The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-09-15
KINTZ TALKS
ABOUT TRUSTS.
A Prominent Laboring Man Dis
cusses Combinations.
SAYS THEY ARE HURrFUL
And Clearly Sets Forth the Reasons For
His Belief In an Interview--He
Favors Legitimate
Competition.

A News-Democrat reporter inter-
viewed Mr.. A. j. Kintz, the well known
economist, on the subject of trusts and
competition. Mr.. Kintz has an en-
viable reputation as an authority on
economic subjects and the important
questions of the day and his ideas will
be read with interest by all seeking a
clear knowledge of the political mat
ters near and important to their well
fare.
"Mr. Kintz, what do you think of the
idea of destroying competition?"
"Well," replied Mr.. Kintz, that is
the object of trusts, combines and
socialists, and 1 am in harmony with
none of them. There is, perhaps, not
another word in the English language
that is causing so much confusion and
misunderstanding in the discussion of
economic ideas as the word competi-
tion. Free competition Is an economic
principle that society can i'll afford to
dispense with, in fact 1t cannot dispense
with it If it would, for, competition is
part of natural law and while natural
law may be ignored or set aside by
society at society's expense, 1t cannot
be destroyed. But, while we want COM
petition, we do not want this jug
Handle species of competition.
What do 1 mean by jug Handle
competition?
when a foreign importer pays q
tariff duty on his goods and then is fore
ed to sell them in market in competition
with another who can smuggle his goods
through, that is jug Handle competi-
ton. The smuggler has the jug by the
handle, his competitor must grab this
jug where he can catch 1t. When a
western farmer ships his produce east
and pays all the freight that the traffic
will bear, and sells it in competition
with one who is allowed rebates and
other railroad advantages, that Is
jug Handled competition. When a lot
of landless laborers must sell their
labor in a market already overfilled
with labor as a result of land monopoly
and other monopolies, that is jug Han
died competition, and such laborers
are lucky If they get hold of the jug at
all, much less get it to their mouths.
They must be content to moisten their
parched throats with the scanty drops
that trick oveler ch-obuxteardc apma
| that trickle over from the accumulated
| store of the man who holds the Jug"
Rather a one sided kind Of competi-
| tion isn't it?"
when such questions as these are
asked: Who shall work? How much
shall he work? What shall he work at?
How much shall he receive? They
must be answered, either by competi-
tion or absolute authority, and 1t mat
ters little whether by the authority of
trusts or Of monopolies, of czar or of
majority of a trades union or by con-
sent. In any case the answer implies
compulsion, and, compulsion is always
obnoxious to Democratic ideas.
Mature has furnised a law to meet
every want known to human life, and,
human nature being egotistic rather
than altruistic, free competition is neces-
sary to attain an end which would be
just and fair in the dealings between
man and man. Were human nature
altruistic competition would still be
necessary to arrive at just result, al
though it's principles would work ex-
actily opposite to the first instance
Economic truths and principles can not
be dispensed with. Do away with all
monopoly which makes competition
jug Handled and all will have ar
equal opportunity to handle the jug
Justice can ask no more. But monop-
oly's grinding heel has not yet sufficient
strength to suppress entirely the cries
for justice emanating from the half
choked throats of the oppressed, and
justice will have it's due"