Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-03-09

and his none too urbane temperament
is badly soured.
This is an age of consolidation in
business. In every daily paper we
read Of the formation Of companies en-
bracing former rivals with each other
in various lines of enterprise. One
day it is a national wire company, in
Guiding practically all the wire manu-
faeturers in the country. The next it
is an amalgamation Of the shoe con-
Germs, the next Of the baking powders,
and so on. These are nothing but
trusts, pure and simple, yet the word
has become so common that people
have ceased to shudder when it is
spoken. So far has combination al
ready gone that a very large proper
ton of the industry OF the country is
already subject to trusts. Sugar, oil,
tin plate and many other commodities
have been controlled by trusts for quite
a period. 1t is not true, as formerly
believed, that all trusts are always a
public injury. They have grave posi-
bilities, it is true, but experience has
shown that these are seldom realized
They are usually tempered with reason
aud in their effort to control the prices
OF their products they are satisfied with
fair profits. The evils of eutthroat
competition are ten-fold more disas-
Tous than the operation of trusts. No
article ought to be put on the market
at so low "A price that the labor and
capital represented by it are not fairly
remunerated. The worst evil is that
while certain lines Of industry can
combine and protect themselves, others
ca mot and consequently not only lose
the benefit they might thus derive but |
have to pay tribute to the vast aggre- |
cations Of lthrepresented in trusts.
Some queer things happen under
our model form of government. When
war was declared against Spain last
year, Congressman fairly fell over each
other TO bring hostilities about. Day
after day, in both Senate and House.
the denuneiation OF Spain went on,
The president was abused because he
lacked nerve. Democrats WED with
and Populists with both
10 90 on speedy record in favor Of
Spain off the map. When
he war really opened, there was just
one member OF either house who left
his seat and went forth to fight the bat
les he had brought on. That was the
Did rebel brigadieT Joe Wheeler. There
were plenty of other men younger and
better able to 90, but they staid in their
seats and kept on lighting with their
mouths. Wheeler went down to Cuba,
md, grizzled old man that he was, no
LANCER or hardship deferred him from
performing his duty in a manner that
should have won him the highest mill
AIRY rank. When the war was over.
&c came back and without ostentation
gain took his seat in the House In
tead OF being greeted as the one hero
II that body, he was met with a sum- t
mons to show why he should longer :
lold his seat IN Congress. His Demo-
ratio associates had trumped up
barge that he could not hold place
n the army and in Congress at once '
md that he must resign. What a fine
pectaclei A soldier who had shown
lis devotion in his declining years to /
he flag he had once fought against
,i.loried as ineligible to Congress
Baby" Bailey succeeded in getting (
eport from the committee to which
he question was referred adverse to !
zen. Wheeler. To the credit OF the
lembers, the House finally declined to {
onsider the report and Wheeler was
ermitted to hold his seat in this per- /
lnctory way up to the close of the ses-
ion. Such was his reward for buck 4,
no on the sword. The sacred consti- c
ltion was invoked to show that the :
alton was in dire peril if the man of
II the many who backed up his vote {
18th his sword were permitted to again i
ssociate officially with those who I
ought safely in the rear. The punish
lent will doubtless be sufficient to
reserve the future members of Con-
ress from any danger that some of /
heir number viii trail sacred tradi- 8
on in the mire and 90 off to a wicked +
ar that Congress has itself declared. a
hough he is a Democrat and an old Z
abel, we could cheerfully vote for Joe
Wheeler for vice-president on the Nc
.inley ticket of 1900. o
A Card. n