Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-10-27

dustrieS. the manufacture OF steel rails.
for instance. has so developed that We
can now undersell the world, If neces-
sary. in foreign markets. There has
been such an enormous enhancement
In the profits of steel manufactures
that the industry is strong enough to
stand alone, and protection should be
withdrawn at once in order that the
whole world may enter into the mar
ket and remove the possibility Of
American combinations.
Protection is for the weak, not for
the strong. 1t would be fair, humane,
proper TO protect the infant in its
go to the extent of protecting the
brawling giant who goes about prey
ing on his neighbors.
No Handicaps Heretofore.
Here is the theory that should be
applied to the trusts. America is and
has been the great developer of the
individual. there have hitherto been no
handicaps placed on individual posi-
bilities. Every man, according to his
capacity, has made out his own des-
tiny. The great fortunes of today
started from very small beginnings in
almost every instance. but the man
who attempted to carve out fortune
for himself today with little to begin
on would have long hard row to hoe.
When | was young man there was
no great centralization of wealth. At
the time | came to Minneapolis there
were no great fortunes and no great
industries here. There were q lot of
young men, most of them coming from
the fields, as most of the energy and
individuality of this country has, en-
gagged in business in small way. Com
petition between them was sharp and
every man Of the lot had his oppor-
tunity. He had to reckon only with
men like himself / was in the lum-
ber business in very modest way; SO
number of men well known in the
great business interests Of the north
vest were in exactly the same boat
with me. We did not have to truckle
to trusts or combinations of capital.
Many of these men succeeded in life
beyond their most sanguine expecta-
tions. But they did it In fair. hon
orable way. Do you suppose that 1t
would have been possible for any Of
those men to succeed, with the start
they had, in the lumber or flour busi
ness If they had to contend with the
conditions that now exist? do not,
and to speak of myself
The senator taped his finger tips to-
gether and smiled in remembrance per-
haps of the famous remark of Ignatius
Donnelly about the Washburns all
coming into the world branded for the
United States senate.
But l believe that the development
Of the Touring business here would
not have been possible If it had not
been for the great chances that were
open to individual effort
Destruction of Workingmen.
"And that brings the matter OF the
trusts home to us" he continued. 1T
is my firm belief that combinations of
capital, while they will certainly in
jure the workingmen of the country
at once. will ultimately furnish the
means of their own destruction. The
concentrated and sustained effort that
is essential to the welfare of any large
business will be lacking in the conduct
of a great trust | believed this years
ago when / opposed the effort to COM
bine the Touring interests. I knew
that nothing but the closest applica-
keep a great manufacturing enterprise
on a paying basis
Governor Pillsbury was as well
aware of this fact as myself, and we
opposed with might and main the at
tempt to buy up the Touring interests
here in Minneapolis. Ultimately we
were obliged to go into the British
market and take up great deal of
our stock, but believe that in doing
SO the industry was saved. Here is
luC plopOSittOH "A OWuS vi CO1>
trolls mills in, let us say, ST. Louis,
Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Duluth, Chi
cago and perhaps in the east. All
these mills are directed from a point
remote from any of them, the object
of the directors being to get all the
money possible out of the investment.
Labor conditions may be essentially
different in st. Louis and Minneapolis.
1t may cost more to make -four In st.
Louis than in Minneapolis. The trust
directors, in order to equalize the cost
for their whole system reduce wages
at st. Louis. There is strike. They
have no local interests in St. Louis,
the market only requires so much
-four. Very well, they say, shut down
the St Louis mills. The mills close.
Hundreds of men are thrown out of en-
ployment, but the trust has increased
its revenues, and what redress is there
for the st. Louis workmen who have
been thrown out? None, for it is not
to be contemplated that universal
strike would follow. The present So
called flour trust will wreck itself this
way, the more readily from the fact
that it has not been able to control
all of the mills
$50 THE TRUST IS NOT ONLY A
MENACE TO THE WORKINGMAN,
BUT TO THE SMALL CAPITALIST,
WHO, LED AWAY BY THE PROM
ISE OF LARGE RETURNS, INVESTS
IN TRUST STOCKS.
THAT is where the great danger IS
to the cnmmarcfal inferaSfS of thu