Willmar tribune., 1899-07-26

zion of the wreck and ruin trusts are causing. and
In the law he is IN es Is las Us
most eloquent protest."
The Author of "Beu Hur" Speaks.
Mr.. Wallace is quoted as saying:
s nsS h?s
nhrSRef 1hsr on and officers who VII
buildings Of the Wire Fence % co@pany %re 1aes mon
OF ty IT @ S
This strangling of business enter rprses must stop
wsas % e"RPsH &
sense of the word. Trusts proper are attended
from the workingmen and reduce them to 'o con-.
sSS to
late the price of u product, whatever it may be-
The Trust in Minnesota
In concluding its editorial the Times said:
"A power that desolates our villages and
renders the farmers burden heavier than
ever strikes at the very foundation of the
cOuntry's prosperity Very true. This
article appeared in the Times on July 3rd.
On the very same day there appeared in the
Minneapolis Journal an article excusing the
existence of trust which, if it succeeds in
it's objects, will indeed desolate many vii
lage and truly add to the farmers burdens.
There also appeared in the Journal on the
same day an editorial deprecating any ac-
tion on the part of the states attorney look
ing toward the prevention of this trust and
taking the position that this particular trust
was really not trust at all-mere]y ''east-
ern capital seeking western investment
If 1t was not permitted to enter the state and
do business, then it would not make sundry
vague investments which were further prom
ised as the price of ignoring state law Mr.
Lew Wallace calls for ''prOper legislation
and officers who will not shirk their duty.''
The state of Minnesota has already provided
"prOper legislation but on the first inti-
nation that it's officers intend to at least try
to do their duty, one of the leading journals
of the state calls halt lest the state frighten
away "eastern capital seeking western in
vestment," and the Prominent Citizen lifts
his deprecating hand and deplores any ac-
tion on the part of the states authorities
calculated to limit the aggressions of foreign
capital. This is exactly the way trusts get
their footh0ld. After they are secure in pos
session no power short of revolution can
dlslOdge them. The time to kill a trust is
before it has fully hatched, and yet the man
who dares raise his voice in advance of a
trusts coming is looked upon as an alarm
ist, a foe to eastern capital and more or less
of crank. The Prominent Citizen who
may perhaps have thing or two which he
himself would not mind selling out to trust
for round sum, looks askance at anti trust
laws. Openly he denOunces trusts in the alb
stract, but when the trusts representative
appears with his little check it is a
different matter altogether. The entire basis
of the modern trust is mans cupidity. The
trust-maker invariably proceeds with his
schemes on the supposition that every man
has his price, and it must be sOrrOwfully ad
mitted that nine times out of ten he is right.
Doubtless the Charlottesville press was in
duced by the Prominent Citizens interested
in the transfer of the local properties to the
trust) to believe that the incoming interest
was not trust but merely ''eastern capital
seeking western investment, to be cordially
welcomed and to be discouraged only by the
towns i'll wishers. Doubtless the smooth
agent of the trust-hired for the purpose
reassured the public through the complai-
SAINT press that the change in ownership
meant nothing but good to the town; there
was probably much speciOus talk about
Crawfordsville's natural advantages and
subtle suggestion that the capacity of its
plants would doubtless be immensely in
part of the game, we'll understood by all ex-
perts in trust-making. So public opinion
was quieted until the clever and unscrupul-
Gus trust agents obtained entire control.
Then, when fair words were no longer neces
sary, the iron hand within the velvet glove
began to be felt, and the end was the condi-
ton which rOuses Mr.. Lew Wallace, novel;
ist and statesman, from his pleasant work
in his library to a realizing sense of the
misery about him and sets him to work man.
fully to wage war against the common ene-
nv. Whatever may be the ultimate result
there is no relief in sight for the little town
which the trust now dominates. It is doomed
to struggle with idleness and poverty and
see the total decay of it's once fourishing
industries, while it's distinguished citizen is
striving to lock the door now that the horse
is stolen and the thief has gotten away scot
free.
To prevent the formation of trust or
anything of the trust nature in the -four
making Industry is exactly what the North
western Miller seeks to do. Minneapolis is
the largest milling center of the world. 1t
is the gateway through which flour trust
must enter in order to conquer the trade.
As far as Minneapolis itself is concerned,
if it's millers are willing to sell out to trusts,
: if its press looks on with Indifference while
the city's most famous industry is being
captured, if it's citizens do not take enough
interest to manifest their disapproval of
treachery and insist that the states laws
must be enforced in spite of deprecating
Prominent Citizens and subservient news
papers, it is no concern OF this Journals.
It is not g. local paper and it's province is
not to look after local interests. IT it were
possible for the flour trust to capture the
mills of Minneapolis and not thereby to- af-
feet the rest of the milling field, the North
western Miller would feel that it's full duty
had been done when it sounded g. warning.
If the local millers, the. local press and the
4 citizens generally did not care. enough for
/ the city's interests to defend them and en-
force the law it would be their lookout.
4 Unfortunately, however, the fate OF Minnea-
polls affects the entire trade, and 1t the