The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-04-22
. RESID DENT Thurber of the Uni
ted States Export association,

'fed STATES Export aSSocEdtioH
in testifying as to trusts before
|sthe Industrial Commission. lat Wash
ington last week, gave the cue to the
lnagnateS. and it may be- taken for
granted that the latter will use theil
/ pencils in doing; some tall figuring
on prices. with the view of smashing
the, trust-smashers with sand-bags
loaded with facts. He supported
tri1sts. declaring that he ut first had
been prejudiced against them, believ-
ing that they would oppress the public
with high prices. i .''
II 1iad.'' said MI Thurber, ''no con-
ception that they were a anatnral eco;
nomie development consequent upon
the development. of the great forces
which now control the worlds steam
electricity and machinery, or that
there was amy rational basis for their
existence. But a careful study OF their
effect. ranging over. a period of years
has materially modified my opinion
Trusts, he said, began with the con
solidation. .:of the railroads into trunk
lines. Transportation rates had been
reduced from $3.0s, per ton for carry
ing ton, of freight a mile in 1865 to
T2 cents in 1906 Under the consolida-
tion effected by the Standard Oil Co.
oil had deprecated in price from 25.7
cents per gallon in 1871 to SIS cents in
1888. The sugar trust resulted in
cheaper sugar, due to the purchase
of the raw material at a cheaper rate
than the individual :refiners could get
it. He admitted that .hardships and
| Injustice had been encountered in the
I5transition from the individualistic to
the trust state, hut thought that the
total results had been beneficial to
| the public at large. g, (.
Up to this point Mr.. Thurber talks
like an intelligent student of ECONOMIC
questions but thereafter he tries tC
make it apear that trusts We're formed
| because labor organized. ss.4z'. .s5. 81
Labor followed capital's example,
I he said. land during the last decade
|: the organization of labor had pro.
gressed faster than that of capital,
and had forced a division of a larger
share of the profits of industry fol
labor than at any yoprevious period OF OF
history. The profits, of capital had
been steadily decreasing, while those
of labor. especially organized labor,
had steadily increased!'' -. II -r. II
| This cannot be true, for Mr.: 'Thurber
further on admits that ''we are a
nation of 75,O0O,O0O people, with a
producing power Of 15O.O00,0OO,' and
trusts are necessary that we might
keep the people employed by reaching
| out for foreign markets" :."
!, If labor received more of the pro-
duets of it's toll than formerly there
would be no need to export a surplus.
The truth of the matter is that in
1850 labor received 62k per cent. of
it's product. At that time labor owned
it's tools. In 1890 labor received but
117 per cent of it's product, because now
capitalism owns the tools of produc-
ton and distribution If labor is at
present receiving a larger share of the
profits of industry than at any pre-
vious period in history, it follows that
there must be Il more equitable div
sion than ever before If that is true,
| from whence come the colossal for
| lie. >f fn,S- H11n fIp,pS
millionaires? Did they pull them out
of the air? How comes it that the
trusts, the land and capital, can be
found in the grasp of an insignificant
! minority, the rich, while the vast
| majority, the workers, remain poor?
AS for labor organizing faster than
capita-well, how many workers in
the oil, sugar, tobacco, hard coal, iron,
steel. wire and other trust Industries
are union?
Professor Geo. ID. Heron, of the
Iowa University, delivered a sensation
al address in Chicago recently. He
said during his lecture:
We stand near a social crisis of the
world. The existing order of society
has already served its time. 1t has
grown senseless. and is now growing
worse than senseless. Revolution of
so ne sort is not far off. Either Il re-
vival of love. an cutpOuring of love
through messianic fellowship of
some vast social sacrifice. or a univer-
sal French revolution will come. This
present industrial system cannot con-
tinue Il half generation longer.
| Christendom w;tits in fear, anxiety
and expectation" r>
There is no use of denying the fact
that, when the revolutionary changes
in the economic, system are compared
with the reactionary political action
of the people, there is grave danger
Of another sudden and blind upheayal