The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1899-04-06

try, except one, The tobacco trust
has offered this one competitor many
millions more than its plant is worth,
but, for reasons of pride or patriot
ism, that one great corporation has
not gone into the trust 1t stands
between the trust and the complete
control of the leaf tobacco market
it stands between the trust and the
complete control of the tobacco ware
house business. The thousands of
producers of raw material in tins
widely diffused and great staple are
on the point of being deprived of
the benefit of the law of supply and
demand for their product and of be-
ing thrown upon the mercy that they
can expect from the arbitrary dicta-
ton of n concern that levies tribute
at will upon the producer of raw ma
terial and the consumer of the man
ufactured article. When the locacco
trust shall have completed the bust
ness of buying large concerns and
bankrupting small ones, it will be
able to give its undivided attention
to profits and the tobacco warehouse
can be done away with, it will have
its own warehouses.
When the producers complain, they
will be told that they. need not sell
unless they want to: and when the
consumers complain, they will be
told that rising prices are the mere
evidence of prosperity. The tobac-
co business Is a fair illustration of
the effects of the trusts, the tiller of
the soil becomes the victim of aver.
ice of the combine, in every instance.
There must first be honest toll before
mother earth opens to man the store
house that feeds the world, and those
who perform this toll are shut out
from the class benefits of the trust.
because Of the nature of the bust
ness of agriculture. Thirty millions
of our population located in every
section of the United States where
the soil offers her treasurers in ex-
change for labor, cannot combine into
a trust to cheat others for self pro
lection; therefore, the farmer is to
the trust as the lamb is to the wolf.
The ratio of the amount of wealth
to be controlled and owned bv the
trust stock holders to the amount re-
tanned by those who produce it is
very large. The number of people
that trusts benefit is in the inverse
ratio to the nomber it Injuries. Trusts
are public menace; their increase
is subject of deep concern to every
thoughtful citizen. Trusts have been
organized with an aggregated capital
of nearly two billions since the iuau-
guration of William Mckinley, as
President: he seems to have been
the advance agent of trust prosper
ity. The National administration
seems to be alert in fastening upon
the people the gold standard. The
Secretary of the Treasury delivers
quarterly appeals advising people to
destroy some more of its non-lnterest
bearing money and the gold standard
papers print them all, rs well as dali
~ editorials on the Secretary's last
after-din speech, until new one
appears.
Our Secretary of War is busy send
ing out armies to the Philippine Is
lands to complete a gigantic under.
taking long ago inaugurated by the
Spanards. But what has the Attor-
ney General of the United States
been doing?
The people naturally looked to him
to check the tide of monopoly and
ruin with which they have been es-
peclaliy threatened since his appoint
ment to office The most decided
step he has taken was to accept an
invitation as the guest of honor at a
banquet given in New York by the
officers of the leading trusts of the
country. Very recently. animated
by the Indignation of the people he
~ -" Nl+hlpii W Tie eject that
no federal laws furnished an ade-
quate remedy against trusts Tal<ino
the opinion of the attorney to be cor
rect, 1t devolves upon every state 10
enact such legislation against trusts
as corresponds to the dangers they
threaten. Confscation of pronertv
OF trusts, it seems, would do 10 be
gin with. The wealth of trusts are
Tie spells of the conquest of the
strong over the weak and what scru-
pies should state have in ADOPTING
legislation that does not temporize
Litigation will necessarily follow leo-
station Trusts will die hard ami
slowly in sections, like snake. The |
people OF every state in the Union |
'houid ieglslate against trusts. and |
when the present National admins
ration IS defeated for FOSTERING
hem, make federal law in the event
nat State courts of last resort find
hey have not jurisdiction to furnish
uil relief GPErsrS
lnt l.