Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1899-07-07
Let us Discriminate.

The following article has been contrib
uted to our columns by Lee Davis Lodge,
Phi. D., President of Limestone College,
Gaffney, South Carolina:
Already the leaders of the great political
parties are beginning to consider what shall
be the slogans with which to rally the clans
for the struggle of 1900. Among the battle
cries suggested for the Democratic party,
Down with the Trusts" is one of the most
popular. Beyond the shadow of doubt
this cry comes from the heart of people
who are being crushed in the ever tighten
ing coils of the Python OF monopoly. That
serpent has defiled our halls OF Legislation
with his slime, tempted high executive
officers from the path OF virtue with MS
DEVILS tongue, and even besmirched the
Judge upon the bench.
The economic evils that come in the train
of many trusts are also exceedingly serious.
Many such combinations of capital in their
greed for gain give evidence of belief In
the old adage that "a corporation has no
body to be kicked and no soul to be
damned" and they proceed to act upon
that belief, pillaging the people with a reck-
lessness and ruthessness that would nave
made the robber baTons OF the middle ages
stare and gasp. There is then real basis
OF solid fact for this complaint against trusts.
But are all trusts badN Must all trusts goY
We think not. Sweeping denunclations,
in which no exceptions are recognized as
possible, are seldom justified by the lacts.
There are, we believe, some trusts that are
good in every way. They are simply the
last term of economic evolution. they
have come as natural and necessary re.
suit of the vast industrial development OF
mt n
magnitude of those now being carried on in
the United States are impossible without
the vertebra column and nervous system
furnished in the organization OF the trust.
Everybody understands and admits the i'm
portance and necessity of the simple cor
poraton. What individuals cannot by any
possibility do in developing great indus
try, the corporation, by combining the capt.
tai of individuals, can accomplish with The
greatest ease. Now, just as corporations are
bodies made up of individuals, precisely so
trusts are bodies made up OF corporations.
| If it is a good thing for individuals To go
| into partnership or form corporation, unit
| ing their capital IN order to do business on
| large scale, and thus effecting economics
| in production, why is it not good thing
| for corporations, seeing that great savings
| may be made, the processes oil manufacture
cheapened, the cost OF their product lowered,
and their markets widened, why, we say, is
! it not a good thi.g tor those corporations
to join forces, organize production, put the
business under the best direction and find
| their reward in the larger sales which lower
prices, made possible by the combination,
will surely bring themp Such combina-
| ton ia trust. Such trust justities Itself
| by its fruits. 1t deserves public :avor be-
cause il renders public service. We know
how seldom it ID that trust confines itsell
strictly to this legitimate business. we
know how many trusts, in fieecing the
people, limit what they do only by what
| they dare. Still we must insist that the
principle of trust, if it be not an unprln-
cipled trust, is a good one.
BY all means let us fight the bad trusts.
But let us fight intelligently. Let us dis
criminate. There are at least three kinds
OF trusts First, those which have arisen In
obedience to the natural law oil economic
growth, the good trusts OF which we have
Just spoken; second, the trusts which grow
up like rank weeds out OF the fertile soil OF
protectionism, trusts protected from foreign
competition by the Chinese wall OF tariff
| duties and from home competition by
patents; third, the trusts which are based
on patents, charters, and franchises granted
eminent 1t is against the strongly intrench-
ed positions of the last two kinds OF trusts
that we must lead the serTled columns OF
the people When trust, depending on the
| tariff for its existence robs the people, the
remedy is pain-tear down the wall OF
| tariff duties. As to the trusts of the third
| class we must have some notifications OF
the patent laws which will subject the opera
tons of trusts doing business under the pro-
lection of patents to inspection and, in case
of need, to restraint by a court or commission
composed OF jurists and business experts;
we must insist that charters and franchises
shall be 80 drawn at the outset as TO pro-
tect the rights OF the communities; and we
must punish with political death any man
who, IN legislative hall or council, betrays
the people who called him to his high post.
In our warfare upon illegltimate trusts we
may, perhaps, find the following thoughts
of some value. To save space we Will sum
Marie them in the form Of exhortatlons {:
Let US not be extremists, condemning the
good and bad alike let US insist that the
calcium light of publicity be turned upon
the operations Of trusts let US break up
illegal bargains with railroads and steam
ships by insisting that the common law as
to common carriers be rigidly enforced let
US utilize the power granted Congress 10
regulate commerce among the several States;
much can be accomplished in abating abuses
through the fundamentally of the Inter
State Commerce Commission last and far
from least, let US choose for our public Of
ficers men of tried integrity, Of sound sense
and of clear vision, instead of selecting, as
we too often have done in this country,
demagogues of shallow brains and no con-
science TO represent US, and arrant knaves
to be our rulers. We complain that the
trusts corrupt our public men. But no man
can be corrupted unless he be corruptiole.
II we choose corruptible men, known to be
so, we, the people, are to blame no less than
the trusts that give the brides TO the rascals
h.u L. INN