The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-03-10

rom New York Journal.
Trusts are cancers-industria ca n
GERS on the body polite. They are
eating cancers; they are spreading
cancers; they are fatal TO the pros
pority and life of the republic.
Everybody admits this; everybody
i3 opposed TO trusts; yet trusts con-
tinue to thrive and prosper, and to
multiply each day. Why is thisf
because the voters have been de-
ccived and mlsled about the causes
that produce trusts and the true
r.1edy 10 root them up aud crush
The last Republican legislature of
New York appointed committee to
investigate trusts and report bill to
cure the evil. After many months
OF pretended investigation, the now
famous Lexow antitrust committee
made a long report denouncing trusts
and declaring that they were the
overshadowing evils of the age, yet
closed by reporting that in the opin-
lon of the committee the lec sture
was powerless to correct the evii, and
that the only remedy lay in Con-
eress.
In December, 1896, Pre- sident
Cleveland, in his last annual mes
sage TO Congress, went out OF his
way to discuss thequestion of trusts.
Ie warned the people against this
growing menace to our industries
and to our government, but closed
by saying that Congress was power
less to remove the evil, and that the
remedy lay with the legislatures of
the several States.
A few months later William Me-
Klnley was inaugurated President
Of the United States. In his inaug-
ural address he arraigned and de-
nounced trusts more severely even
than his predecessor. He said that
tbs life of the republic demanded
that this monster-this insidious and
Dlighting curse-should be plucked
from our industrial system. Yet he
offered no remedy. He simply de-
nounced the evil, nothing more.
One would Judge from the language
of Cleveland and Mckinley that they
were both honestly opposed to trusts;
yot neither of them is opposed to the
cause that produce trusts; both oi
them are the apologists, supporters
and defenders of the Fundamentally
evil agencies and conditions that in
evitabiy produce and foster trusts
Indeed, it is well known that they
were both nominated by the trusts
elected by the trusts, and therefore
must serve the trusts.
A few years ago the Republicans
passed an antitrust law which they
said would remedy the evil. 1t die
not. The Democratic party denounced
the Republican antitrust law as a
sham and a fraud, and charged tina,
the Republicans never intended tC
pass n law that would be effective
The Democratic party under the
Cleveland regime came into power
The Cleveland Democrats proceeded
to pass an antitrust law of their own
which they claimed would remov,
and eradicate the evil. 1t has not
done so. To-day the Republican
antitrust law and the so-called Dem
oCrstic anti trust law are both OF
the statute book, side by side, and
in full force. Yet trusts continue
to grow and prosper and multiply il
numbers as never before. What il
the matterq The truth is that neither
of these so-called antitrust laws con
talns the true remedy. Neither o
them is directed at the causes tina
produce trusts.
The so called Democratic and Re
publican antitrust laws now OF
the statute book are Ineffective; first
because the evil laws now in exist
ence aud In full force, which inevita
bly, produce trusts, are not repealed
next, because the so-called anti trus
laws are not directed at any Of tn,
fundamental conditions that foste
and promote the existence of trusts
a statute declaring that water shal
not run dowrhill would b
ineffective unless the statut
should repeal the law of gravi
tation. To state it another way
the attempt to remove an
cure the industrial cancers calle
trusts with so-called antitrust law
is as futile and foolish as it would
for physician to attempt to heal
cancer growing out of blood -poiso
by an application of salves. The OF
ly cure for such a cancer is a cOnst
tutional tonic that will remove th
blood-poison from the system. D.
Cleveland and DR.. Sherman hav
each been applying their antl-tru
salves to the industrial cancers Q
the body polite for years, while tf
disease has increased and the p'
tient has grown sicker with each a.
plication. Today the whole natio
is sick nigh unto death with a chrol
ic and constitutional disease, Il
complication of trusts that infest o,
industrial system. These trusts ca
never ba broken up until the caus
that produce trusts are removed.
What then, are these causes
First, we must see what a trust
A trust is scheme or device to e
tablish complete monopoly of al
line of business. Whenever al
number Of individuals organize thel
selves into corporation and get
complete monopoly of any line
business, SO that they can crush O
all kinds of competition and regula
absolutely the price of not only t
manufactured articles sold to t
public, but also the raw mater
bought from the producers
make the articles, then We have
typical modern trust. But the 9
important question is: how can a
corporation get q complete mon'
oily of any line of business That
how is it possible for such q mon'
oly-such trust-to be organic
and maintained Are not the tn,
sands Of people in q certain line
business more powerful than 9
sYndicata or coYnoration in the "a