Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-04-28
OUR CANDIDATE IN 1900
What Can be Done With the
Trusts.

fluence of which he owes his appoint
ment, declares that the great indus.
trial intere SITS are beyond the reach
of congressional legislation.
The press, almost unanimously rails
at and condemns the trusts but sug-
gests no remedy. Where there is an
evil that is recognized so generally
there is, or should bea cure. So long
as the government rewards those who
form trusts or permits others to do
SO, trusts will not only prosper but
will multiply, If we would stop lar
ceny we should as far as possible re-
move the temptation, by removing
the opportunity. The money kings;
the railroad magnates, the Standard
Oil manipulation; the telegraph mo-
nopolist, each daily repeat the Lords
prayer; Lead us not into tempta-
tion," but the government, that is, the
people, permits to them all these gol-
den opportunities to reap where they
have not sown to lie around loose
where they can be appropriated and
they are.
Before we can effectually regulate
and control the trusts these opportun-
tiles given them by law, must be re-
moved by the same means. Nearly
all our industries are dependent upon
the railroads, not only in shipping
their products to market but in pro-
curing the raw material for continu-
ing their industry. Every person
should have equal opportunities, and
equal rates in their use, SO that no
one should have any advantage over
another either in shipping to market
or in bringing in the raw material.
Interstate commerce regulations are
Intellectual. The railroads in spite of
t en- can make the industries profit
able, or can bring them to ruin. Trans
portation rates kept up to some, and
by rebates and other devices lowered
to others enables those favored to
undersell in the market and brings
bankruptcy to those Disseminated
against. Everybody recognizes that
these things exist, nor do the rail-
roads deny their existence. Now what
is the remedy, the cure? The only one
that is feasible and positive cure is
government ownership. This would
give an open field to every industry
without favors to any over the other,
its success depending entirely upon
the skill. tact, and business capacity
shown in its management.
Many trusts have taken shelter
under the tariff schedules which were
prepared expressly for their benefit
using Its prohibitive feature against
competition foreign or domestic, tc
raise prices and exploit consumers
These facts are now recognized al
true by those who favored these
schedules when the tariff was first
adopted, and are now crying ouI
against their iniquity. They nov
recognize that schedules thus uset
are schedules in the interests of tn,
trusts and are destructive of all othe
interests. The remedy is absolute
free trade In every article thus use.
by the trusts, to enhance their owl
profits to the detriment of all con
sumers. Senator Pettigrew foreseeinI
this danger sought to avert it by pro
viding that when the manufacture O
y,roduoficp of orr ,,roto,tod ort;oI
was controlled by trust that tn
. protection given it by the Dingle,
tariff might be suspended. Ever
protectionist voted against 1t and tn
republican press commended ther
for it, many of them now clamorin
for tho adoption of that feature.
..Another trust of what belongs to til
public. as much as does the posts
system of the country, is the tel
graph. The prosperity of the peopl
demands it's use in conveying INTEL
gence in business transactions, g
prices barely covering the cost of til
service, instead of paying upo
watered stock four times what woul
be required under govern ownership
a series Of articles by Prof. Fran
Parsons, published in the Aren
throws flood Of light upon the quet
ton of WHICH the average legislato
is profoundly ignorant, or else tn
entire system would be under govern
ment control and ownership.
Law regulates and fixes the rate c
interest that may be taken for the us
OF money, attaching penalty NOR
or less severe, for the slightest excess
1t would be but another step in til
same direction for the government
determine by law the share or interei
which should be paid to capital fc
the use of money employed 10 pre-
ductive and manufacturing industries
instead of permitting capital to tax
the lions share. This would not 81
cure pay to all linen alike to each flu
pay for all he e4ld accomplish lea,
ing capital zpay for the use {
itg money. To determine by law th
per cent that shall 60 to labor, an