The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1899-06-07
routteal NIonaee of tic trusts.

liz any CitiZen of this country
who keeps informed of the progress
of affairs can read of the tremend-
Gus growth of the trusts without
apprehension he must be gifted
with extraordinary nerve. The
whole business of the country is
rapidly becoming consolidated by
these gigantic combinations of Gap
ital. The figures representing their
resources and capitalization have
grown from hundreds of thousands
to millions and to billions, until
the public has become familiar with
the long lines of figures. Every
kind of business is coming under
the control of these trusts. Con-
solidation is the order of the day,
and he who runs may read the les
son. That it all means the death
of competition and the throttling
of the ordinary laws of trade and
commerce goes without saying.
Backed by n high protective tariff,
so that foreign competition may be
"stood Off" these aggregations of
capital have it all their own way,
their power to limit production and
control prices being absolute. AL
ready tho shadow of the new order
of things is on the land. The de-
partment store in the great centres
of trade constitute the beginning
of whit may be expected later on
mammoth establishments rising,
floor above floor, in which every
thing conceivable can be bought,
from u needle-full of thread to Il
steam engine, whore you can get
your tin pail mendcd, your horse
shod or any thing else done. A
fine convenience, truly! But think
of the thousands and hundreds of
thousands of honest, Independent
workmen and dealers that this
grand system will turn adrift to the
poor house or TO condition of serf-
dom from ono of independence
There arc hundreds of small dealers
in the great cities who have already
felt the pinch and have been driven
out of business by the new order OF
things which can only hasten on
the process of making the rich
richer and the poor poorer.
All this is bad enough and ser.
ious enough but it is not the worst
of it. There is much moro alarm
ing side to it. The trusts of the
country have yet only begun t.,
pool their interests and yet, we arr
told that 3,5l7,OOO men are already
employed by them. This estimate
is partly based on actual statistics.
and may be taken at least as fair
guess. Think for moment what
this means, in n political sense. NJ
one of ordinary intelligence need
to be told that the votes of those
3,5l7OO0 men will go whore tn,
trusts dictate. That is over % per
cent. of the total vote. Does any
one of ordinary intelligence AMI
comprehension need to be told that
here is n clear balance of power in
the States and in the Nation? Here
is the serious aspect of the case, and
this way lies the sure road to tho
placing of all political power in
the hands of few rich men. Ar.
gument is useless with any ono who
cannot see that there is danger
which threatens ominously. No
moral needs to be pointed. Think
it out for yourself There is no
community that has not felt the
bnlcful power of some giant corpOr-
alton over the ballot box Think
what it will be when all these giant
corporations combine in their own
interest, and against that of the
common weal.-Plattsburg, On. "
Republican.
May Both, Memorial, Day was Il
sad one this year. Added to the
secret grief of the INST are the