Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-10-27
NO MAN SHOULD BE ELECTED
Who Is In Sympathy With Such Com.
binations Of Capital.
woRKMENs WAGES WILL BE CUT
With an Unsparing Hand and Great
Strikes VIII Follow.
EMPHATIC WARNING Is SOUNDED.

An Able Business Man and Well
known Republican Leader Express
es Himself as Vigorously Opposed
to the Attitude of the Republican
Boss of Ohio on the Gigantic Trade
EviI-"Workingmen and Stockhold-
ers,'' Says He, 'wilI Be Ingulfed
In the Same Sea of Distress"
In a recent interview at st. Paul
former United States Senator W. D..
Washburn took exception to the ati-
tude of the Republican boss of Ohio,
saying. mo; 1 most decidedly do not
agree with Senator Hanna on his prop
osition that the formation Of combines
Of capital must rebound to the benefit
Of labor"
Senator Washburn was not as ready
TO talk on the trust question as he was
1t the time of his return from Europe
SIX weeks ago, and 1t was evident that
he had been lahored with by some of
his party associates. He said that he
felt keenly the comments of the Re
publican press on his position, and
gave it out cold that he was being
misrepresented by many of the organs
Of that party. who are laboring in the
interests of the trusts.
While he has frequently been the
object of a good deal of newspaper
criticism hitherto he has never been
attacked quite so generally by the
press of his own party as he has been
since he announced himself as opposed
to trusts as matter of party doctrine.
He was rather chary of opening up
the subject again when approached.
and said he had nothing further to
say. Then he said great deal.
Then you believe that Senator Han
ua is wrong?"
Hanna Is Wrong.
'He certainly is wrong, and l do not
believe that he speaks by the card or
for the Republican party. There is
nothing compatible in his position Of
standing for protection for the Amer
lean laboring man and for the organ
ization of capital for the purpose of
controlling great industries"
Hanna points to what he terms the
present prosperous condition of labor
rs the result of trade combinations" 4"
was suggested.
THEN THAT PROSPERITY IS
FICTITIOUS. IF IT EXISTS IT CAN
NOT CONTINUE. WHY, THE PROP
OSITION is ABSURD. TRUSTS ARE
NOT FORMED FOR THE PURPOSE
OF HELPING THE LABORER, BUT
FOR THE PURPOSE OF GETTING
LARGER PROFITS OUT OF INVEST
MENT.
Larger profits may be had most
readily by controlling production, by
reducing the cost of products, not nee
essarily by increasing the price Of the
manufactured article.
''It is the boast of the advocates Of
the trusts that the price of their pro-
ducts is reduced to the consumer. That
lessening of price can only be brought
about, if the profit is at the same time
to be increased, by lowering the
charges for turning the raw material
In to the manufactured article and
putting that article into the hands of
the consumer,
Combines Kill Competition.
When trust gets control of a GER
tain line of manufactures competition
disappears, and just enough of the
manufactured article rs turned out to
supply the demand. There is no ex
cess on the market. If the means Of
manufacture exceed the Lecessary
limit the mills are shut down and
men thrown out of employment. 1t
may be that those who remain en-
ployed may receive the old wages for
the purpose of making good appear
1nce; those still remaining employed
may even be given slightly higher
wages But the result is lessening
Of the amount paid in the total for
the production of the article or COM
modify. Labor receives less of the to-
tai for the production Of the article or
commodity. Labor receives less of the
total value of the product. 1t is i'm
possible that labor should be benefited.
On the contrary, the very purpose of
the trust is to take to itself some por-
ton of the amount paid for labor
The senator stopped for a moment,
tapped his desk nervously and said
with some show of animation:
Il do not see why Senator Hanna
should insist on coupling the necessity
for protection and the growth of
trusts. For myself, believe that the
law of protection, of which / always
have been and am now an ardent ad-
vocate, should be used for the purpose
Of curbing the trusts. Possible COM
binatiGn of capital was not contem-
plated by the men who framed the pro-
lection fa~s. II protection has made
trusts possible. then I believe prouec-
ton should be withdrawn from the in
dustries into which the trusts have
entered Bnt the principle of protec'
ton is right. 1. is SO far right that
it may be invoked to destroy the trusts
which it has possibly created. The
steel trust, you say? Yes, the stee
combination is a direct result Of pro.
lection and the industry no Longer
needs protection. The protection was
extended to the industry when it was
really in the infant class. It was strug,
f Cling in a vain effort to compete will