The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1900-05-17
THE on. TRUST, FOR EXAMPLE

THE OIL. TRUST, FOR EXAMPLE
z. l.. coinon. in the stockton Evening Mail.
John Rockefeller, the head Of the oil
trust, appears 10 be getting along about
az well as could be expected under the
circumstances. II all goes well with his
affairs be will be on his feet, as they say
in financial circles, in few years. Since
the first Of January Of this year he has
cleaned up twenty.four millions, with
the prospect Of the remainder Of the year
Frightening every day. He no doubt
agrees with Carnegie that trusts are
good for both consumer and producer.
They certainly cannot be said TO be
harmful 10 those whom the Lord has
ordained 10 be on the inside.
Sometimes one is forced TO wonder If
the world Is going to sleep, that the
wakeful and watchful ones may pick its
pockets with greater security; whether
the merchant, the business man, the
farmer, the artisan, the laborer have
more than dreamy conception Of what
Is going on about them. They read the
newspapers and they know that Rookie
Teller and his associates are making
money faster than IL was ever made
before SINCE the world began. They
know that the enormous gains represent
the labor OF somebody-of' unum-
bered thousands Of somebodies other
than those 10 whom the gains come. II
is not dollars, actual gold money, which
these demi-gods Of finance pile up, for
there lie not gold enough in the country
for that. II Is wealth in other forms
which they are accumulating 30 rapidly.
Now how was this wealth created?
IL was created In one, and one way only
--by the application OF the labor Of
man 10 the resources OF nature. There
never In this wor was any useful thing
produced by other meanp. Every Wis
ible form Of wealth represents 80 much |
toll performed by somebody. The
twenty.iour million dollars worth Of
this wealth which Rockefeller alone
has acquired during the four months
Of the current year he has not produced
with his own hands. II would require
the efforts OF quarter Of million Of
men 10 produce IL.
Then II il plain TO everybody that
where one man accumulates no enor-
mously and 10 rapidly, hundreds of
thousands Of other men must snifer a
depletion of their individual resources
that the accumulation may be possible2
II must be plain 10 all except such as
Imagine II any there be) that created
wealth comes from the moon and does
not stand for 10 much sweat and toll and
pain OF human beings.
Here, then. is concrete statement Of
he case, whose facts reach nine out Of
en households In the land, The com.
modify which Rockefeller and his as 1
lociates control has come TO be neces-
'ity in the daily lives Of the people, that
r, OF the common, or average, people.
rho rich can get on very well without
'oal oil, or II the price is high and they )
must have II the difference cuts no ap. !
lreciable figure In their affairs. But {
With the vast majority, who are mostly
'oor, II makes quite a difference. .
Some months ago the oil trust con- !
'luded that the people would stand an. !
'ther turn Of the screw, so the price .
VAS gradually advanced until now II is,
n this market, 10 per cent above what /
I was last fall, Every householder In
stockton who uses coal oil has contri.
'uied his or her proportion TO the
wenty'iour millions which Rockefeller :
las squeezed from the people since Jan !.
lary /. All over the United States /
orced contributions have been collected a
n the sam, way. The amount il indi.
idual instances Is Of course small, but
Is the vast number OF these small a
mounts that makes the enormous AZ
rcgate.
Persons 10 whom thinking is laborious
nay be disposed TO treat the matter
ghtly because OF the slight burden that
alls upon each OF them. Il would be a
I'LL slighter burden IL our government 9
hould permit one Of the favored class = !,
D collect ten cents once year from n
ach Of the inhabitants. That, though v
OF felt particularly by anybody, would y
ieid total.oi about seven aud half y
iillions Of dollars. ,l
Hut would the people stand itP Ne. b
hey would 80 ON strike aud take up p
runs. Then what IL the difference y
hc1her the tax is levied directly, at 80 A
'uch head, or through the price OF N
'al oil or sugar or nails or anything I
hich Is indispensable In the daily life .,
the people and is made the subject OF 4
combination. u
Always Il Is the mass who are hecced Z
the laboriug people and poor people
'norally. Every combination. there
ne, which increases the price OF a Z.
accssity OF omits TO reduce the price in l
'niormlty 10 the reduCed cost Of pro. 4
action resulting from the econccntratiOn
effort, Id in the same position A. the ]
an would occupy who shoald holla i
anchise lnom the government 10 assess
cFybody ten conts head once a year. ]
Nothing has occurrcd TO justify am in. !
ease in the price OF coal ol except that
. monopollst Who control il have ex !
rienced an increased desire ior moro
llllons. II concentration results la j
Ioaper production, which Is the only
gnment that Il Vcntur,'d la behalf oi
. tfusts, the price OF coal oil should ]
down Instead OF up. The people have
= A. much ethical and constitutional