The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-07-05

Df Judge Van wyck and claim him as
one OF them. They admire his great abn-
ty his sterling democracy and his M
nate gentility. They particularly tudre
The gallant race he made for Govc~nol
last November, when ne came with gAt-
zen thousand votes of overcoming the
adverse majority Of two hundred ana
sixty thousand and would have co aplete-
by done SO but for the military hurrah
his opponent aroused which swept 80
many young men on their feet and OUT
Of their heads
This question Of trusts has lately
aroused such interest that demostaua
leaders and even Republicans All owe,
the land have taken It up. and it IS safs
to say that IL will be one OF the leading 81
lssuess. if rot the leading issue Ia the
next campaign we all admit hat con-
solidatlon Is the spirit OF the asc and
that universal tendency resulting from
modern machinery Is to blend men intol
the mass and destroy his Individuality
TO make a mere machine of HIM. Butt
surely governments should not accelerated
but should counteract this tendency asI
much as possible by placing upon him
individual responsibility for his share OIL
current events we all admit too that
capital which is Indispensable to progress|
has rights and one of these rights Is the
right of contract. Mankind has rights too
and one OF these is 10 abolish any system
or conditions whcn Mitigate against the
public good or places the power in the
hands one man to crush another or
which tends to degrade man into selfish
soulless. nfeless machine
If 1t be said that antitrust laws violate
the right to contract. we reply that there
are many laws which volae such right,
such as the law against usury. gaming,
doing business on Sunday etc. anu the
wisdom OF these laws have never been
successfully assailed. No man or corpora
ton has the inherent right to make con-
tracts in violation Of public policy or
contrary TO the interests OF humanity
and the right to legslate against monop-
oiies is as old as the history Of jurisprud-
ence. This right was known TO the Ro-
man and Greclan peoples two thousand
years ago and TO our English, French
and German ancestors hundreds OF years
ago. But II is said that the trusts benefit
the people by reducing the price to corr
sumers of the articles manufactured. Re-
cent experience in the formation OF trusts
prove this not true. but the reverse IS.
This cannot be true. for what Is saved IN
the expense by consolidauon Is more than
lost in the interest charges on the water
IN the stocks and bonds which IS always
injected into the trust as profits to the
promoters and brokers who float the
scheme, and to pay for Improbable plants
which must be shut down OF course the
interest OF these watered stocks and
bonds must be added TO the cost Of the
articles and recent experience In nearly
every instance has shown the price Of the
article was Immediately advanced over
former prices II tms be true than the
ouly plausible argument yet advanced by
the trusts is found 10 ne unsound and
rhey serve no purpose eNcept TO crush
labor and pluck m8nkind n s impossible
for an Individual TO compete Wtti, them,
for q would not only be 20 engage In "a
struggle with competitor having sup
erior capital but with one clothed by
law villa privileges and franchises he
did not possess II would be an individual
attempting TO hght system, with the
result in no doubt whatever.
This fear Of monopolies on the part Of
the American people Is no dle fear No
man Of sense wishes 10 return TO the day
of the shoemaker with his awl. his pegs
and his lasts for the supply of shoes
and yet there are thousands Of good ciu-
zens who would view with alarm the
sight OF one trust controlling the output
OF every factory m the Unite states.
No sensible man wishes to go back 20 the
days OF the ia cumbersome stage coach
as means OF transportation, Eet there
are several million OF voters and good
citizens too, who would protest vehement
~ against one trust controlling every
mile % railroad in the country. There Is
a conservative middle ground between
lack OF progress on the one hand, the
gigantic monopolies on the other, and we
plant ourselves on The solid ground.
What has become OF that vast number
Of tradesmen in our cities, who genera
ton owned their own shops-men OF mod
crate. Independent means VINO did bus
mess for themselves? They have either
had 10 quit business or have taken EN-
ployment in the big stores where all IN
dividuality Is destroyed and servility Is
expected What win become Of these
thousands Of men ana women who are be
ing thrown out OF employment by the
formatin Of these gigantic trusts2 II ISL
no consolation for them TO know, II II
were true. which is not that a certain
article is being manufactured and sold
cheaper than ever before Mankind 10
live must WORK and must have an oppor-
tunity 10 work. II Is said that he accumu-
latlons Of the last six thousand years
would not sustain tAe world In .4leness
for three.
Mr. c. L. Dove Of this city, president %
the Commercial Travellers 4.atonal
League has stated before the Industrial
Commission that through the organiza-
tion Of trusts that over thirty-hye thous-
and travelling salesmen have been thrown
out Of employment ana twenty-five
thousand more have had their salaI .es
reluced Are we nearing the last days of
the festive drummer? The best patron OF
the hotel and railroad. the man who Is
always 70 be found In the smoking room |
in the sleeping car with the very newest
joke that's out, who knows everybody |
worth knowing, whose whole ma
ture is full OF charity and geniality. and |
who, all in an. Is the best fellow ia the |
world. II begins 10 look Ike his days |
are numbered and the trust Is the only |
thing on earth that could do II.
There are others. however who might
also be alarmed Il Is a fact well known |
to lawyers that the legal profession Is
becoming mole and more commercialized |
every day That Thousands OF lawyers !
who were once independent practitioners
are now mere employees Of corpora
lions. and tho profession IS fast losing /