The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-11-15

ana benehcl claI. f3J There are no
TUT.
'u know very well tha, there are
trusts, that they have eaten up your
just earnings like the lccu.l. ot
Egypt, that they are not beneficial
|" 'h">e not In then, and you know
mat being illegal aud injurious, the
P"Pie can and ought 10 suDur,-.-
1n.m
Iou viii ask how this l. 10 ~
'"he' An honest, faithful .xe,.utlou
III The laws already upon The -tstut.,
b"Jk would destroy thsin, and that
faithful execution can ts, had when.
ever The public Will AROUSE them
-"iVe7 10 7eI,c only -uch public ser-
Wants az VIII faithfully execute these
Jaws.
But 1t viii be ougge-ted that addi.
Ii"Hal 4nactments Will be us4fui |
"oUId not be understood s6 opposing
any ougge1tiOns made by others at
this mreting " no are more familiar
WIN The subject than and who have
studied 1t more profoundly, bu. |
Venture TO suggest some o hers / at
may well he enacted by any legisla-
'ure which Is really and genuinely
h'"'lle 10 these cancers upon the
body politics. First, consider the
nature Of the operation of these iIle-
gal corporations. They combine
vast ma~sea Oi capital, then when
ever tney find All honest dealer or 4
COMPLETING manufacturer making a
reasonable profit ON the samo goods.
they put al agent, or open store
no onlnalIy In the name Of anoth,r,
alongside OF him and under5ell him,
When they have broken him up or
forced hun to sell out to the trust,
Immediately the pr,ce of the manu-
featured article Is put up to the con-
Hutner and the price OF the raw pro-
duct IL put down to the producer.
III" monopoly having no longer anv
competitor, the producer is forced to
take an unJustly low price and the
'n5umer To pay an unreasOnably
high ono aud the opportunity of
countless thOus, ,nds Of mrn who
would have been dealers and manu-
facturci7 supporting their families,
Is destroyed. Those dealers anu
manufacturers would by their cam
petition have guaranteed just prices
to the creator of the raw material,
aud reaN enable prices to the con-
sum'r. But the trusts destroy all
classes alike and put the profit into
their own Golfers.
The additional legislation which
has occurred to he are: LIST. The
trusts being Illegal, they should be
treated a. all other outlaws and for
bldden the use OF the courts to col
lect debts due to them. When they
sell goods on credit, the defense that
the creditor is trust may be pleaded
and if proven should bar any recov-
cry. Enormous "a are their illegal
accumulatiOn-, even The trusts must
do some business on credit. Such an
act as this has been passed in Mis-
souri,, Arkansas and Texas, and pos
slbly In other States. This statute
in Il modified and miIder form was
introduced in the last General AS
sembly by Mr.. Stevens and passed
the lower House, but the agents of
the trusts were able to persuade the
Senate that it was a dangerous
measure-as 1t was, but to the trusts
only. That the trusts should have
SO earnestly opposed it is conclusive
answer TO those who FAY the law
would have done do good. The
trusts may be trusted to know their
own interests. When the .'Stevens''
bill is introduced in the coming
legislature, if public opinion is ex-
pressed Enthusiastically in its favor it
will not suffer 3, cond defeat.
2. There Is needed rigid en-
fOrcenent of the Craig law, which
furbids any corporation chartered In
another State TO do business In this
State until it has been re chartered
in this State, and similar acts have
been sustained by the United States
supreme Court. BY it's enforcement
every corporation doing busine-s ir
this State will be subject to State
control and regulation, and ii any OF
them are proven to he trusts or 9th
erwise doing an illegal business, they
can be wound up and forced to ceas.
their operations in this State.
3. Another just measure Is On'
recently put in force in Germany by
which graded tax is laid upon tht
earnings of corporations, The per cent
of taxation being increased In pro
portion to gross earnings. This dis
courages very large aggregatlons o
capital and tents to give small man
utacturers and small dealers an op
pOrtunity in the struggle for exist
ence. 1t Is just application of tn
maxim OF "the greatest good to tn,
greatest number" which must b,
the basis OF all just government. l
is better far that we have a yer,
large number of prosperou% well-to
do citizens with moderate incomes
than few multi-millionaires, high
rolling in London and New York
while the masses Of our people ar
struggling for a bare living. A sim
liar application of the German prin
ciple is the graded inheritance ia:
and graded income tax in Englan'
by which the great fortunes ar
heavily taxed, raising about one
third of the annual revenues of tn
British Empire, while the small es
tates are only nOminally taxed ant
thOse under a certain sum are en-
tirely exempt.
1. And there Is still a fourt
measure of relief. The trusts opel