Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-12
LABOR N THE TRUSTS,

While wealthy and influential demo-
| Gratis are interested in the trusts and
conn les that are being organized in all
pyrthf the country, and are doing all in
/. over to promote the aggressiveness
IL W. they are industriously advo-
r. antitrust platform declaration
fs rhey are under the impression
lf0cAT labor vote will go to the demo-
# that party howls loud enough
ng enough about the dangers with
combinations of capital threaten
IN ommon people.
ut they overlook the fact that the la
ring man is likewise a thinker, and
nows that the era of trusts and COM
bines is not the product Of a political
party. but an evolution Of our commercial
and industrial system. Intelligent labor
ing mel are not asking political parties
to formulate windy declarations against
the inevitable trend of modern life. but
will seek to adapt unavoidable conditions
to what they believe to be the higher aims
of humanity. This is set forth in the fol-
lowing resolution adopted yesterday by
the labor convention in Salt Lake:
We believe that the only means Of
counteracting the evil effects of that gl-
ganric development of modern evolution
the trusts-is the education of the people
along the lines Of socialism, that they
may be enabled to understand that in
stead Of being a curse it can be changed
to a blessing by simply changing the
ownership from private to collective.
Regardless OF the merits or dement's Of
propositions that may be made along
socialistic lines, the natural outcome of
the system of organization thai Develop
ed the corporations into the trust will in
turn broaden the scope of the latter until
the trusts themselves combine into still
larger associations Of capital. This pro-
cess will ~evolute. not into the final con-
centration Of the wealth of the country
into the hands of the few, as is doubtless
the primary object Of the men behind the
movement, but in it's universal diffusion
through the ultimate c~o-partnership Of
employees.
City, state and government ownership
Of public utilities is the natural out
growth of the system that now expresses
Itself IN the form of trusts. The broaden
ing Of the uses Of capital, incident to the
development OF the factory from the shop.
of the corporation from the factory, of
the trust from the corporation, if stead
energies Of the people in a COM
and industrial coalition that vii!
mean the government itself. for the peo-
ple, collectively speaking, are the govern
ment. Such is unauesticrably the logic
Of the situation.
When all the avenues Of earning a live
shareholders i2 that confederation. for
the independent means of existence Will
no longer exist. The safety of the gov
eminent. and the safety of the capital
represented in its commercial and indus
trial prosperity. would lead up to the pol
icy CT cooperation or some basis that
would be deemed equitable and just to
ali concerned. It is apparent that far
sighted laboring men understand this
trend of our commercial life and intend
to take advantage eff the situations at the
ballot box, not by supporting the demo-
cratic party that is fostering trusts while
declaring against them, but by q policy
of conservatism that will lipcn the public
mind to what may be logically expected
as the outcome of the great combinations
of capital that are being effected through
out the land.