The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1898-01-27

What have said about trusts and
their nefarious practices and the remedies
for the wrongs they infict, applies with
equal force to every character of con-
spiracy against commerce. They are
mnltitudinous in number and all are mer-
CHESS in cXactions. | have particularly
mentioned the lumber trust for animad-
version solely because it, and it only. of
them all has been directly complained of
to this department.. Warfare, ceasclcss
and relentless. should be made upon them
all through the legally constituted chan
ncls and tribunals of the state until their
existence shall become but lingering,
though fretful, memory of the times
when. as proving parasites, they fed upon
the fruits of honest industry and their I'M
satisfied avarice eXtOrted at pleasure for
its own cmolument
That the sovereign power represented
in the state has the right through the
media of its legislatures and courts to
regulate these combinations, whether
they have corporate existence or are
merely voluntary associations of individ-
uals, is now a certainly esta blishcd princi-
pie. Before courts can take cognizance
there must be the premise of precedent
Legislative. There must be something
for the courts to construc. This some
thing is the legislative enactment. In
this particular the place of venue is of
prime Importance. Hence. it is apparent
that these enactmcnts should have en-
preston in plain and uneQivocal language
such as il not capable of doubtful inter
probation, but is in all respects prepared
to stand the test Of the most searching
judicial scrutiny. In speaking of these
trusts and their pernicious control of the
commerce Of the country, 1t may not be
mi nf MO 10 rnfn 20 hn Nh
Congress of Farmers, which was held Mt
Indianapolis, Ind, during the early days
Of the month of November of this current
year. That body fercely denounced all
trusts as deadly inimical to 1.-The best in
tcrcst of the people. The arguments of
facts is always simply unanswcrable and
must always be convincing. One Of the
speakers who addressed the congress on
this subject said: Don't fight as one
that beats the air. | have no patience
whatever with those people who are al
ways beating the air. If YOU have some
thing to antagonize, out with it; specify
it, make your attacks directly. II must
he so. if il is to be effective. If there
are abuses of any kind in legislation or
in the business of the country let us fix
the pubic eye upon them until we have
exposed the cN,i, and then we can trust
the country to make it right. 1t is mis-
chcvous to denounce classes. IT there
are trusts let us know it, and bring lcgis-
ation to bear upon them. and then we
have accomplished something Now, that
there are trusts everybody knows. That
they are actually operating in the state
is the experience of both producers and
consumers in Texas. There are none to
escape their hurtful touch. 1t is impoS-
sihlc for anyone to he so impcrvious to
the sting of their tcntac,es as not to know
there are trusts. trusts for the purchase
at depressed prices and for the sale at
cXhorhitant valuations of nearly every
generally marketable commodity. The
most valuable, indeed the hulk, of these
commodities are the products of farm
labor. AS producers farmers are forced
to sell at cheap figures the fruits of their
own industry. while ms consumers they
are compelled TO buy them back at ruin
ous,y high rates, according TO the schCd-
ulcs of prices arranged by trust mampu-
lators. Let us bring legislation 10 bear on
them. and then we have accomplished
something.
"Tcxas is largely interested in cotton
growing. aud, in fact, yields nearly one
third Of the entire crop of that staple
that is produced in the United States.
This being true. her people, of course,
are directly involved in everything that
relates to planting, growing, marketing
and selling that commodity The rules
of measurement and charges that are
enforced in foreign markets are import
aut factors in determining TIE account
Of money returns coming TO the cotton