The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-17
INTERESTS OF EUS'TIS
ARE, And HAVE BEEN, OPPOSED
no THOSE OF TBE PEG
PIE
NO SEARCHLIGHT NEEDED

NO SEARCHLIGHT NEEDED
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To show His Connection with Thorn
as lowry and the SEQ Railroad
Was Himself One of the Incor-
pOratorS of the Rcnd-RepubIic-
ans Oppose These Who Brought
Down the Freight Rates.
The state Democratic committee Is
preparing a number of articles which
will be printed in pamphlet form for
distribution among the voters Of the
state. The nIst Of these articles is now
in the hands of the printer. 1t is as fol-
lows:
Everybody agrees that there are certain
economic problems confronting the Amert-
can people which demand solution. The con-
cenuation of wealth and the formation of
huge trusts and mOnOpOieS has become an
evil, and unless some effort is made TO check
the growing tendency towards monopoly some
appalling disaster may be anticipated Re-
publlcauS and Democrats alike believe this,
and nine-tcnths of the people of the United
States would gladly cast their ballots in
such way as to insure the application of
remedy could II be found. The difficulty.
however is to find the remedy. Some say
there Is none. and so preach the doctrine Of
despair. The great bulk Of the people, how
ever, are sustained by the hope that Ameri-
can intelligence. craftsmanship and honesty
will yet discover q remedy.
The tendency to monopolize the good things
Of the earth is not new. \ few centuries
ago the people OF England awakened to the
fact that certain corporations and a few
powerful mobiles were gradually acquiring all
the land and thereUpOn began a struggle
which lasted for q hundred years between
the people as represented in parliament on
one side and the corporations and feudal bar
Ons on the other II ended all such strug-
giles must end by the people being victori-
Gus If at that time the English people had
accepted the argument that no remedy could
be found for the evil we would not hear so
much today Of Anglo-SaXOn enterprise.
POWERFUL AGENCIES.
The most powerful agent in the building up
Of trusts and monopoHes has been the rail
road corporations. A railroad corporation is
what is known as a quasi public corporation;
that Is, while it is owned by private persons,
l. E., the stockholders it performs certain
public duties SO that in some of its features
It IS public and in some a private corpOr-
alton; this Is known in law a quasi pub
lie corporation.
A corporation is an artificial entity which
gets its life and power from the laws passed
by congress or the legislature. OF necessity
a railroad is a monopoly and also Of neces-
city the general public are compelled to deal
with il. The farmer hauling his grain from
his farm to the village elevator travels over
a public highway which is owned by the pub
lie; when his wheat is hauled from the ele-
vator 10 the larger market it is still carried
on public highway which IS owned however,
by private persons. It IS easily seen, there
fore, that the individuals owning this public
highway. the railroad, have a tremendous
power for good or evil in their hands. They
can ruin a thriving village or people desert;
they can build up one mans business at the
expense Of his nelghbOr s.
When the plan was devised to consolidate or
control the oil produced in the United States,
the most efficient agent in enabling the
Standard Oil company to crush out the indie
pendent oil companies was the railroad 1t
was proved over and over again at investiga-
lions made by congressional committees and
committees from the legislatures OF New York
and Pennsylvania that at one time 1t
impossible for any oil company or refner
OF crude oil who was Independent of and out
side the Standard Oil company to obtain ship
ment for their goods. This enabled the synd1-
cate to drive thousands of men out of the
business and to build up the huge monopoly
which the Standard Oil company now en-
joys.
APPLIES TO MINING INDUSTRIES.
TIL same thing is being done in Minnesota
with reference to the iron mines A syndi-
cate or company which owns some of the
largest mines in the northern part of this
state also controls the only railroad run
ming through that portion Of the state, and
also COuIIOlS the pTmClpal freight DOatS
reaching Duluth. The result is that the rail-
road and freight boats, by charging exorbi-
tant prices for carrying iron ore, makes the
cost of placing the ore upon the market more
than it will sell for. The Independent mine
owner can therefore work his mine only at
loss; the syndicate, however, which owns
both the mine and the railroad is not af-
fected. for if they lose on the ore they make
on the railroad, and in effect 1t is the same as
a man transferring his money from one
pocket to another. If this condition con-
tinues it is only a question of time when
every iron mine in the state will be owned
by the syndicate.
The result of all this has been that the
honest men in all parties have attempted to
DO something to protect the people. The es-
adjustment of the interstate commerce COM
mission by congress came about as the re-
suit Of Investigations into the operations of
the Standard Oil company already mention
ed; and the legislatures in nearly every state
In the Union have established similar boards
or commissions to regulate railroad traffic
within their respective states. Thus in the
state of Minnesota, in 1887 there was estab-
lished a railroad and warehouse commission
which was. given power to regulate railroad