Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-04-06

| ent country daily new spaper With ITS mad
| by invective against reform Gnd the little
| country weekly with Its coarse abuse OF
sociaistic effort completely submerged by
the great city daily with its commercial
| opinions aud a subservient correspondent
| in every community furnishing the news
quicker and better than it is now being
done by a multitude of country weeklies
and starving dailies. The prophecy may be
| carried to almost any length without de-
! stroying plausbility or feasibility. There
| is no business which is safe from being alb
| sorbed by this power.
ALL INDUSTRY REvOLUTIONIZED.
There is no line of industry which or.
Ganized capital has entered that it has
| not done better and cheaper than iEdiyid-
| ual enterprise. 1t is tor this reason that
We may look for an enlargement rather
| than a diminution OF its field OF operations,
| and the movement Is proving as swift as II
| is successful. War will accelerate the
| movement How feeble IS the vanity which
imagines that individual opportunity has
not already been hopelessly lost. Il is for
| this reason that the moral sense of the
country is demanding change. 1t Is be-
| cause manhood has become so cheap that
| society is seeking reform which will give
| to every man who wants to work chance
to earn his bread. 1t is because an injury
| to private property is so surely and swiftly
| punished while an injury to men by prop.
| erty goes unpunished, that the moral forces
of the age bave begun a crusade which
must soon attain the proportions OF
whirlwind il the country is to be saved
| from a repetition of the French revolution.
INDEPENDENCE A FALLACY.
The boasted independence of the present
ia myth. The oppo tunity for individual
bent which is so gloriously described by
| ignorant politicians is a relic Of the past.
ln,l l,aal han nulV h..n ah
complete reformation OF the social state.
| Men must first be made masters Of their
| machines, and masters of their necessities
| before genius will have its day in court.
| In the future we shall have monopoly by
government or government by monopoly.
| There is no middle ground; there can be
| no turning back.
BUT ONE TRUST--THE STATE.
would repeal every law on the statute
| books authorizing the creation of an indus
| trial corporation. / would have but one
error was made when the republic was
| founded that any laws were ever passed
| creating private corporations and clothing
| them with sovereign power. Divided SOW
ereignty cannot stand in any state, yet that
| is what we have today in the United
| in the people but really sovereign in half
hundred corporations. The contest of
| the future must be between these powers
| striving to evercise sovereignty.
EXERCISING SOVEREIGN POWER.
But foc their power to tax, which is the
| first and vital test OF authority in every
government the tribute-takine monopolies
| would be an easy prey to legislative con-
troll. 1t is their sovereign attributey, their
ability to water their stock and exaggerate
| their debts, and to lay charges to meet in
terest and divided accounts against these
outrageous masses of fictitious values which
Conserved with unbridled license thsY
practically exercise every governmental
| function except declaring war and making
peace, and in these matters they exercise
tremendous influence. Controlling. vast
| Sums Of money the collection Of which is a.
toms dues. they roll up great fortunes. in
themselves menace to popular liberty, but
| which would be a. promptly dissipated a.
collected il paid into the common treasury
Of the people.
THE TRUSTS OUR BEST ADVOCATES.
What u to be done in the presence %
these momentous questions? l reply. build
| I'D q great fraternal govvrnmenk consistent
wnh the spirit Of our fundamental law and
in harmony With the highest hopes of the
founders OF the republic. In this effort de-
L
ed. but we cannot hurry tbs consummation
OF what seems TO me the inevitable purpose
OF every visible force. To those who fear
that the present war will distract attene
tion from our work and defeat the purposs
OF our propaganda / reply that destiny n
behind this movement. No war. no com
mercial or political subserfugs can defeat
the law Of s~oh,tion. To my doubling
friends say heed not the temporary oN
stacles which retard your progress but take
a calm view Of the future and possess youf
souls in peace. There IL little need for fur.
ious agitation. The trusts are our bsst and
most effective propa9andists. They arc
pa wing a firm and unruffled road for our fu-
ture victory. Every fresh aggression. every
new expansion. adds fuel 70 the FIRE sne
makes more certain the alignment Of pro
gressive sentiment
UNCONSCIOUS AGENTS OF BETTER
| TIMES.
| The Hannas, Yerkes, Rockefeilers and
| yanderbilts are the unconscious agents Of
better things to come. Their very cruelty
| is a blessing in disguise. for il is QUICKEN.
| ing the public conscience and driving the
| thought OF the country to the irresistible
| conclusion that the government must pos
sess inself OF the monopolies or 60 into his
| tory as failure. / do not propose the de-