Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-08-10

magazines. lie knows that the wOrlC
reaches bit beyond "the Corners" II,
sat with his feet on the cracker barrel
nibbling dried herring and reading
paper. He looked up in kindly way
over his spectscles as Zechiel jones'
bluff, sturdy, prosperous farmer cam,
in.
"Mornin', Zeke, how's the folks2"
"Mornin', Uncle Josh, folks is well
how's yourn?"
"Middlin', Zeke, middln'."
"Been resdin' good bit lately, Zeke
about these trusts. They air gett in
thicker than the wood peckers out in
your deadnin. There's been over seven
hundred of them formed since McKin.
leys congress passed that new tariff
law. Say, Zeke, I've been thinkin' how
you liked their wOrkin'. You know tie
fore they formed the steel and wire nail
trust, | could sell you fencin' wire for
S1.20 hundl ed. Well sir, that same
wire costs you now 1896 a hundred
The difference between Sl20 and So 81
is S2.65. don't git the 50 90, the uust
gifts it. Well, sir, you and has always
voted the republican ticket and voted
her straight, hain't WEI" Zeke nodded.
"How are you goin' to vote this year
Ecker"
"Ob, | guess I'll have to stand by my
party" drawled Zeke.
"Stsnd by the party, Ell? Well, I've
been dOin' that myself. | cast my first
vote for Abe Lincoln. You never saw
Abe, did you, Zeke? Well, sir, it was
sure cure for dishonesty, Just to look
on Abe's honest face. | can see bis big
sad eyes and his long arms snd hear his
shrill voice as he stood up and answered
Douglas in that jint debate. Ye know
| lived in Elenoy then. Abe was poor,
and he was poor mans friend. Zeke,
A be wouldn't feel comfortable in our
party now, tOuchin' elbows with trusts
A be was agin' any man havin' the ad
vantage over any other man. I've
heard him say SO mOre'n once. Abe
and Mark Hanna, who has become the
biggest man in our party, Zeke,
wouldn't look well on the same speakin'
platform. Zeke, have asked myself
good many times lately, what has be-
come of the Abe Lincoln Republican
party? Do you know, Zeke? DO you
see any of the year marks Of Abe Lin
coin on our party now? And you
sayiD' that you guessed that you would
stand by the party made me ask myself:
What has the party been dom for me
and my neighbours You air about the
only farmer about the Corners here
that amt been gittin in debt little bit
deeper every year and you got your
start in the millln' business. Nv seen
my neighbors work hard and git stopped
and old before their time. and I've jest
concluded that the only fellers who air
maxim more'n Twin air the fellers
who git congress to pass laws for them
givin' them special privileges and spe-
cial advantages over ali the rest of the
toiling MILL ms in the field, the mines
and the shops. And I've concluded,
Zeke, that this cry of stand by the
party, is jest decOy to catch such fell
fers as you and me.
"But, speskIn of trusts, l find that
they are formed to squeeze ont all the
little fellers and destroy competition
among fellers who is MANUFACTURER the
same thing. Let me show you how
they proceed. | don't have to 60 out
of our county, Zeke, either. You know
George Thayer, of Plymouth? Well,
George is good, energetic workin'
young man. He built up the biggest
and best factory for maxim wood
rims fer bicycles in the world. There |
was about three other big factories of
the same kind in the United States.
A Teller in New York proposed to put
all the bicycle and rim factories under |
one management and control the bust |
ness of the United States. They held a |
meetin' down east and, as Georges fac |
tory at Plymouth was big one they
took it in and formed one corporation |
called the American Bicycle company,
controlled by one president. George
had been givin' work to from one hun
dred to three hundred men. They |
agreed with George to keep the factory
runnin' right along at Plymouth and
keep the men employed. But they
didn't toat fair with George. They
sold out to another trust in about
three months, and that trust has shut
down the factory and the factory Is
silent as the grave. Now. Zeke, the
purpose of formin' this trust was to
destroy competition and control all the
bicycle output of the country.
"Zeke, trust works two ways at
onct. 1t makes the Teller who has the
raw material they need sell it at their
price; and they sell the finished article
to the consumer at their price. You
see, the trust fixes the buyin' price, and
that rObs the seller of the raw material;
it fixes the sellin' price, and that robs
the consumer of the finished article"
"But, our party is sgin trusts, too,
Uncle JOSH" Zeke ventured to say.
cit is, eh? Well, Zeke, I've looked
that up, too. ] find for some reason or
other, the trusts is all fer Mckinley and