Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-06-30
A Political Freak.

az wv Ii'ltt4'fl ~ NV tNttullNt 81
thu state to- attend the antitrust con-
N,utium 1T II. Louis is no surprise to
anybody Who has studied his personal
and political character. He assumes
that the mnvcmcn. j. designed to in
ausurate state control Uf objection
able combines, and that such indie
pendent action will ultimately bc de-
clarcd unconstitutional 10y the SUI
prCme Court 81 the United States.
Whether there are any grounds for
this belief or not, matters but little in
showing up his Inconsistency, for it
Will bc seen by further declaration
OF his belief, ii it is honestly enter
tanned, that all corporations possess a
vested and constitutional right to buy
and sell, that it is not 50 much a mat
ter Of cxpcdicncy as Of principle that
imrcls him to cast what influence he
possesses against the tcnets of the
party which placed him in power.
Lest Misrepresentation be charged, we
quote his exact words in reply to Gov.
Savers, OF Texas, who extended the in
vltatlon for his presence and cooper
alton. He writes:
Clearly, it seems to me, CORPORA
tons, as well as natural persons, have a
right to buy and hence 4 right to sell
whatever is offered for sale in tho mar
ket. If a sufficient weight of capital be
tnPluye'i corporation or 4 natural
person has the ability and the constitu-
tonal right to buy all of 4 certain prod
net offered for sale, and this will unques-
tlonably operate to fix the price at which
such product will in future be sold. We
can see that, as in the case of that par
cnt oi trusts, the Standard Oil Company.
the power to buy and sell possessed by
that company is entirely sufficient to
regulate the price at which oil will be
sold. The Standard Oil Company thus
gets the power to drive out of business
all competitors, and in this way estab-
fish prices for which their product must
be sold"
These words can admit of but one
construction. The right to buy and
sell which seems so clearly to be a
natural right to Rogers, is only an.
other form of expression of the idea
lately advanced by Havemeyer that
TRUSTS are natural growth, and are
regulated by the laws of trade" His
admission that the constitutional
right and ability to buy and control
the price of any product offered for
sale, is but re.echo OF the sentiment
expressed by the sugar king before the
labor commission, that "We are not
In business for philanthropic purposes.
1t is policy sometimes to divide our
profits with the public, but we conduct
our business on business lines" Then
the declaration of Rogers that "the
power possessed by the Standard Oil
Company is entirely sufficient to regu.
late the price at which oil will be
sold," despite adverse legislation OF
course, is but another form of express.
ing the idea of Havemeyer that "the
Federal government, nor any other
power, can change or alter these laws
1.-The laws OF trade] and the sooner YOU
find it out the better" 1t is quite
evident, too, that the multi-million.
aire agrees with the State executive in
the policy of remaining quiescent, fol-
he declares that "the sooner investi.
CATION ceases, the better it will be for
the country"
The origin OF trusts Havemeyer ad.
mits is the protective tariff duty, but
the fact that this has always been a
cherished tenet of the Republican
party will surely not, from present in.
dications, detract from the executives
advocacy OF result which has grown
to its present gigantic proportions
through the fostering care of that
antique organization.
The only weak point in this freakish
proceeding of an avowed candidate
for position is for him to expect to re.
tain what party confidence he may
possess while reaching out for support
to the enemy, by advocating their
peculiar ideas; but only until such
time, as he declares, as the radical chi.
mera of governmental control of the
business of the country may be sub
stituted for persistent effort and indi.
vidual enterprise in all branches of in
dustry.
\ TACOMA OR WoUK-WIcHE.-About