The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-03-15
OUR HOPE IN TRUSTS.

WV Oh OAAoA OOIld1S. IL was year
OF unparalleled prosperity for the trusts
Bradstreet and Dun mistook this for
prosperity of the masses They reported
great prosperity among the people. These
two great commercial agencies are Wall
street institutions. Their home and
place OF business is there. Their asso-
Citations and environments are all there.
The information coming to these agen-
cies each week is all sifted through the
capitalistic sieve. When they announce
that the country is prosperous it simply
means that that small section OF the coun-
try known as Wall street, or more &C
curately speaking, the capitalist classes OF
the East are prosperous. 1t means that
they have formed such new combinations
or trusts as will secure to these few mill
millionaires an increased percentage of
the fruits OF labor 1t means that the
schemers take more and labor gets less
OF the worlds products. and this is what
Bradstreet and Dun call increasing pros
perity.
This is the boast OF the trust controlled
administration. This is the cruel and
wicked Misrepresentation repeated in the
columns OF every old-party daily, and
this IS believed by struggling millions
who have not three meals in sight as an
incentive to battle for bread and vote
again the old-party ticket.
Through all this Misrepresentation,
this ignorance, this battling for existence
the student OF economics sees one CLEAN
OF hope
One feature of all these trusts gives
encouragement to plod yet another day
The stockholders in all these trusts. as
compared with our 100000 population
are but handful Of men. Wiped from
the face of the earth, they would never
be missed. The births of single day in
the United States would make their num-
Der good.
Scarcely one OF them ever performs any
part OF the actual labor OF production
They are in no wise essential to the COM
munity as factors in production Their
numbers are SO small that as consumers
they do not appreciably affect the market
OF the commercial world They are mid
dlemen, toll gatherers, leeches, parasites
on the body polite, and hold-up artists
beyond the pale OF law, above and supe-
rior to political parties, to courts, to con-
gress and subordinate to their own selfish
ends the life Of the republic. The first
work OF trust is to consolidate under
one management all the industries in the
country of the same kind. The next step
is the consolidation of two or more trusts
controlling kindred enterprises, and the
final step will be the consolidation OF all
trusts IN the great trust of trusts At the
rapid progress now being made in the
process OF trust consolidation the world
toilers may we'll take new courage The
years OF private trusts for the unequal
distribution OF wealth are numbered
When the final step shall have been
taken by the consolidation of a controll-
ing majority OF capitalists into one gigan-
tic trust OF trusts, then will tine smaller
Try begin to awaken to the real situation
and seek the proper and only remedy
AS poverty and excessive toll have been
brought upon the masses by schemng
millionaires. SO will relief finally be sug-
gested and pointed out by these same
capitalists. When rascals war among
themselves, then will the truth appear.
AS the game goes on OF the great fnan-
ciers devouring the little ones, these
smaller capitalists will eventually find
community of interest with the real
wealth producers in staying the present
robber system.
The final dissolution of private trusts
will come through a revolt among the
members of trusts who have been frozen
out. and are, through the greed of the
larger ones, no longer permitted to par
ticipate in the nefarious gains.
1t is in this feature of the trust situation
that labor may see hope. 1t is along this
path that true progress will be made and
the pernicious trust of trusts for the ben
eft OF a few will be transformed into
gigantic national trust for the benefit of
all.
The Goulds and Vanderbilts consoli-
date railroads, the Rockefellers CONSOLE
date railroads with the iron and oil in
dustries. The Morgans consolidate rail-
roads, iron. oil and coal interests. A few
more strides along this line and the great
work is done. Water transportation
comes next into the great combine, and
then the shipbuilding concerns, the deal
ers in fuel, food and clothing.
AS one after another joins the select
circle it becomes more apparent that no
real producer. no toiler can gain a pass
port to the charmed circle In each in
stance it is the dealer and not the maker
who rushes to the front. The producers
in any industry attempt to organize and
the dealers in their products quickly or
ganize to head them off,
Let the grain growers organize for
protection against the old line terminal
elevators, and the local grain buyers will
quickly combine to handle the growers
grain. Let the good work go on. Lines