The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-20
THE MISUSE OF THE PEN.

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views. which occupy five valuable pages
of that exclusive periodical.
1t is unfair to the world at large that
the opinions of Mr.. Faxon should be con-
cealed from the general pubic They are
altogether too peculiar to be hidden In
the modest covers of the magazine in
question. and the G o b e. with firm,
but gentle hand, will endeavor to rescue
few of the gems from their obscurity.
By way of preface, Mr.. FaXon says, he
| begs leave TO state that he wishes moth
ing contained in his paper to be In any
! way construed, even by the most critical
reader. as a reflection upon the cause of
| labor" He magnanimousy comedies that
some of the worthiest-the nobIest leaders
in all good works have sprung from
the ranks of the laboring men" And.
having thus expressed himself. he pro-
ceeds to define what is trust or COM
bination."
trust, says Mr.. Faxon. is a combina-
ton of manufacturers. or others, for the
purpose of securing a monopoly Of some
article, or of controlling its production
! or its selling price. a combination Is an
assembly of workmen met to perpetrate
unlawful acts.
Having made these points clear-as mud
Mr. Faxon bewails the evil effects of
| competition, which brings overproduc-
ton, low prices for commodities and re-
duced wages. Then follows one of Mr..
FaXon's gems. In flowing language. so
nearly approaching poetry that it Is al
most unfit for publication in a Bankers
Magazine, he declares:
"On the other hand, as soon as these
small competing organizations are alb
sion is removed, wages restored and pros
perity sits enthroned upon every hill and
mountain top while thrift brings COM
fort and JOY even to the humblest home
IN every valley.
The obvious inference is that Mr.. Faxon
and his millionaire friends occupy all the
hill and mountain tops, and therefore he
offers the moral suggestion that From
this standpoint 1t Is seen that the labor
Ing man is the victim OF competition"
manufacturer the same privilege to form a
trust as the laboring man has to organize
his combination to sustain wages. OF
course, Mr.. Faxon here forgets that he
has defined a combination as IAN assem-
bly, of workmen met TO perpetrate I'M
lawful acts" which. If true-and every
one knows-even Mr.. Faxon knows, 1t Is
not-places Mr.. Faxon In the position of
claiming for the trusts the privilege Of
perpetratng unlawful acts.
The attitude Of Nh Faxon towards Ia
Dor is made apparent when he says In his
article: Clerks connected with dry
goods and grocery houses, banks and in
surance offices, in all branches of busi-
ness, are entitled to the same privilege
to burn and tear to pieces the property
of their employers, when wages are not
increased at their bidding, as are the
mObs from labor organizations"
| After diverging to criticise public Off
Gals and TO praise modern machinery.
Mr.. Faxon ventures the assertion that
''the whole country is a monopoly" The
politicians monopolize the Offices, the
orator monopolizes the ears of thou
sands Of the unthinlIing and miscalculat-
ing people of the country" and, with
| these inconsequent and totally irrelevant
remarks, this worthy banker pounces
upon the whisky trust, and asks why
laws are not passed to suppress that
| trust. He Immediately modifies his re-
| quest for such legislation by saying: "The
effort being made, by a combination of
demagogues. to place under ban and de-
| clare as Infamous all combinations Of
capital and commercial enterprises, for
! the purpose of striking down or Gripping
the moneyed interests Of the country, and
! by such action to win the votes of the
! workingmen at the ballot box, is contra
| ry to all government and constitutional
law, both state and national"
Yet he would favor Iegislating certain
stock jobbing organizations, trusts built
on watered stock and species of com
pany promoters out of existence, and he
favors public examination OF such con-
Germs and that they be deprived of their
charters. And So this very estlmable
banker wanders along through his es-
say, until, towards the end of this sadly
| remarkable paper he asserts that:
There Is not state in the Union, not
congress itself, that can prevent the es-
tabishing of organizations under char
tiers; and when established all the trust
laws in the world cannot affect the rights
Of such corporations to purchase any
| property required In their business, or
to dispose of any goods or wares they
may have manufactured"
In conclusion, Mr. Faxon un:oads him
self of the concentrated wisdom of his
opinions on capital and labor in this
wise:
! war between capital and labor (Which
is sure to be an irrepressibe conflict
| if something is not done to stifie it, is
| to demand that congress shall pass a
| laW-to do justice to humanity-to impose
| upon every political trust or co:nbinat ton
called a convention-which is a mis-
! nomer-the penalty of diSfranchiSement,
| and prohibit from holding office every
| demagogue who introduces to his party
! by speech or platform, clauses or planks
| or any words bitterly opposing corpora
| tons. capital, the laws of our country
! or the nations judiciary, by which the
baser elements of society may be melted
to 10 acts of violence to private prop
. pass such a law cannot be denied.
= while the absurd laws against caDital