Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-09-22
JOHN R M'LEAN ON TRUSTS.

The Democratic nominee for Cover
nor Of Ohio doesn't mince words. He
has habit-which, by the way, has
made him enemies-of speaking his
mind and hitting out from the Shout
der. The other day he was interviewed
in Columbus on the subject of trusts.
Asked what he thought of Bourke
Cochran's speech at the Chicago trust
conference, he terseIy remarked "A
lot Of words" adding the following
excellent illustration of trust methods,
which will be appreciated by tens of
thousands of workingmen throughout
the United States:
Il know a city where there were eleven
separate, distinct street railways. Each
one had its charter or franchise, and was
working under it. Each road had a PR 81
dent vice president board of directors,
superintendent, a treasurer and secre-
tary, a set of bookkeepers. a set of clerks
and sets of workingmen to build, relay and
repair the roads. A combination of capital
was gotten together. They said, we will
buy these roads as cheaply as possible,
bringing all the paraphernalia of business
to bear, threats of competition, threats of
reduction of fares, and we will by hook
or crook, buy these roads. We will put
them all under one president one vice
president, one treasurer, one superintend-
emit and one set of working men, The plan
was carried into execution. OF eleven
road ten were bought up, ten presidents
done away with, and ten sets of officers
and ten sets of working men. Where each
road had its president, it's offices and work
ingmen, it is now under a single head For
illustration, say there were 800 working
men doing the mechanical work of the
eleven roads. Now 1 suppose fifty men
can do the work. The capitalists argued
where 800 men We're employed by the week,
we will need only fifty. With every line
but one in the city, by our service we can
hurry the men from one part of the town
to the other at no cost to ourselves. Tools
and men are carried y our own cars. See
the saving. gentlemen! See what that
trust. or that combinations don't care
what you call it-effected. Ten presidents
were set adrift, ten sets of officials on the
ines-salaried men-were set adrift book
keepers, clerks and working men The
electricians of the electric roads and the
engineers of the cable roads were dis
missed, or are fast being put aside. and
one compact body Is doing he work What
is to become of them? The salaries that
these officers and working men of the
road were formerly making have now all
been saved and are counted on the profit
side in the management of the combine.
What has become of the ten presidents,
of the ten sets of officers, of the ten sets
of working men? Where are they to find
employment? The combine urges that the
service is just as good if not better-not
to be wondered at. Competition has been
weeded out, the whole affair is under one
head. They meet at a central point take
on and distribute their passengers without
clashing with a rival organization. The
salaries, the wages of the men dismissed
form now part of the earnings of the
combine. That combine we know to-day as
a trust"
AS to the remedy for the trust evil
Mr.. Mclean is equally plain spoken.
He says:
After public franchise had been given
to a corporation for certain period of
time, l would then say, gentlemen when
your earnings reach an excess of a fair
per cent, then the public must be sharer
in your profits. So much of an excess in
advance or beyond a fair per cent must
go to the extinguishing of our municipal
debt if we have one or TO the mainte-
nance of our schools, or keeping and car
Ing for our parks and in what manner
most beneficial to the general public There
should be a limit to earnings as there
should be limit to the life of franch Sc.
That is the only practical method that