The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-12-04
"COMPETITION
! IMPOSSIBLE
Where Combination Is Posi-
ble," Says Mr.. Frank Kessler.
A TIMELY PAPER ON TRUSTS
Read Before the Economic League
Wealth and Opportunities Passing
Into Hands of the Few--A
Summary OF Evils.

At q meeting of the Economic league
Wednesday night. Mr., Frank Kessler,
president of the Jefferson club, of
Stark county, delivered the following
paper on the subject of trusts:
When your committee invited me to
give short discussion of this phase
of the trust problem, Its evils" was
unaware Of the fact that the other parts
of this same subject were to be pre-
sented by such able thinkers and de-
baters as the gentlemen who have
preceded me. In the face of this fact
1t makes me feel as though / was un-
able to present the Evils Of trusts" as
forcibly and as cleverly as should be
done, in order to do justice TO the SUBJ
3ect and not weary my hearers.
During the course of the remarks,
which have been made, you have learn
ed What a trust is" "The extent of
trusts" THE causes of trusts" The
advantages of trusts" and now 1t
remains to be seen what the evils of
trusts are, and, in order to limit myself
as to time in the matter, l have writ
ten, in as few words as possible, my
ideas on the subject.
The object of trusts being to secure
industry, or commerce, to stifie whole
some competition, to decrease the cost
of manufacture and handling and to
limit production whereby larger profits
are made, then, the natural evils which
follow such intricate, subtle and secret
organization are many and extremely
dangerous to 80 per cent of the people
who constitute the middle and poor
90 hA ilc ba
summed up as follows:
First-Trusts, when being formed,
compel competitors to join their trust
or crush them out of their business by
putting the price Of their manufacture,
for a time being, so low that the small
manufacturer cannot continue in the
business longer after which prices of
their manufacture again go up. By
this means the individual independence
of man has been struck at and crush
ed. This tends to prevent and hinder
the free use of the human faculties and
the full development of human char
acter. Opportunities are closed to many.
The farmer, the ARTISAN and the trader
loses the fprodd position of being his
own MASTER. and instead of becoming
an independent people, we are FIST be-
coming dependent, which leads 70 serf-
dom. a SAf.
Second-In the organization of trusts,
great amount of watered stock is
issued on which interest must bespaid
all of which must be, gathered from the
consumers in the form of larger profits
in the sale of their goods. Then, again.
in the organization of a trust great
many stockholders, in the varioua
-,
persons on the outside, are induced y
take stock in the trust as matter
of speculation largely. When their
stock is thrown into the market, the
promoters bear the stock in the market
and wipe out these small holders, which
gives the entire ownership into the
hands of few and which is great in
justice to the small shareholders. -
Third--An old axiom is that Where
combination is possible, competition is
impossible" BY preventing competi-
tion, the trusts dictate prices of raw
material because there is but one pur-
chaser, and, vice versa, they dictate
prices to the consumer because there
is but one seller. - NPE
Fourth-By preventing competition
one set of officials does the business of
the heretofore 25 factories or business
houses, which have combined, leaving
the other to compete the remain
der of the people; one lawyer does the
business outside; one set of clerks takes
care of the entire business of the
combination, leaving the others idle
TO compete in the field Of wage earners;
one set of travelling men are only re-
quired instead of 25 sets as heretofore,
and, in fact none are necessary, where
no competition prevails. One adver-
tisement. one catalogue, and so on all
along the line of expenditure, the neces-
sity for labor and it's products are be-
ing cut down and limited. One banking
house is all that is now required,
whereas formerly 1t may have been
divided among a number of banks.
When the trusts once own many more
of our industries in the city of Canton,
our. banks here will have to combine
together into one bank to take care OF
the business that may be left to be
done in the way Of deposits by people.
Fifth--By preventing competition.
the price of trust commodities can be
enhanced or decreased at will. It must
be remembered that reduction In
price is not one OF the objects of these
organizations. II II occurs in any given
case, II is only because the interests OF
those managing the scheme are bene-
fitted.
Sixth--By preventing competition and
limiting production not only are prices
absolutely controlled. but the wage
earners, the producers, are absolutely
at the mercy of such organizations
Some Of the mills or factories of the
trust can be shut down, at any time
20 lessen production, throwing all the
men out Of employment. Or the wages
Of the men can be reduced and IL they
strike for what they deem just, right
and equitable, the mills can be closed
down indefinitely. When trusts are
once fully organized and grown, they
will have the producers and consumers
by the throat. Such a thing as arbi-
tration or trial by jury will be q