The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-15
GREAT DEBATE OVER TRUSTS


pie stock corporations. In reality. there
fore. there are no trusts today. but only
corporations. email. large and larger; and
the whole question this conference u
called TO consider Ia one Of the effect OF
large corporations upon public welfare, as
represented In the interests OF consumers.
wage earnsrs. farmers and business men.
Defense Of the Rig Corporations.
What. then. II the effect Of these large
corporations? Almost uniform experience
shows that thsy have given economy In
production. resulting In lower prices to the
pubic. better wages to the laborer. better
profits to the owners. and improved quail
ny Of products The consultations cams
just because they would give thass results.
and they will continue just ~ long a. fur
Their Increases In size will give greater
economy and efficiency Ia production.
From 1870 10 1885, according to the ex-
hsusttye senate report OF 1850. Ia 40 groups
81 manufactured products, prices fell from
20 - Der cent, and wages, chiefly In man
ufAcfuTing and mercantile Industries. rose
g Der cent. During che same period s.
representative raw material and agricul-
tural products. not produced By corpora
tons, showed an aggregate rise In price,
a majority Of them from 30 to 10 per cent.
Price reductions ara most marked In
the case Of large corporations. AZ for In
stance. the Carnegie Steel Company
American Sugar Refining Company. the
great railroads and the Standard OH
Company. Since 1878 the cost Of trans
portation Of a ton Of freight one mile has
been reduced from In cents to seventy
Ave hundredths Of q cent. while the price
Of oil has declined under the Standard
OIL Company u per cent. But for the
Standard Oh Company, with Its immense
capital. pipe lines, ETC., Russian oil would
command the American market. Russia
has the iarGest oil fields IN the world and
protects her producers by a 400 per cent.
duty. We give no tariff protection to oil.
and yet this country. but its vast econo-
mies. not only preserves the industry to
this country. employing $500 men and
paying 100000 day In wages. but ex-
ports nearly 100000 gallons every year.
bringing e6D. 0to 600 In gold into the coun-
try.
Condition Of Labor Improved.
The frequent claim that large corpora
ttons destroy the iaborer's individuality Is
wholly faiiacious. Compare HIS condition
under the cid medieval hand labor sys-
Hm and today. 1t was only after the
yaKe system came that laborers acquired
political freedom and social individuality.
Corporations are VIGOROUSLY unable to con-
tro. mems votes. Indeed. with good wages
aHI fFaSoHAHtc noHfH tDH i1NlrrF mas LhT
more freedom and social opportunity than
the small business man. who In under
obligations 10 customers. hanks and cor
porations for patronage. loans and other
favors
Nor are tho farmers injured by large
corporations. Freight charges have
greatly declined. as have shown. and all
improvements In the farmers tools. ARCH
lecture. domestic appointment and COM
forts of life are the products Of the great
Industrial eenters which have grown up
around corporate enterprises.
Present nusinc.s DepressiOns.
Business eepressions are among the
most serious Of public concerns There n
no hope OF eliminating these except by
large corporations az industry Large cor
poyaisens aurvev the whole field, know
the demand ana adjust the supply TO IT,
as ANAL separated producers never can
do. Much OF the farmers troubles come
fran Just this lack OF organization. Good
prices one year bring out immense crops
tho next. and all suffer from the general
overproduetion. The industries In which
che largest concerns exist are the ones
that show the fewext perturbations
''Sinee Il Is no longer a question OF
trusts. but oaly OF the size of corpora
tons. what policy Of destruction are we
10 haves The gentleman from Nebraska
has proposed that each state pass law
preventing corporation from doing bust
ness outside that state without license
from the Federal government, Think OF
this az an opportunity for blackma. and
corruption. II would puf In the hands OF
A single official the power To destroy the
value Of any industry large enough 10 do
business IN mere than one state. I, would
cut the Union into four;y- four little in
dustrisi territories. none OF them largo
enough 10 sustain the hest modern meth
eds Stripped of sensation. rartisanship
and class feeling. vhe movement against
eo-ealisd trusts - really movement,
against Industrial development ard ma
tional prosperity"
Attorney General Gather. ot Maryland.
was tbs next speaker.
Cochran Talks Tomorrow.
A, the conclusion % Mr. Gathers speech
the convention adjourned after the ar
ncuursaens had been made that tamor-
sow night there would be an address by w
nowgke Cochran Ct New York. and w J.
Rryan.
Aau-Tsust Men Organise.
CHICAGO. SEPT. iA-'I'sss antitrust dele
gates 10 tae conference organized thesr
fercss in earnest ,snigh, and declared in
eFsn meeting that they viii place the deie~
gates - the esuven:laa CD record As an,i
ar pTe-tfUst This plan ot prccedmto WAS
decided epen a. a meeting at the sherman
bossss wh*z steering committee and a
committee on resolutions were appointed
The steering committee WAS Instructed e.
g3vnA al ef TIRE Delegates ana 10 tore ths
a1stts s9 faT agntaS- THE committee On
resolutions includes eGS following NJ ~
Usowaa. = Texas. w II c,Agxsit os
Iowa. Cecil Smith. oE Texas. Henry john
son. 81 Colorado.