selling, al.d they imagine
themselves to be the sole agents OF
human progress. Their motto is There
is no God but business, and We are its
| prophets" They have become the owners
, of the highways and their worktngmen
must not ask for living wages or human
, treatment. nor their patrons ask the law
for protection because that would inter-
fere with business.
They insist that the tariff shall be made
exactly as they want 1t. because they are
! the Administered tors of the fnanufacturins
monsters, and they allege, and no doubt
5 believe the working people and the con-
made as tine administrators want it, The
i owners of the banks. as owners of E-N
means of exchange. demand that the cur
rency shall be manipulated precisely as
their interests dictate The remark of
Mr.. Pillsbury of Minneapolis the other
day that nothing could stop prosperity
but the politicians is only another Vari-
aticn of the demand Of the business chiefs
of the country that their control of the
markets and their administration of the
common source of the peoples liyelihoods
| shall be left free from restriction or
/ supervision. They have killed off their
: competitors, now they propose TO Kill off
every form Of public control. To do this
they must for the present at least So
phisticate the public. and to DO this they
must, as Mr.. Flower does in his inter
) views and speeches, lay violent hands
on any fact that stands in their way.
l Looking forward, we can see that IL will
: not be long before they viii care as little
to sophisticate the public az they do now
to respect its laws. Mr.. Flowers powers
| gantic- Mr. Flower says he cites many
facts Those that are not irreleVent are
not facts. He lays most stress on the
history Of transportation consolidation
[ and claims that it has reduced fares and
hettered service. The reduction of fares
: and freights has not been due TO eonsol-
! ative TO q considerable extent in the
transportation world. But where there
; is no competition we see rates rising, or,
; at least, prevented from falling.
a fresh instance of the rising is the ac-
: ton just taken by the Eastern Joint
: Traffic association, which the other day,
, raised grain rates between Chicago and
:
!, g per cent. This means that whether or
). not the farmer is to get any benefit from
= the recent advance IN grain, the railroads
get q sure ) cents additional out of every
buShel. an instance of the not falling is
+ the failure of passenger rates between
Chicago and New York. for instance, tc
act in obedience with Mr.. Flowers law
II still costs $50 TO go between these cities
whereas in Hungary under the Zone Sys-
TEN. passengers can travel first-ciaSS an
equal distance for ST. There is no cornpe-
titiun in Hungary but there is there a
/, / losses. losses of both money and libarty
will teach the American people to adopt
= This substitute Is the authority of the
! state.
1t was during Mr.. Flowers term al
governor by the way. thar the deal was
contaminated by which the Erie canal Was
l substantially stolen from the peonle al
/, ! New York and given over to what vii
: become the absolute control OF the com.
! | pany that obtained the franchise fo- APP
plying electricity to canal traction. TIT
/ owners of this franchise are among tht
largest owners of the railroads witt
: which the canal used to compete Mr.
Flower need not hope to be ever abb,
to persuade the people to reduce thu
7 cost of transportation Street railway.
2 are another proof of TIA beneficial result
of consolidation.
It Is a most unfortunate illustration
The. most conspicuous exception 10 tn.
f Worldwide shrinkage of prices of tn,
T last 20 years Is the cost of street cal
e rides verything that enters into the