The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-03
A TRUST SYNP0SIU
The Attorney of "A Trust And A Repre-
sentative Of The People Dis
CuSS Trusts.

+
principle. but the trust principle is
manifesting itself in so many ways
and the trusts have grown so rapidly
that people now feel alarmed about
trusts who did not feel alarmed four
years ago. The trust question has
grown in importance, because with
in two years more trust have been
organized than were organized in all
the previous history of the country.
MONOPOLY INDISPENSABLE Al
WAYS.
| want to start with the declara-
ton that monopoly in private hands
is indefensible from any standpoint
and intolerabe. | make no eNcep-
tons to the rule. | do not divide
monopolies into good monopolies ana
bad monopolies There can be no
good monopoly. There may be one
despot who is better than another
despot. but there is no good despot-
ism. One trust may be less harmful
than another One trust magnate
may be more benevolent than another.
but there is no good monopoly in
private hands. and | don't believe it
is safe for society to permit any man
or group of men TO monopOlize any
article of merchandise or any branch
of industry.
What is the defense made of monop-
oily? 1t is always placed on the
ground that if you allow a few people
10 control the market and fix the
price they will be good to the people
who purchase of them. The entire de-
Tense of the trusts rests upon a money
argument. If the trusts will sell to
a man an article for dollar less than
the article will cost under other con-
ditions then. il is said. n trust is a
good thing. In the first place. ! de-
ny that under monopoly the price
will be reduced. In the second place.
il under a monopoly the price is re-
duced. the objections far outweigh
any financial advantage that the trust
could bring. Money is made to be
the servant OF man, and ! protest
against all theories that enthrone
money and debase mankind.
QUOTES 4 FAMOUS MAKER OF
TRUSTS.
Charles r. Flint. at Boston on the
2jth OF last May. defended trust grin
ciples before an exceedingly svmpa-
thetic audience. 1t was composed al
most exclusively Of Boston bankers.
! quote few of the advantages to
be derived from this high authority.
First he declares:
Raw material bought in large
quantities is secured at lower prices"
That is the first advantage. One
man to buy wool for all the WOODEN
manufacturers. That means that
every man who sells wool must sell
it at the price fixed by this one pur-
chaser in the United States. The first
thing is to lower the price of raw
material. The great majority of the
people are engaged in the production
of raw material and in the purchase
of finished products. Comparatively
few can stand at the head of syndi-
Gates and monopolies and secure the
profits from them. Therefore, the
first advantage of monopoly is to
lower the price of the raw materials
furnished by the people. Note the
next advantages:
Those plants which are best equip
ped and most advantageously situated
are run continuously and in prefer
cnce to those less favored
The next thing after they have
bought all the factories is to close
some of them and to turn out of en-
ployment the men Who are engaged
in them. If you will go about over
-1he country you will see where people
have subscribed money TO establish
enterprises. and where these enter
prises, having come under the control
of trusts. have been closed. and stand
now silent monuments of the trust
system. Behold the next advantage.
Mr.. Flint says:
I'm case of local strikes. the work
goes on elsewhere, thus preventing
serious loss"
MONOPOLY METHODS.
This means that if the people en-
ployed in one factory are not salts
lied with the terms fixed by the en-
ployers and strike. the trust can close
that factory and let the employees
starve while work goes on in other
factories without loss to the manu-
facturer.
1t means that when the trust has
frozen out the striking employees in
one factory and compelled them to
return to work at any price. 1t can
provoke a strike somewhere else and
freeze the workmen out there. When
a branch of industry is entirely in the
hands of one great monopoly. so that
every skilled man in that industry
has to go to the one man for EN-
ployment. then that one man will fix
wages as he pleases and the laboring
men will share the suffering of the
man who sells the raw materials.
There is no multiplication of the
means of distribution. and Il better
force of statesmen takes the place of q
large number"
That is the next advant: ge named.
| want TO warn you that when the
monopoly has absolute control brains
will be at a discount and relatives
will be found to fight for these posi-
tions. When there is competitor
every employer has to get a good man
TO meet competition, but when there
is no competition anybody can sit in
the office and receive letters and an
swer them. because everybody has TO
writes 10 the same house for every
thing he wants. Mr.. Flint says trusts
have another advantage:
Terms and conditions of sale be-
come more uniform and credit can be
fol MI IL