Hutchinson gazette., 1899-01-26
END OF COMPETITION.
UNABLE TO PREVENT TRUSTS.
WE MUST CONTROL THEM.
The Great Industries Have Passed Into
tho Hands Of syndioAteS and all That
Remains for the People 10 to Control
tho SyndlCAteL


The sun Of competition Ia getting In
the business world The great indus
tries OF the nation have passed into the
hands Of syndcates and monopolios.
The telegraph IN controlled by gi-
gantic trust for private profit The
railroads are operated by great COM
binations of capitalists, who levy ex-
orbitant tariffs, thus robblng the pro-
ducer and the consumer In order TO Sc
cure dividends on watercd stock and
TO pay prineely salaries TO the officers.
Petroleum, the light Of the poor man,
Is In the hands OF one OF ihe most
grasping trusts which has cursed any
land, trust which has crushed out
competition and resorted TO deeds,
which, II done by poor men, would
have been rewarded with the peniten-
tiary, The sugar consumed by the
millions passes through the hands OF a
band OF commercial bandits who,
through special privileges, obtained
through their influence over our legls-
lators, are enabled to levy an exorbi-
tant tariff on every man, woman and
child In the country who consume SUI
gar An equally oppressive monopoly
for plundering the people that few
individuals may become multl-million-
aires Is known us the beef trust II
has recently enormously increased the
price OF those parts Of the beef which
the poor man buys, while II has made
moderate Increase In the price OF
those parts used b. the rich The con-
Sideration for persons in easy circum-
stances was probably actuated by n
fear that the rich would not bear 80
great an increase as the poor. And so
we might continue to enumerato the
enterprises and industries in branch
after branch OF business which have
come into the possession of syndicatos,
trusts and monopolies 1t is difficult
to understand how any thoughtful
person can fail to recognize and ap.
preciate tho fact that competition is
doomed.
A few years ago when far.sighted
men and women insisted on govern
ment ownership Of natural monopolies,
the capitalists declared that the propo'
sition was thoroughly impracticablc,
that II would be impossible for the
government to operate these great
utilities, ana when the postoflice de-
partment the public schools, and other
Socialistic measures which are among
the most b0uehcent features Of modern
government were cited we were as
sured that they had been rendered
possible oaly through their very slow
growth, bnlt that no great enterprise
owned, controlled and operated by
numbers q rivals could successfully
pass into the hands Of single com
binatiou Ia short time. AS the agi-
tation weat on, however, the capital
lsts becams alarmed They saw that
hundreds Af millions Of dollars which
rightfully belonged to the people and
which would go toward making this
country the richest and most prosper
Gus nation on the globe would, through
governmental ownership, go into the
public treasury or remain with the
wealth creators, and thus the fabulous
fortunes which they were rapidly nc
quiring through special privileges
would be cut off and they would be
compelled to resort to the tedious
methods OF money making through
honest Industry II they continued in
businesp, while the enormous amounts
which they were able to realize through
usury would also be less secure, as
prosperity for the wealth-creators and
an overhowing national treasury would
be exceedingly unfavorable to the par
asites of property and the professional
gamblerA Hence they become alarm
lists and great political parties and par
tisan papers were enlisted against the
welfare Of the nation and the prosper
ity OF the bread-winners,
BY effecting combinations and hav-
ing great resources ut their command,
the trusts were able to curtail ex-
penses, save labor, and operate bus-
ness far more advantagcously and
economically than could small COM
peting firms, and thus they were soon
in condition where it was an easy
matter to crush out competitors,
which they did without compunction.
Next they contributed enormous sums
to each party for election funds. This
rendered 1t comparatively easy, as n
rule, to get, after election, what they
had in fact paid both parties for be-
fore election. But when other means
seemed to be required they have not
been slow to employ them. The shame
full sugar scandal in the United States
and the recent refusal on the part Of