The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-16

Der contained a special dispatch from
Indianapolis setting forth the complaint
made by the anthracite coal miners. In
the dispatch | read the following state
ment made by one of the miners: 1T is
merely question whether the men would
starve to death at work or starve in idle
ness" The dispatch also contains the
following figures in regard to wages, said
to have been furnished by a member of
the national board of the United Mine
Workers of America, viz: Average daily
wages received by miners, $135 average
wage of day men at Mines 80 cents" Let
the parent calculate the annual income
of a miner, and figure out, if he can,
how the miner is going to keep himself
and support his family under present con-
ditions, and then let the parent ask him
self whether he is willing to have his
son take his chances with the miners. Is
it due to natural or TO human laws that
the producer of wealth fares so poorly,
while the man at the head of a monopoly
secures SO much.
ALL MONOPOLIES ARE BAD.
Those who attempt to divide private
monopolies into good monopolies and bad
monopolies will never make any progress
toward the overthrow of the trusts.
There is no good monopoly in private
hands; there never was, and never will
be. With all the advancement in civiliza-
ton man is still too selfish to be trusted
with the absolute control of that
which his fellows must have. The Re-
publican party has no remedy for the
trusts. Publicity is good, but publicity
alone is not sufficient. The practices of
the trusts must not only be made known.
they must be prevented. The Democrat
ic platform contains demand for legisla
tion which will place trust made articles
on the free list. There is no doubt that
such a law would protect the people from
much of the extortion which is practced
under cover of high tariff laws. If a tariff
duty excludes the foreign product while
domestic manufacturers combine to raise
the price of home products, the American
citizen may be plundered here, while the
trust sells abroad in competition with the
world 1t may not be out of place to
suggest that l introduced bill eight
years ago providing for this remedy, but
we are not willing to stop a. one remedy,
we desire to apply every remedy within
the power of the State and Federal gov
ernments Congressional action is not
necessary to destroy a trust which con-
fines its operations to a single city, or
single State. Such a trust can be exter
minated by State legislation. 1t is with
in the power of the State to prescribe the
conditions upon which corporations shall
be organized, and these conditions should
be such as to make private monopoly
place limitations uoon outside corpora
tions doing business within the State.
This, however, is not sufficient Con-
gress must cooperate with the State in
preventing the organization of any inter-
State MONOPOLY Without impairing the
present authority of the State, Congress
can provide that corporations organized
in any State shall not do business outside
of the State until certain necessary con-
ditions are complied with. II the people
of any State are willing to create and
continue a monopoly, the people Of other
States need feel no concern. so long as
the monopoly is confined to the State in
which the corporation originates. But
the moment a monopoly crosses the State
line and invades other States. Congress
has a right TO, and must, interfere for
the protection of the public at large. If
a corporation organized in New Jersey, or
any other State, were prohibited from en-
gaging in interstate commerce until it
produced evidence to show that there was
no water in its stock. and that it had
not attempted, and was not attempting
to monCpolize any branch of industry, its
power to DO harm would at once be de-
stroyed. An honest corporation engaged
in legitimate business, ought to join
in the enactment of laws, which will pro-
tect them and the public from the indus
| trial highwaymen who commit larceny
upon a grand scale. Those who desire
the humiliation of the trusts are not
hostile to property rights, but they pro-
test against allowing the fictitious per-
| ration, to tramplc upon their rights of
the natural man of flesh and blood. II
the man-Tnade corporation supports the
Republican party, we ought to be able
to appeal for support to the God made
man.
RAILROAD ORGANISATIONS.
The railroads have by determinations
and rebates materially aided in build
ing up monopolies. At one time the
Standard Oil Company had a contract
with a railroad whereby it not only en-
ioyed lower rates than its competitors
but received a part of the freight paid
by its competitors. The Interstate com
merce commission has repeatedly asked
for legislation which would empower the
commission to protect the public, but the