Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-09-15

without weeds.
a paper by Mr.. Horatio w. Seymour.
publisher of the Chicago Chronicle, was
next read by John H. Hopkins.
The afternoon session was devoted To
the papers on the Relation of Agriculture
to Trusts" Dudley II. Wooten acted as
chairman for the session. but presided over
delegations even thinner than they were
during the forenoon W. Bourke Cochran
was missed from the ranks of the New
Workers, but these gentlemen asserted that
he had not forsaken the conference. An
Eastern delegate slept through the entire
session, a pronounced example of an ennui
which affected many others to a lesser
degree. Governor Pingree was in attend
ance and at the close responded TO clam
or from the pit TO speak. He merely OBJ
served that he was opposed 10 trusts, for
reasons, he said, which he would tell those
who attended in the evening. The Michigan
governor. together with Governor Athn-
son, OF West Virginia: Governor Scofeld,
of Wisconsin, and Governor Stanley, OF
Kansas, upon the invitation of the chair
man, took seats on the stage Samuel III.
Greeley, Of the Chicago board of trade.
spoke on The Protection of American
Grain Markets From Railroad and Ware
house Monopoly" He was followed by J.
g Hanley, of st. Paul, delegate from the
National Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union Aaron Jones, of South Bend, Ind,
master of the National Grange, declared
that the farmer was opposed to no other
branch OF industry, including trusts: The
last speaker of the afternoon was Major
Benjamin r. Tucker, Of New York, editor
of an anarchistic paper. He gave his view
of trusts from the view point of the an
archist. The speakers with one accord
overstepped the twenty minutes allowed
each speaker At the close an opportunity
Tor discussion was offered, but motion to
adjourn was Overwhelmingly favored and
was carried.
]. c. Hanley, of ST. Paul, spoke on for
eign markets and American shipping and
the effect and influence of these on agri-
culture.
Trusts and combines" said he, IF con-
Quoted on a strict business competitive sys-
tenn, would be a blessing rather than a
curse. But the operation of any of these
gigantic monopolies as conducted at pres
ent are menace to the existence and sta
bility of our nation / am convinced that
legislation cannot control this evil, with
out striking at the root of 1t, and that the
government own and control all means of
transportation and public utility
Vice President Coriss, of New York, pre-
sided at the evening session., and intro
duced Govern or Pingree, of Michigan. He
said in part:
scarcely word has been written or spoken
from the standpoint of their effect on So
ciety. / think that this Is the most i'm
portant consideration of af
In this republic of ours we are fond of
saying that there are no classes. In fact,
we boast of cn, it We say that 66Iiss Glasses be-
Nevertheless. none of us can dispute the
fact that our society is divided into class
es. and well defined ones, too. They are
not distinguished by differences of social
standing. That, is, we have no aristocrauc
titles; no nobility.
wealth. The man is rated by the property
he owns. Our social and political leaders
and speakers deny this.
In doing so, however they ignore actual
conditions They discuss what ought to
be under our form of government-not
what is.
ways been in what is called middle
class. This is made up OF manufacturers,
; jobbers middlemen. retail and wholesale
merchants, commercial travellers and bus-
ness men generally. 1t would be little
short of calamity to, encourage any in
dustrial development that would affect un-
favoraby, this important class of our citi-
Zens.
1T seems to me. therefore. that the vital
consideration connected with this problem
of the trust is its effect upon our middle
class-the independent, individual business
man and the skilled artisan and mechanic.
How does the trust affect them? 1t is
admitted by the apologist for the trust
that II makes it impossible for the ind-
vidual or firm to do business on a small
scale. IL tends TO concentrate the owner
ship and management of all lines of bus-
ness activity into the hands of a very few
No one denies this. This being so, it fol-
lows that the independent individual bus
mess man must enter the employment of
the trust Sek-preServation compels it.
Duty to his family forces him to it. He be-
His trusted foreman and his employees must
follow him. -. -.
They have been in close and daily as
sociation with him. The new order of things
"ompels them to separate. They are both
10 become a part of the vast industrial
army, with no hopes and no aspirations-a
daily task to perform and no personal in
terest and perhaps no pride in the success
of their work. Their personal identity is
lost They become cogs and little wheels
in great complicated machine There is
no real advance for them. They may per-
haps become larger cogs or larger wheels,
of business freedom.
The middle class of which 1 speak will
lose their sense of independence. They are
areauy being deprived of that quality of
opportunity which has attracted to this
country the millions of people of other
lions Who have helped make American cit
lzenship and American institutions the
greatest and best in the world.
Inc trust Is, therefore, the forerunner,
orv or ratnnsr' ns the creator Of industrial slav-
or director. II is his duty to serve The
souless and nameless being called the
Is more important than the happiness or
the prosperity of anyone.
The slave is the former merchant and
business man. and partisan and mechanic
VINO once cherished the hope that they
might some time reach the happy position
of Independent ownership of a business.
Commercial feudalism is the logical out
cCme of the trust The trust manager
is the feudal baron.
thSSS may pGllIdliS Dt UafSn character
lZations, but who can deny their truth?
Honesty to ourselves and LOYALTY 10 our
country and its free institutions compel us
to face and recognize the situation.''
Ex-Governor Foster. of Ohio, was the
next speaker He said
'Denounce trusts as We may. they have
. come TO stay. Why? Because the gipan-
tic business operations of the present and
future cannot be carried on without them,
Through the trust the enormous waste
that is entailed upon business onerntinnS
by competition is saved. The product and
the service performed is cheapenpd Ia
bor VIII have the better opportunity In
enhance wages and shorten the hours of
toll. as is so signally illustrated in the
railway service of the country
when the trusts shall have been prop
erIy safeguarded by law, their securities
VIII furnish means of safe investment
az somewhat higher rate of interest
than Will be paid by government state or
municipal bonds. thus affording an on
portunityl for investment by peonIe of
moderate means.
"A bureau of government or a board
similar TO the Interstate commerce com
mission, should be established to which all
trusts shall apply for license after heinz
incorporated .and to which reports as re-
CURED of national banks, should be made.
The terms of the license shoulJ nrnyida
against decentralization
All proits beyond per cent siould tn
taxed for the benefit of the government
1t seems to me that it is the duty of tf,i:
conference to request congress to submit
necessary power to control the tr1sts snd
TO tax their profits anu
When Governor Foster concluded +ba
Following committee on resolutions was an
Rosewater; Arizona, ". c. Campbell: Ar
kansas. B. J.. Brown: Montana. II II
Swain; New Jersey. Edward / Eeaeb,t::
N9rth Dakota, William T. Perkins: Ilii