The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-14

nal freight lines from and TO the seaooaru'
securing the lowest practical freight rates
TO the ocean for all kinds Of products.
! venture to affirm, however. that some
thing remains to be desired In these two
particulars. l mean in respect 10 Just
laws and the spur 10 FREQ competition
The laws are not just which burden the
many to the END that favorites may grow
fat, as in the case under our so-callci Pro-
tective tariff; and when monopolies are
sufersd 10 lay their hands on the throat
OF Individual enterprise, the spur OF Tree
competition is bunted If not destroyed.
we have seen in these more recen. days
disposition evinccd III certain quarters
TO dismiss the declaration OF independence
Jas no longer applicable in its leading
principle to the conditions OF modern So
ciety. In putting themselves In this atti-
tude toward the basic doctrines of the re-
PUBLIC, the supporters of a tariff for the
enrichment of the few and trust for the
hlling or equal opportunity are not open
20 charge of Inconsistency. 1T Is The
lpulest mockery of reason to profess In
one breath devotion TO the doctrine a the
equality OF all men before the law OF the
inhd, and In the next to applaud tariff
system which saueezes the blood on. OF
lne average man for the fattening OF se-
iect individuals who have mastered the art
or depraving all Federal government and
directing n new fcudslsm which purposes
70 subdivide the land Into plutosratic
uuheucinS.
In respect TO these matters. citizens
VINO think as the founders OF the republic
dld, take their stand firmly on the ground
mat equal before the law means equality
$ OF Industrial opportunity In so far as the
1 action OF the government Is involved. The
tarllf has been one prolific source OF mon
. opoiy, and the monstrous misuse OF the
franchise giving power another. Our iron,
steer, coal, sugar trusts may be taken as
Of. hat h. lie - A.
!, pass, while in the consolidation of our
: railroads., gas companies, electric light
companies wo have illustrations OF what
, mas been and is being accomplished under
+ the legislative power TO bestow valuable
pubic rights upon private corporations.
into the details of our existing tariff
, shall not enter at present but shall chai-
I lenge any of its supporters 10 name a
single considerable branch of industry
over which its so-called protection. has
T. been extended which is not now controlled
/ by confederacy OF conspirators against
competition. Tho infant industries have
I become giants who have taken IT. upon
themselves to rule their own ends tho Ma
, ton which nourishcd them under the i'm
4 preston that when matured they would
r be the best OF servants and the very pillars
. economic liberty. That the democratic
2 party must address itself to the correction
9 of these far reaching evils II It is to hold
Y the allegiance Of the democratic masses
is not doubtful. The cause OF tariff reform
y was never more urgent than It Is today,
= and never before was IL less dlsputable
e than at this hour that no real relief can be
, looked for at the hands OF the republican
= pnrty
= Concerning trusts In general find some
5 information in recent number of the
? Journal of Commerce of this city that
n seems to mo TO be worthy of the widest
NrAl toll II,
+ her OF these great combinations had in
}. creased in the past twelve months from
e 200 10 S53, the writer Of the article pro-
h ceeds as follows:
1T will be seen that, at the end of Feb
: ruary, these $50 combinations had issued
= total of s., lis. 500 900 of capital stock
p and $714,3S 900 of bond obligations These
a figures show an increase over those we
= published year ago of 76 per cent In the
: number of institutions and so per cent in
. the combined stock and bonded debt
Y which indicates the extraordinary rapidity
t. with which the movement has spread
Q within the last twelve months. What
proportion Of the entire manufacturers OF
n the United States has passed In this new
IS form organization may be Inferred from
X the fact that the census OF 1890 values the
o entire capital then employed in the manu-
featuring and mechanical industries at
= Sc 525 900. 900. which includes all the minor
or retail work done by small individual
y propretors. This means that the tota'
o capitalization of these combinations Is
equal to 30 per cent OF the entire manu-
= featuring investment of $780,
- And to the people who have not followed
- the record from month Ia month, and prac-
=, tically from day TO day, of the industrial
>, evolution here Indicated, 1t may we'll seen
h incredible that 2 change so fraught WIZ
~ menace to the welfare Of the country, anc
ttnc and IN lns
a dignity of American labor, has been ac-
~ compished Not only is IL, as the writer
further. whom l have Just quoted, says
n reversal of all that economists have tx.
~ pected as fundamental aXioms Of trade
y but it strikes, as with the dagger OF AZ
: assassin. at the very heart Of that indi-
II v.dual enterprise, which, next to love o.
" liberty for its own sake, is the energizinl
" force of American &titutons.
al If the process of consolidating under thu
n control Of a single individual, natural ol
"a artificial, of the various branches OF the
- business of kindred nature continues IL
"A the same ratio as here indicated, it viii
"a be but short time when 500 or 600 cor
~ porate entities viii control the entr,
"a manufacturing and mechanical industries
70 of this country, in number many times
10 fewer than those engaged in similar bust
m ness ON their own account when this coun
IN try had a population of about 100000 ant
7 was struggling against the mother countr!
~ for political, commercial and business in
IT dependence. Such condition might wei
~ suggest some sense of alarm to thu
~ thoughtful patriot when it is considered
, that substantially 10000 900 of people will
"A be excluded from participation upon the
- own account in these branches of industr,
ia and are converted into mass OF EN-
10 ployes without the inspiring hope of bet
/. tering their condition by mental and ply
a steal alertness. What individual not be
i longing to the class OF multi millionaire
N today would dare to engage on his owl
IA account in the establishment Of a tooacc
10 factory, or a baking powder company o
r. an oil refinery, for how well he woul,
i know that II would only require mo
II monts attention directed against him OF
the part OF the trust ir charge OF the lin
-, OF business thus invaded by him TO crusl
:, the very life out OF his enterprise,
- Deprive the youpg men from y 10 4
"A years of age OF the opportunity Of ipdulg
/. ing il the reasonable hope that by du
: diligence they may attain individual ad
= yancement by going into some line o
~ business on their own account, and yo'
= will destroy the esprit dc corps of tho pea
pie of this country so essential to its con
tinued progress, and in time paralysis vii