The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-26
THE SOURCE AND THE CURE.


THE SOURCE AND THE CURE.
There is one feature Of the relations
| of public opinion and public action in
| legislation to the trusts and combina-
lions that have been actively forming
or recent years in so many of the man.
| ufacturing industries of the country
that has not been noted in the hot
! discussion of and general hostility to
them, but which is worth attention as
indicating both the real source Of hos
! tility and the cure. The popular con-
ceptIon Of trust is an organization
| which takes in all or controlling num-
! Der Of the establishments in any line
of industry for the purpose of throt-
Ting competition and putting the con-
sumers of its products at the mercy Of
the promoters by enabling the latter
to fix absolutely extortionate prices.
Against this the gorge rises instinc-
| lively, and the frequency with which
some Of the trusts have acted on this
concept justifies the popular Idea of
them and their purposes, and warrants
| the hostility to them all shown in leg
islation as we'll as public expression.
Again We have one class Of trusts
which are active in securing legisla-
! ton that will aid them in control
ling the markets, either by. shutting
out or impeding foreign competition,
such as the sugar trust, the late nail
and rail and billet trusts; and the in
sri
inherent in every true American. re-
volts at both the thing and its means
and methods. There is a strange con-
trad1ction in the legislation that in
-one+ direction antagonizes and in an
other fosters these trusts. Just now the
sugar trust is the storm center of pub
| lie denunciation, and opinion, at loss
to account for the motive that leads
| the senate to increase it's capacity to
| extort and to reconcile it with the mo-
| tive that led to the enactment of the
antitrust law, falls back upon venal-
ity as the only plausible one. The fact
probably is that the senators find them
selves confronted with the duty to en-
force party principle on the one side
and with the result of that policy on
the other, and no avenue of escape.
Ihey must give protection to sugar re-
timing as an industry, and, if they do
1t will enable the trust to extort IN
just profits; but there is no middle
ground, within their party, for them
to take
But there are trusts and trusts. If
one scans the expressions Of opinion.
ne Will find that Indignation and de-
nunciation are directed against onlv a
few Of these numerous trade combi-
nations. He will be surprised that o+bar
trusts pursue their way in a calm. re-
ceiv1ng no notice, attracting no atten-
ton, melting no judicial proceedings
He will find, on examination, that their
purpose is TO control markets fix
prices, bar competition, identical with
the OBJECTS of those which are in the
very storm center. He sees the Stand
ara OH trust monopolizing the limited
helds Of supply, absolute master Of tho
market. extending it's operations to for
e1gn countries and negotiating treatias
or amity with its chief competitors
there' dividing the world with them.
ana still nowhere does he hear OF. read
OF popular opposition. The echoes of
the herce storm that ragged about If
twenty-five years ago have all died
away. 1t holds in it's absolute eresn
the oil trade Of the nation: fixes de-
SPECIFICALLY the price for every gallon of
oil; has enormously enriched its NOM
oers, and yet there is no opposition to
1t anywhere. This fact is significant
It indicates that the hostility to trus+s
Is not to the organization per Sc, but
to its methods and purposes; not to
the control of the market, but to the
use made Of that control; not to the
power to fix prices, but to the manner
of exercise Of that power If one were
to examine the cause Of public quies-
cence to the rule Of the Standard Oil
trust he would find it in the single fact
Of the common belief that the prices
| made for its products are fair and rea-
sonable; that it's control has been fol-
~O'~~ ~ 0O~OJ ANUoN(IOuS price
and betterment Of quality and that
benefit, not hurt, has resulted to those
who use them. This is true of other
combinations that have followed this
policy Of the Standard. One hears
nothing Of the leather, the linseed oil
or cottonseed oil or lead trusts. and
for the same reason. The significance
Of this, it seems to us, is that there
is no public hostility to any combina-
ton which IS formed to control mar
kets, which Is content with finding its
profits in decreased cost of production
and distribution, sharing the gains
with the public in decreased price of
product, making the latter one that Is
accepted as fair and within reason. If
this is correct, the adjustment of the
relations of the trusts to the public
lies with the former and rests solely
in the application Of sound business
principles and methods to their affairs
The marriage the other day Of En-
ma, the youngest daughter Of Capt
Fred Pabst, the Milwaukee brewer. and
young Rudolph Nunnemacher, son Of
the late banker Of the same name. re-
minds one of the opportunities offered
to men with eyes to see them and