The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-31
HOW TO CURB TRUSTS.
From the Chicago Record.

From the Chicago Record.
1t Is all very well to say In general
terms, I'VE are against trusts" but that,
when said, amounts to little. 1t will be
round that the trus~problem Is not as
simple as 1t seems. The tendency to-
ward combination and production on a
large scale Is characteristic of the age.
Within proper bounds combination and
consolidation are beneficial. In some in
stances the economies effected result both
IN lower prices and better service to the
consumer and higher wages and shorter
hours to the employe. TO prohibit all
combinations, therefore, as a means of
suppresslng trusts, would be retrogres-
sion, and in not few cases would prove
injurious to the people. II must be re-
membered that labor unions are organi-
cations in the nature of trusts, yet no
political party today would dare to pass
a law for the suppression OF trusts that
did not except these organizations. The
legislatures of Arkansas and Texas have
recently passed stringent laws for the
suppression Of trusts and combinations.
one effect In Arkansas was to drive all
the insurance companies out of the state.
The Texas law, which is more stringent
still, has not gone into operation yet, but
1t will be surprising II It's enforcement
does not give rise TO popular demand
for its repeal. 1t is practically impossi-
BILE to suppress injurious trusts by pro-
hibitory law unless the law Is made to
apply to combinations in general, and
in prohibiting all combinations the pub
lie is deprivng itself of the benefits of
progress.
Trusts owe their power for evil in most
cases to privileges conferred by law. 1t
would seem to be the sensible thing to
do, therefore, instead of calling for dras-
tic legislation TO prohibit trusts, in which
category would be included combinations
of all kinds, beneficial and otherwise, to
begin by withdrawing all special privi-
leges that tend to promote trusts. In
evitably the trust question leads into the
railroad question, for many injurious
trusts depend for their existence upon
discriminating rates and facilities. The
party that wishes to handle the trust
question intelligently must put forth a
plan for requiring the railroad and ex-
press companies to treat all shippers
alike. Permit discriminating freight rates
to remain, and laws making membership
In trusts a criminal offense would prove
of little avail. The object of the state
should be to insure equal rights TO all
and special privileges to none. When
that is done no necessity may exist LOT
legislation directly suppressing trusts.
As a last resort, the state has the entire
matter in its own hands in its control
over corporate powers. Corporations arc
creatures of law Instead of allowing
corporations to develop into trusts and
then seeking to suppress them, there
fore, the state should strike at the root
of the matter by refusing to give such
large corporate powers. In the interest
of Investors in corporate stocks, too, the
aw-making authority that creates cor
porations should require publicity In the
affairs of such concerns.
o.
A programme of action along these lines
to curb the evil Of trusts Is more difficult
to work out than one calling simply for
the direct suppression of all comhina-
tions, but it promises much more OF
benefit to the people.