Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-09-20

w q. d
The lament Of David over Aasalom IS
ore of the most pathetic passages of the
Old Testament. The fact that the son
was in rebellion against civil as well as
parental authority did not shake the IA
theirs affection, and The anxious query.
Is the young man, Absa.om, safe.
fingers in the memory OF ell Who study
the life C. the great Hebrew King. And.
yet the interest Which David fell IN MS
son, Ahsalom, has its parallel in the more
than l0,cCo,0o0 families which make up
the American people.
NO language can descri.S no.hel
love. Or overstate the abiding lhlefcse
which the father feels II. the welfare pi
his child. From the time when the MON
er's life hangs In the balance at the sos
birth until the death of the parents tHeIe
is scarcely a waking hour when .!'e In
is not present in their thoughts and plans
1t is TO this parental dcvouca. so Uni
Nersally recognized. that l desire 10 ap-
peal ON this occasion.
APP VA "a lnrentalDev
would cal the attention of every "a
Their and mother to present political ana
industrial conditions. i would ask them
I" analyze these conditions investigate
SHS1a causes ana lnelr leilueHSiS'9.
would press upon them this question:: is
the young man. :.eAsalom, safe? Are
You satisfied with the possibilities and the
probabilities which now open before your
son:
Is he safe when foreign or domestic
financicrs are allowed to determine the
monetary system under which he lives?
is he safe when national banks control
inc volume of money with which he does
business?
is he safe when the bond holding class
determines the size of the national debt
upon Which he must help TO pay inter-
est?
is he safe when by means of taxes laid
almost entirely upon consumrtion he is
compelled to contribute according to his
wants rather than accord nE to his pcs
sessions
is he safe when corporate interests In
nuence as they DO today the selection
OF those who Are to represent him in the
Senate of the Omitted States?
III he Is n wage-earner. and you do not
Know how soon he may be. even If he is
not now. Is he safe when he is liable
TO be deprived of trial by jury. through
the system known as government by in
Junction?
lis he safe, if a lahoring man. when he
Is denied the protection of arbitration and
compelled to submit to such hours and
terms as a corporate employer may pro-
pose?
The Reign Of Monopoly.
But desire To call special attention to
the growth of the trusts, and to ask You
whether Your son is safe under the reign
# private monopoly? If YOU cannot leave
him fortune. you can leave him some
thing more valuable than money. viz:
the freedom To employ his own brain
and his own hands for the advancement
OF his own welfare When there is in
dustrial Independence. each citizen is
stimulated
hope of being able 10 profit by his OWL
genius. his own energy, his own industry
and his own virtue. But when private
monopoly reaches its full development
each branch of industry will be controlled
by one. or a few men. and the fruits of
monopoly, like the divine right of rule
will be Kept within the possession of
few from generation to generation, while
the real producers of wealth will be con-
demned TO perpetual clcrkship or servi-
tEde. When private monopoly reaches its
full development, your son will buy the
finished prod.ct at the price which mon
opoly fixes: he will sci! raw material at
the price which monopoly fixes: and If
ne works for wages, he will work for
such compensation and upon such con-
ditions as monopoly may determine.
Charles r. Flint of the Rubber Goods
Manufacturing Co. i'm a speech delivered
in Boston on the 25th of May, 1899. out
lined the trust program With great frank
be derived from the trust system he said:
outline of Trust Program.
"Raw material bought i'm large guam
titles is secured at lower prices. When,
for instance, one man buys al, the wool.
the price of Wool Will be lowered and all
who prcd;ce wool Will sell AT the price
fined by The trust. A large proportion
of our people are engaged in the produce
tion of various kinds of raw material. ans.
they are thus placed at the mercy Of the
combinations.
The second advantage is that those
plants which are best equipped and mos
advantageously situated are ran ccn;inu-
ously and in preference TO those less fa-
NorPG."
This means that factories can be closed
in the smaller towns and business con-
centrated in the large centers. 1t means.
also. that whenever there is surplus
hand. part of the factories can be closed,
and the burden of maintaining prices
thrown upon the wage workers. There
are already scattered throughout the
land idle plants, which stand silent
monuments to the evils OF the trust sys-
tom.
The next advantage mentioned is that
lin case of local strikes and fires, the
work goes or elsewhere, thus preventing
serious loss.
This means that a monopoly can abso-
lutely control its worlingmen, for if u
strike occurs in n factory in one state,
the factory can be closed down Indefinite
ly while the employees are starved into
submission. and. as the trust can do the
work in some other factory without scri-
GUS loss, it is quite Independent of the
employees and can absolutely prescribe the
terms and conditions upon which they
shall live. The more complete the mon
opoly the more opposed the managers
will be TO arbitration, because, in case
of any contest between the trust and it's
employees, the trust will have every adj
vantage and the employees will be per-
fecty rowerlcss.
Another advantage cited by Mr.. Flint
is that There is multiplication of the
means of distribution and a better force
of statesmen will take the place of a large
number.
Drummers Dispensed With.
This is an intimation that under the
trust system the travelling salesman VIII
not be needed. When every retail mer-
chant must buy all goods of one class
from e single company. the work can be
done by samples, and no travelling men
will be needed. There will be no com
petition between different factories be-
cause all are under one management.
The first man to feel this will be the
salesman, who will lose his occupation.