The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-01-25
BY WILLIAM SULZER, MEMBER OF
CONGRESS FROM NEW YORK.

The most important ISSUE before
the people of the country to day is
the suppression of the evils of the
trusts and the sordid greed of mon
opolies. To-day the great trusts of
the country are practically supreme.
Many of them are so entrenched in
power that they are to all intents
and purposes above the law and no
longer amenable to legislative
action.
To-day about two hundred trusts
control, wholly or i'll large part,
every conceivable product and in
dustry of the country.
These gigantic combinations
constitute, in my Judgment, the
greatest menance at the present
time of our Democratic institutions.
They control the supply, mon
opolize the product, and dictate the
price of every necessary of life.
They force out of Legitimate employ
ment thousands and thousands Of
honest toilers. They enhance
prices, reduce wages and write the
terms of their own contracts,
They destroy competition, paralyze
opportunity. assassinate labor and
hold the consumers in Our country
in their monopolistic grasp. They
levy tribute on every man, woman
and child in the Republic. They
blight the poor mans home, darken
the hearthside of his children, and
cloud the star of youths Legitimate
hope. They control legislation,
escape taxation and evade the just
burdens Of government, while their
agents construct and maintain tar
! ifs to suit their selfish ends and
greedy purposes. They imperil
trade, stagnate industry, regulate
foreign and interstate commerce,
declare quarterly dividends on
watered stocks and make fortunes
every year out Of the people. Theil
tyrannical power, rapid growth anc
Capitalization of wealth is the mar
vel of recent times and the saddles
commentary on Our Legislative
history.
Prior to the Civil War there wa
not trust in the country excep
the United States Bank trust, whic'
Jackson killed but to-day the,
practically own, run and contro
the government and defy success
ful prosecution for violation of law
If their power of Capitalization i
! not speedily checked, and they 6
( on for another quarter of centur
: as they have in the past few years
5 I believe our free institution wi
! be destroyed, and instead of gov
: ernment of the people, blythe pee
: pie and for the people, we wi
e have a government of the trust.
e by the trusts and for the trusts.
: How much longer will the peop'
e humbly consent to be robbed an
II submissively permit continuatio
:, of this outrageous policy of favo
itism by class legislation ? A
y legislation bestowing special BEN
6 fits on a few is unjust-against Il
'e masses and for the classes. II HI
d gone on until less than 8 per cen
of the people own more than tw
!. thirds of all the wealth of our cou
try. 1t has been truly said tn
monarchies are destroyed by po
l. erty and republics by wealth.
the greatest republic the world h
7, ever seen is destroyed it will fall
the vicious system of robbing Il
many for the benefit of the few.
W The centralization of wealth
the hands of the few, by the 70
W berry of many during the pa
quarter of a century has been sii
o. ply enormous, and the facts al
figures are appalling. Three.qua
ers of the entire wealth of Our la
appears to be concentrated in t
ge hands of very small minority
a, the people, and the number of p'
IL sons constituting that minor
es grows smaller every year. The Il
al islative schemes which have be
n favored for checking this growi
rs Capitalization Of wealth are gem
u ally the most elusive and the M
X impotent.
ed Impartial students of these sta
D. ling facts can hardly escape
D. irresistible conclusion that a ct
!spiracy exists, aud has existed