The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-06-27
THE BABY ARGUMENT.
A Feeble Attempt TO Make an Argu-
ment In Favor of Trusts.

A Trust is an aggregation of capital
to control branch Of manufacture and
the trade in such article.
A multiplicity of Trusts means the
control by aggregated capital of the
and trade of the whole
country.
To succeed, these Trusts must crush
out all the small factories and small
traders, or make the latter simply their
agents, working for what
they please to give them.
Such a condition Of affairs will result
in throwing out of work, hundreds Of
thousands of men who are employed il
small factories and trades, throughout
the country.
There is no disputing any one of these
propositions. The first three will be
admitted by all who are intelligent.
The last Is conceded in the arguments
made in behalf of the Trusts. They
tell us that Trusts will be a blessing,
because by enlarged capital and great
plants they will be able, /. To buy raw
material cheaper; 2. To manufacture
cheaper; 8. To place their goods upon
the market cheaper. And that they
will give the people cheaper goods and
better goods, and that the masses will
thus be benefited. This is the sole
argument that is made for Trusts; and
boiled down, it is: An economy in the
production and delivery of goods, which
must result to the benefit of the con-
sumer.
The premises are correct, but the
argument or conclusion is fallacious.
1t being true that Trusts will enable
aggregated capital to buy cheaper, this
is an argument showing that the pro-
ducer, whether he be laborer or farmer,
will get less for his products or his
labor. If the Trusts close the small
factories in order to manufacture more
economically at some big factory, it
will throw out Of employment hundreds
of thousands who are employed in the
small factories, and their claim is that
they will thus save by economizing
labor. And as they say they will econ
omize by having less agents and traders
to sell their goods, here is another army
of men who will be thrown out of en-
iployment. In their own statement of
the case, therefore, they admit that
the prevalence of Trusts will throw out
of employment hundreds of thousands
of men; it will crush out competition;
it will drive the small trader from bust
ness; and 1t will make the masses of the
country their servile customers and will
enable the Trust millionaires to live as
lords, and spend their ill-got millions
tramping through Europe with theil
J families, hunting impecupious counts
} and no accounts, to marry their daugh
: ters.
Those who favor Trusts tell us this
will be desirable condition, because Il
will economize labor and reduce the
cost Of living to the people.
Is it desirable to build up class O
| people, in this country, who will b.
} aristocrats and snobs, who will have i
in their power to make every chilt
brought into being in the country
dependent on them, as to what shall b.
its trade or calling in life; who will Fl.
the.measure of its wages, and its hour
of toll when grown; and who will hav,
the power, in spite of all the child AM
its parents can do, to mark out its des
tiny? This is what the success o
Trusts will bring about. There will b.
no escape from it.
Monopoly is always curse. Compe
: tition has always been the life Of trade
: Poverty has always had to kiss the ham
of wealth. Dependence of the man.
! upon the wealthy few has resulted il
, the labor conditions that have existe'
in Europe, and made oppression Of tn
8 masses possible. And the same condi
q tions will bring the same results here
Our fathers in leaving Europe fed n
more from the tyranny of Governmen
= than from the social caste that existe,
r there. And if we by law permit thes
b same business and social conditions t
+ become rooted here, the independents
4 and liberty of the people will become
v Imockery.
n 1t Is not true that cheaper goods TO
s the people will necessarily be bless
!. ing. If it is secured by creating wild
difference and an almost impassabl
barrier between the masses and tn
- wealthy and controlling few, it is nc
true. If it is secured by concentratin
the wealth Of the country in the hand
;. of the few, it is not true. If it j
= secured by taking from the people thei
work, which is their only capital an
gives them their only ability to buy,
!. is not true. "What difference will
.. make to man, how cheap he can bu
coat, II he can't make the money wit
which to buy it?"was the favorite repl
Of the tariff advocate to the man VIII
said that free trade would enable th
working men to get cheaper clothing
And the argument was unanswerabl,
z And of what avail would it be to th
man thrown out of work by the closin
down of small factories to tell him tn,
the Trusts would enable him to bu
g. their goods cheaper.
Of Let nobody be deceived by the fall
d, cious arguments of the Trusts. Trus
ID can only gain what the masses los
l. and when their millions are multiple
"A L. or,,ah;cr ont svnoI foo<nrioo ou