The age-herald., 1899-07-06

prlces. If this be true. then the only plaus- ible argument yet advanced by the trust II found to be unsound. and they serve no purpose except to crush labor and pluck mankind. It is impossible for an individual to compete with them, for it would not only be to engage in a struggle with com petltor having superior capital but with one clother by law, with privileges and franchises he did not possess. It would be an individual attempting to fight system, With the result in no doubt whatever.
 Is Not an Idic Pear
 This fear of monopolies on the part of the American people is no idle fear No man of sense wishes to return to the day ot the shoemaker, with his awl, his pegs and his last for supply of shoes, and yet there are thousands of good citizens who would view with alarm the sight of one trust controlling the output of every shoe factory in the United States. No sensible man wishes to go back to the days of the old and cumbersome stage coach as a means Of transportation, and yet there are several millions of voters and good citi- zens, too, who would protest vehemently aSalnst one trust controlling every mile of railroad in our country. There is a con- servative middle ground between lack of progress on the one hand and gigantic mo- nopolies on the other, and we plant our selves upon this solid ground
 What has become of that vast num-
 Der of tradesmen in our cities, who a
 generation ago owned their own shops 7 men of moderate independent means
 who did business for themselves? They
 have either had to quit business or have
 taken employment in the big stores
 where all individuality is destroyed and
 servility is eXected. What will become
 Of these thousands of men and women
 who are being thrown out of eynploy-
 ment by the formation of these gigantic
 trusts? It is no consolidation for them
 10 Know, 1T 1t were true, which it is not,
 that a certain article is being manu-
 Iactured and sold cheaper than ever be-
 fore. Mankind to live must work and
 must nave an opportunity to work. It
 IS sald the accumulationS for the last
 SIX thousand years would not sustain
 the world in likeness for three.
 MT. C. D. Dove. of this city, president or the Commercial Travellers National league, has stated before the Industrial commission that through the organization or trusts over thirty-five thousand travel ing salesmen have been thrown out of em- ployment, and twenty-five thousand more had had their salaries reduced. Are we nearing the last days of the festive drum- mer! The pest patron of the hotel and railroad; the man who is always to be round in the smoking room on the sleen Ing car with the very newest joke thats out, who knows everybody worth knowing Wnose whole nature is full of charity and een1aIlty, and who, all in all, is the best fellow in the world It begins to look like HIS days are numbered, and the trust is the only thing on earth that could do it too. u" ''
 Hits the Legal Profession
 There are others, however. who might also be alarmed. It is a fact well known 10 lawyers that the legal profession is be- coming more and more commercializad every day; that, thousands of lawyers who were once independent practitioners are now employees Of corporations; and the pro- fession is fast losing that fearless inda- pendent character 1t had a general tion ago Ten practically all the wealth of inc country shall have drifted into a few trusts, what will become of the lawverso IL requires no gift of prophecy to see that In the event they who are fortunate enough 10 remain In the profession will become mere employees without Independence or In- dVlduahty. Trust companies to manage litigation will be formed by the trusts owning the property, who will emplov at tcrheyS 10 attend to the legal proceedings very much as a railroad employees a brake man or conductor. That this is already be- ing done by some companies is well known And what is true of the drummers and lawyers will be found to be true of many other callings and professions. None can feei safe while these gigantic consultations are going on, controlling the products of the farm, factory and workshop and even the native clements.
 ti'Each generation has its own problem to solve. Shall we solve this question of trusts, or shall we transmit it to our children as an insouble question to be dealt with by themE However fortunate we may be sit- uated, what future can we promise our children, who must necessarily become the employees of trusts, where advancement must depend upon servility, which is the very antithesis of manhood and individu- ality?
 shoud Not Think FooiishIy
 ''1t will not do to keep on drifting say- ing to ourselves these things always right themselves We can talk foolishly, but we can't afford to think foolishly. We have
 lConlinued on Eighth PageA