The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-28
THE STEADY GROWTH OF TRUST

The Detroit Journal has a cartoon.
A big elephant marked-"G. o. P" is
held by the mouth by Senator Chandler.
Before it is a huge fellow strutting and
putting, who is called Trust" Under
meath is in type sic 'Im," says the
senator as he points TO Trust" just
ahead. An extract from the senator's
speech in the senate, accompanies the
picture. Il reads:
"The enormous trusts and monopolies
which are now being formed all over
the United States will soon crush out
individual enterprise. The great dang
er is that trusts and monOpolies, with
the money power pressing them for
ward, will take possession of the repub-
lican party and lead it on to defeat in
1900. + The salvation OF the
republican party depends upon max
ing it the party Of the people as against
the baneful influences of trusts and
monopolies."
In the meantime gigantic trusts are
being formed daily in defiance of the
people, the states and the congress. A
peanut trust is about to be consum-
mated at Norfolk, Va, capitalized at
s., 5000, 900. The promoters live in New
York. 1t embraces concerns in many
states. In Chicago a great plough
manufacturers trust is forming, cap
ital $50, 900, 900. Capital m from
New York, where all the bad politics
as we'll centres. The plants upon
which options have been secured are
situated at Syracuse, n. Y, Moline,
Rock Island, Canton, and Springfield,
ILL.,; Racine, Wis; South Bend, Ind,
and Louisville, Ky. One of the cum
ming plans Of trusts is at present OR
soon to increase wages. But they will
do this t o break the force of hostility
and to be able to point to blessings
following a general control. The St.
Louis Dispatch warns against this art
full dodge to placate and deceive. It
says:
ALREADY some of them have done
SO. Combination has enabled them to
make fortunes in the stock market. Ex-
penses will be greatly reduced and a
great wave of business revival has in
creased their profits by leaps and
bounds. But will the people who know
that monopoly and republican institu-
lions cannot both stand, accept an in
crease in wages in some lines of indus
try as sufficient compensation for the
evils OF monopoly? Will as many men
continue to be employed and will the
wages step up? If every industry were
paying high wages, would Americans
find monopoly ~endurable?"
The defenders of trusts catch at low
er prices and increased wages to Justify
the formation of trusts as blessings
All economic science would be disturb
ed to foundation principles if it could
be established, that monopoly and not
opposition were the true basis of pros
perity.
There are ten thousand tobacco farm
ers in North Carolina alone who can
give the lie direct to the theory that
trusts are genuines blessings and not
~pertinacious oppressors. They are re-
garded in some sense as real anarch-
lists who defy law, public sentiment
and public interests. The Denver
News lately said:
IF a disregard Of law and evasion of
all civil rules and regulations cOnsti-
tute a menac to government and So
ciety, where can a more forcible illus
tration be found than in the Standard
Oil trust, composed of sO-called emil
nent citiZenS-men of alleged ~reSpecta-
bility and wealth-who not only defy
the courts, but seek to corrupt the
courts officers by brides of money. As
this method is more subtle and refined
than the dagger or dynamite is is also
more dangerous and ~subversive, for it
destroys manhood and places a price
on honor"
Not long ago it offered $500, 900 to the
attorney general of the United States
as a bride not to prosecute. Watch
the trusts.