The labor world., 1899-04-01
Trusts: and
Socialism
The Thinking Rich See That
Coming Events Cast Their
Shadows Before.
From Harpcr's Weekly.
N the introduction of his Democ-

L racy in America, de Tocqueville
asked: TT is credible that the
/ democ cracy which has annihilated the
feudal SYSTEM, and vanquished kings,
will respect the citizen and the capi-
talist. Will it stop now that it has
grown so strong and it's adversaries SO
weak?" We are inclined to think that
the answer to the question depends up
OH the citizen and the capitalist them
selves. They may escape an exper-
ience with tyrannous socialism if they
can do only by bending the law of
natural selection by whose action men
of t, ,he best trading attainments gain
the. largest wealth and reach the high
est power. The evolution Of the best
men-the best economically and COM
mercially-mustn not be permitted to-
go to the point where capital becomes
the tyrant, for such a tyranny will
surely be followed by the tyranny of
the community, or by Socialism. i
1t is time to consider the question
of trusts carefully. During the win
ter which has just passed, the news
papers have contained, almost daily,
numerous accounts of the formation
of trusts. Never before in the history
of the country have so many powerful
combinations of corporations and capi-
tai been brought into existence. It is
safe to say that the manufacture and
sale of nearly every article of COM
mon need and convenience are con-
trolled by a trust, as transportation
is largely, and as LABOR is almost en-
tirely. Millions of dollars are congre-
gated together and organized for the
purpose of monopolizing trade. This
enormous power may he, and gener-
ally is, productive of great good. It
is wonderful labor-saving machine,
and therefore reducer Of the cost OF
production, and the consumer reaps
the benefit in lower prices, in increas-
ed comfort, and in a large saving OF
time in travelling. It not only puts
money in the pocket OF the sharehold-
ers, by making capital safer and its
earnings surer, but 1T vastly increases
wages and their purchasing power.
The mere momentum Of capital, as it
flows forth from these mighty reser-'
voirs which we call trusts, brings
blessings to the whole community.
But there are evils as we'll, not to
speak of the sense Of injustice which
is inseperable from the general con-
sciouness that, great as are the bene-
fits to the consumer from combina-
tions, he nevertheless does not get
what lie believes to be his due.
Modern industrial life is greatly
changed by the trusts. We have not
only new business methods, but new;
social and political conditions, on ac-
count of the growth of this new power.
Capital not only controls the business
of manufacturing and distribution,
but it has entered politics, and it often
stands for the government. Here i'll
New York, for example, The citizen has
little to hope for when a great cor
poration or a trust joins with the poll
ticians of Tammany Hall to transform
an avenue, daily crossed by thousands
of school children, into a four-tracked
railway, menacing to life and injur-
ious to property. We have had
startling charge made within few
days to the effect that the Standard
Oil Company offered brioe of hum
dreds of thousands of dollars to an
attorney ey-general of Ohio, in order, it
is presumed, that it might enjoy the
opportunity of defying the law. We
do not know whether this charge be
true or false, but we do know that
the country mas got ,nto the habit Of
believing that corporate wealth buys
what it wants from the politicians.
We know, for instance, that CONNER
cial and transportation corporations
are stronger than unorganized society;
we even know that one railroad cor
poration is stronger at Albany than
this great municipality; that the
rights of the individual are often ig-
nored or outraged, either by cor
porations and trusts themselves, or
by government acting under the in
fuence, sometimes Dy the bribes, of
corrupt corporations. The officers of
corporations have confessed more than
once that they bribe the bosses of
both political parties, sometimes il or
der to secure immunity from breaches
Of the law, sometimes to procure the
right to violate the law Systematically,