Washington sentinel., 1899-12-09
Trusts in Food Products.

means that the men and women o
this country are now obliged tC
pay tribute for every moutnful o
food they eat.
A monarch who possessed the
power OF taxing his subjects or
every conceivable article they
bought would be called an abso
lutte ruler, a tYrant plain and sim.
pie. Not even the Gar of Russia
exerts such power.
1t is in free America, in the
United States, that we find the un.
limited power to tax a nation
vested IN few hundred men. They
are not the chosen rulers OF the
United States. They are the man
Ipulators OF trusts. Through the
tariff, special tariff rates, combina
ton and consolidation Of mdnufac.
lures. and the power to control
courts OF justice, the trusts have
come 10 be the mentors who an
nounce what price the people shall
pay for everything they buy. The
day of unrestricted manufacture is
passed. Competition, which suf-
fed while the world was young
and men had not learned the les
son of cooperation, is fast vanish
ing. Cooperation is the logical
outcome Of the advanced civiliza-
ton of today. But cooperation is
not to be monopolized bv indiVi-
duals or private combinations or
individuals.
The cost OF cooperation is a re-
duction in the number Of men en-
ployed in the industry which is
made to conform to this system.
The effect OF co operation is a re.
duction in the cost OF produ ction.
The result Of coop .ration should
be a reduction in the selling price
OF he article that IS produced.
Today the effect oi private CO.
operation is decrease in the num-
Der of men engaged in work. and
the saving to the private owners
ot the wage oi the discharged men.
The prices Of the articles con rolled
by private cooperative concerns
are not lowered. This is the cause
ol the distressing condition OF the
wage eaTners Of the land. Beef is
shipped from this country to ports
in Europe, and sold there at a
lower price than il is at home.
The same thing takes place in
wheat, pork, corn, cheese, and
manufactured food products.
Does this statement suggest to
your mind that you are being made
the victim of a conspiracy Or do
you think it Teasona Dle for men
and women to pay tax 60 private
concerns and individuals who get
control OF Industries9 Why should
a lew millionaires be permitted to
monopolize the production OF re-
fined sugar, and have il in their
power to regulate the price1
Why should men monopolize
the beet production and arbitrarily
set prices1 Why should the very
salt we put on our food be taxed tu
build up private iortunes9 The
wheat, milk, pork, ,molasses, break.
last foods, beer. ice, in fact all the
articles OF food, bear a separate
tax that is imposed by the trusts1
There is no necessity OF the people
assuming control of the industries
that produce food products and
the common necessities OF life.
Unrestricted trade opportunities
would be conducive to capital
being vested in all these indus
tries,
Today we pay tax on a bill:on
dollars OF food trust stocks that are
inflated so per cent. These trusts
have debased labor and debauched
legislators and executives; they
have caused anarchists to multiply
IN our land. arson to become a
constantly increasing terror, sui
eide to be the cOmmonest item in
a days news.
By the ballot these trusts can
now be crushed American citi
zenship today does not mean that
an individual is free; it cannot
guarantee him the right to enter
into any legitimate business and
find protection from illegal trade
combines. In the years to come
It will mean less than it does today,
# the trusts are permitted to in
crease their power. What they
seize and hold today they will re-
tain in the future as their "veSted
rights" unless they are made TO
disgorge now.
Will you crush the trusts. or will
they crush your