The daily sentinel., 1899-08-05
TRUST SYSTEM EVILS.
Individual Energy and Enter
prise StiAed.
uHEAPENs COST OF PRODUCTION.
But Docs Not Cheapen the Prices the Pub
Ao Has to Pay-They Arc the Result of
Congestion Of Idle Money - Remedy Il
Bimetallism and Moro Money.

The whole system Of trusts which has
fastened itself on the public is the d.
Feot outgrowth Of the contraction caused
by the gold standard, the contraction
Of money, the contraction Of prices, val.
ues and business, says the Atlanta Con-
stitution. How many trusts were to be
found in the country 26 years agoi
There was plenty Of money in oircula-
tion. 1t was what the gold men call
"unsound" currency. It was depreciat-
ID as compared with gold, but there
was plenty Of it, and the people had not
the smallest need for gold. The "un-
sound" currency performed all the funo-
tions Of the soundest money. 1t held
out the strongest and most substantial
to individual energy and en-.
terprise, SO that those who have since
gone into the profitable business Of
forming trusts had no field for the dis
play Of their genius.
But since the demonetization Of sill
ver, and especially since Cleveland's
violation Of the law in declaring the
obligations Of the government payable
in gold, the contraction in business and
in all forms of industrial enterprise has
driven individuals and men with small
capital into bankruptcy, and has opened
for the trusts a wide and an ever widen
ing field.
There is no possible way to dispose
Of the trusts SO long as business, prices,
values and currency are tied to tho gold
standard. Under the operations Of our
present currency system individual en-.
ergy and enterprise have no field what
ever. Everything is pushed to the wall
except combinations Of capital.
The attacks Of many Of the newspa-
pers Of the country-especially the New
York World-are wholly beside the
mark. They are as futile as they are
furious. In the nature Of things there
In no cure for the trust evils until we
remedy the cause that breeds them. So
long as we have the single gold stand
ard, 80 long must all business, prices and
values continue to contract. And by the
time this contraction reaches the level
10 which 1t is tending the trusts and
monopolies will have charge Of every
enterprise and scheme which, under an
adequate currency system, was formerly
carried out by individual energy.
The trust system cheapens the cost OF
production, but 1t does not cheaper the
prices the public have to pay. The
oheapening process that has been going
on is due entirely to the increasing val
ne Of gold as compared with all other
commodities and all other species Of
property. Trusts are not above human
nature, and they have taken and are
taking advantage Of their power to
squeeze the public. They are an evil,
and they constitute one Of the greatest
dangers the people are called upon to
face, but they are the inevitable result
Of the gold standard, and they cannot
be controlled until the great trust Of
trusts-the international gold syndicate
lis rendered powerless for evil. The
remedy ia in bimetallism and the in
Grease Of our money supply.
The newspaper that upholds the gold
standard while fighting trusts is simply
throwing sand in the eyes Of the people.
The way to upset the trusts is to give
the people more money to do business
on and money of kind that does not
absorb all values, but leaves fair pro-
portion In the possession Of the pro-
ducers. The way to restore competition
In business, in spite Of the trusts, is to
restore prosperity. This can be done by
placing our currency system on the
basis Of bimetallism, which means
wholesome addition OF hard money to the
volume Of circulation; which means
higher prices, higher wages, expanding
business and restoration Of all forms
of industrial development.
Trusts are the result of hard times,
and hard times are the result of q scar
city Of money, or, what Is worse, the
congestion Of idle money in quarters
where 1t is utterly beyond the means Of
the people to command their due share
Of it as the result Of their labor. When
there is plenty Of money in circulation,
modest investments in business enter
prises have chance against the trusts
and combinations, for when plentiful
supply Of capital is available trust will
antagonize trust and the whole system
fall utterly to pieces.
Under the present system Of currency
contraction, low wages and hard times
small and independent business enter
prises have no chance against the tend
ency to consolidation among others en-
gagged in the same line of business.
Business depression is the lever by
which the small enterprises are crushed
out by the large ones, which are able to
take care Of themselves while the little