New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1900-02-17
| HE ENTERPRISE
AN EXAMINATION INTO THE moral,
STATURE or THE NATION.
OFFICIAL J~RNAL or IBERIA PARISH
AND TOWN or NEW IBERIA

II is at once amusing and dis
tresSing to note this nation writh
ing under wrongs which it has no
the humility to endure or the cour
age to crush. We lack virilty
We lack rude valor. We are as
rude mob. We deoline to let pub
lie good interfere with private com
fort or advantage. The American
nation to-day reminds me of 10
of "coon" politicians in couveD
ton assembled / 6yc reported
them frequently. Every one who
reaps no advantage from the pre-
arranged programme is kicker
AS soon as the kicker is "ixed'
he begins to "boost' the pro
gramme.
To-day a power mightier thar
ever was title in the old world
threatens to rule this government
indeed is ruling it. 1t operates
not with the ideal of nobility, but
with the talisman, money. Its
workings are through organization
more perfect than ever was that
with which mobility" maintained
its power.
A "Trust' has come to be the
technical name of this organization.
1t is plan of hold-up and general
robbery. 1t is a scheme to handi-
cap the activity of man, limit his
productiveness and the consequent
output in production and thus-the
supply being in arrears Of the de-
mand-to raise the price of the
commodity. 1t is robbery because
it enforcedly takes from every con
sumer a value greater than would
be if productiveness were not check
ed--if man were free TO mork.
The offense varies in gravity in
accordance with the nature of the
commodity "cornered" Z" Capital
which seized upon the bread sup
ply, for instance, would rob the
race, for every one has to have
bread. A trust in candies, on the
other hand, would probably be not
an unalloyed evil, for it would save
u multitude of doctors bills. All
are varying degrees of robbery
highway robbery.
note that Bishop Hugh Miller
6hompson is very sanguine that
The people of the United States will
crush the trusts and that the nation
will endure, as grand a republic as
it has ever been. He expressed
the sentiment ut the Arena club
popular meeting in this city the
other evening. | do not believe it.
We are destined to undergo new
experience in the. historyxuQf~s the
world--a financial or money despo-
tism. It will never be reached or
dethroned by Legislative enactment
or popular clamor. 1t will wedge
its way to the front and rule; rule
until it becomes unbearable. 1t
will eventually be ended in the
manner in which the sons of men
have always terminated despotic
power, by blood and swift, no-stop-
over trip passes to the other world.
The bulwark of American liber-
ties has been it's press. Just at
present the press is lifting its vast
voice against trusts in general
but one trust in particular. Why?
Because that one trust strikes di-
rectly at the press as u financial in
stitution. The paper trust will
minimize the dividends Of the most
prosperous papers, will wipe out
that of a still larger number, will
bankrupt an ever greater number.
That is why this protest is so earn
est--this fight SO furious. Up to
the time the matter became person
al and direct, what percentage of
the press would you find inveigh-
ing against a big, fat trust in any
line which would throw them heavy
advertising patronage. What can
be SO fine in most papers as any
play this trust might seek to exploit.
Look at the history of the New
York press on this subject at the
time that actors and managers were
fighting it. Suppose, on the other
hand, a theatre has a rich line of
patronage from various manufac-
turing trusts, what one of them
would have put on play whipping
the evil
If the white paper trust should
have the sagacity Of the theatrical
trust aud hold out to the leading
papers Of the country opportunities
of becoming interested to great f.
advantage in the trust what
Of them would be found
any longer inveighing against the
paper trustf What percentage,
indeed, would not have sound,
good, enthusiastic arguments in its
favori What ,,infnitessimal per-
centage would be found setting
conscience above policy-moral
honor against material richest
Who would be out Of the trust? The
weaker under-dog not worth pur-
chasing-the masses as against the
few.
We lack rude valor. We lack
We lack stern courage.
We are as a mob. So great will
his stature be who will rise to meet
the occasion and right the wrong
that he will be as the overtnrner Of
and monarchies of old.
So, trusts have come to stay.
They represent the power Of the
few over the vast masses. AS long
rs conditions are such as to permit
the units Of the vast masses to con-
slider personal advantage, as long
Is to serfdom are not added hun
ger and all the wrongs and suffer-
ing that clank at the heels of en-
trenched, proud vanity, you shall
,ao kho ,,oouorohv ~ oo,.itol rroE;o<p