The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-04-25
AN INDEPENDENT ON TRUSTS

The Practical Farmer, a Strictly Non.
Partisan Paper, Looks for "Namby-
Pamby" Makeshift Anti trust Planks in
Old Party + latforms.
We have refrained from comment.
ing on the enormous growth of the
various trusts in this country, hoping
that the two dominant political parties
would take some decisive active action
in the matter, and thus relieve those
journals who take no part in political
discussions from the necessity Of seem
ing to depart from the rule they have
laid down for themselves. But at the
risk of laying ourselves open to the
charge Of violatin g that rule. we enter
our emphatic protest against the enor-
nous expansion of the trusts, and the
danger to which they r ~subjecting
every other interest than their own,
The failure of the political parties to
take any decided action in this matter,
and the evident necessity for such &C.
tion, are ample justification for every
non political journal to take active
steps to stem the food Of evils which
threaten US. AS the trusts multiply
daily new interests are involved, until
now there is scarcely q business, or
even an individual in the United States
that is not affected to some degree
Recent developments show that the
farmer is to feel the full force Of this
gigantic evil, and as our interests are
bound up with his interests, we feel all
the more free to take q hand in this
matter. Only the other day one of
the largest agricultural implement
manufacturers in the country notified
their customers of an immediate ad
vance in prices on their goods, owing
to the increased cost Of steel, iron and
lumber. Other manufacturers are
compelled to do the same thing, with
the prospect that the cost of every ar
ticle used on the farm will be advanced
in the same manner and from the lme
cause. Take the matter of wire, for
instance: A trust own or controls alb
solutely every wire and rod mill in the
United States, 80 that the output of
fence wire is under its sole control and
the price thereof subject to its abso
Lutte dictation. The farmer is advised
not to buy any fence wire from any
dealer in any way connected with the
trust, but that would shut him out
from the purchase Of wire entirely, as
all dealers are connected with the wire
trust in so far as they are compelled to
buy wire from the trust mills or 60
without it entirely. The advice that
farmer stop building fences until the
trust puts down prices is equally futile,
as the trust is in the business for all
there is in it, and posses sing every
avenue through which wire can be OBJ
tanned is absolute master of the situa
ton.
And it is repugnant to the principles /
Of Republican form of government
that the people should be compelled to
forgo the use of any prime necessity in
their life or business, because that
necessity has passed into the control of
a corporation which has been chartered
by a government. which in theory at
least is the representative and servant
Of the people thus affected. Rather
should the strong arm of the people
the source of government and the very
government itself-be' laid upon such
corporations and the powers and rights
Of the latter be brought into subordina-
ton to rights Of the former. It is not
far out Of the way to paraphrase Lin
coins famous saying into "a Govern.
ment of the Trusts, for the Trusts, and
hv the TPustsT al tho tbroetauaS o,1e.