The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-09-26
M,.LEAN'S POSITION ON THE TRUSTS.
Nus, September 22, 1899.

y Nus, September %, 1899.
,.,,, aI ~, 'ou read the Bourke
Cochran speech at Ch.
"Yes." ;,
"What did you think of IT. Same
Nothing at all; lot of words. nh
of the eastern papers seem to find n1h>
in it. but 1 must say that it dos not
strike me with any force. Mr.. Cochran
is a splendid talker. He can afford to
pay compliments to orators, not fearing
competition himself. The trust-the
trust of oratory--he can afford to pat
on the back. AS for any arguments, or,
in fact, as to anything about trust,
he does not seem to know anything
of It. He starts out by saying that he
does not know what trust means and
will somebody please explain to him.
He wants to know who Is hurt, and
where? Where has this octopus got
possession of somebody? On whom is
it acting? Where is its lair? He talks
about a hydra-headed monster
"Mr. Cochran makes the charge that
there is nothing menacing about trusts.
In fact, his Chicago speech was a
wordy tumble and a declaration that,
because he did not know anything about
q trust, such thing did not exist. That
is a poor argument. While Mr.. Cochran
knows a great deal, there is q great
deal that he does not know. Mr.. Cock
ran Is essentially q talker, not q busi-
ness man. and do not believe that he
has ever examined into what is called
q trust. A trust is a very simple thing
to understand, and, understood, will be
regarded by every business man as
threat, as menace, to business affairs.
Let me illustrate trust as 1t works
when put into practical shape.
IT know a city where there were IL
separate, distinct street railways Each
one had it's charter or franchise, and
was working under 1t. Each road had
a president, a vice-president, board of
directors, superintendent, treasurer
and secretary, q set of bookkeepers, a
set of clerks and sets of workingmen to
build, relay and repair the roads. A
combination of capital was gotten to-
gether. They said, we will buy these
roads as cheaply as possible, bringing
all the paraphernalia of business to bear
threats of competition, threats of par
alleling, 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 treas
urer, one superintendent, one set of
workingmen. The plan was carried
into execution. OF II roads 10 were
bought up, 10 presidents were done away
with, and 10 sets of officers and 10 sets
of workingmen. Where each road had
it's president, it's officers and it's work.
ingmen, it is now under a single head.
For illustration, say there were 300
workingmen doing the mechanical work
of the IL roads. Now, suppose, so men
can do the work. The capitalists argued
where 300 men were employed by the
week, we will need only So 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
by our own cars. See the saving, gentle
men! See what that trust or that
combination-I don't care what you call
it-effected. Ten presidents were set
adrift, 10 sets of officials on the lines
salaried men-were set adrift, book
keepers, clerks and workingmen. The
electricians of the electric roads and
the engineers of the cable roads were
were dismissed, or are fast being put
aside, and one compact body is doing
the work. What is to become of them
The salaries that these officers and
workingmen 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 10 presi-
dents of the 10 sets Of officers of the 10
sets of workingmen? 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 a part of the
earnings of the combine. That COM
bine we know today as a trust.
"This is a practical illustration of
what a trust can do and has done. /
think a fair business answer to Mr..
Cochran, or any other gentlemen who
says that he does not know what a
trust means.
"Now the remedy! Mr.. Cochran
proclaims that publicity will do the
work. What will publicity do or what
relief will it give that the people have
not today? Any man who is anxious
to know the workings of a corporation
can easily find their capital, look at
their expenses, approximate the revenue
then know what must be the earnings
The only practical remedy that sug-
gests itself to my mind would be limit
as to capitalization and the profits on
the capitalization. Show profits today
where they can have a safe and secure
investment of per cent, and as water
runs to the lowest spot and gas to the
. highest, so will the dollars chase each
' other to get to that point. After a
public franchise has been given to q
corporation for certain period of time
1 would then say, gentlemen, wher
your earning reach an excess of fail
per cent, then the public must be g
sharer in your profits. So much of ar
excess in advance or beyond a fail
per cent must & to the extinguishine
of our municipal debt, If we have one
or to the maintenance of our schools
or keeping and caring for our parks
90 a.I a,