The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-15
oCrorrs Hryr ar COOPER UNION.
Father Ducey Says Trusts Are Inimical to
the Ten Commandments.

Some three hundred persons. many Of whom
CAV" evIie nee Il soc.aAs'c Tendencies, attended
the discussion on Trusts held bv the Fellow
Citizenship Association II the East Side House
Settlement al Cooper Union last night Prof
John Graham Brooks opened the meeting with
brief address in which he traced the rise and
progress Of industrial combinations
We can learn he sad to distinguish between
the uses sGd abuses Of the trust, and must
do 50 unless We are going 10 take refuge in social.
isN
Prof j - Clark O! Columbia University, who
was foremost in the recent Trust Conference in
Chicago was introduced and said: There are
certain principles in regard to the trusts that we
should consider One is that Capitalization means
vast productive power. that the very sign OF
Another c6nsidcra,ion is tina, monopoly in private
hands ~ evil, ana almost wholly evil A trust
viii always cS,rG,sc some degree Of nonopolistic
n never can be AN absolute monopoly there is
something thai prevents. II the trust doesn't
incn indefinitely, but that II can't As a matter
o fact INC great majority OF trusts have somewhat
but as much as they dared The blow 'd desa e.
tie public veal by the trusts is not alone by this
inC-ease N prices but because as they approach
mo lupoS theNfStrve To curtail production and
- ,hrow workingmen out Of occupation
49, There ore ,htee ways TO deal with monopo!ies
n1'oEaiize any trust that threatens to become
a monopoly ,lApplause.l / myself don't be-
'" that We will try so radical plan tecausa be-
A"' We shall solve the problem otherwise, The
,'cond is procuring State legislation against
trusts, such as obtains in some OF our South.
western States but lack ~ uniformity initiates
against any, practical results from this The
,hfd plan will probably not come for some time vet
lor the people are not yet very anxious
ior II and the trusts will hght il
bitterly; Yet II is the natural method
81 dealing with this problem: the utiiiza-
non on methods already in operation. The ptes-
cnt check on trusts is whst We call potential com
prnuon That Is, every trust knows that as soon
rs raises the price ofits product too high another
trust VIII spring up 10 underscll II. Now in order
thai this check should have full opportunity; that
ms P6lcnial competition may not be choked We
should have legislation providing for a certain
publicity IN the matter Of the business methods
Of the trust, We should know what pricesthe trust
charges 10 all Its customers, what freight rates il
pays; ana other important business Acts We
should also have law restricting that cut.throat
competition whereby trust DESTROYS its smaller
Iivals law compelling the trust To maintain uni
form prices forhdding that IL cuts rates in one
locality and keeps them up in another Then The
local CpmpCtitoT would have fair char nee
Father nuccy was next introduced and some
what angrlly denounced trusts as inimical 10 the
Ten commandments, after which I've com miseratrd
himself upon The miscries and expenses OF being
fashionable pastor. and talked about his
friends among the 400 He aiso predicted a
social revolution, Half an hour was then taken
up with general discussion in 1--WE minute install
mcntS' and the evening closed with brief address
ny John ). Crosby, the Single Taxer