The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-11-15
eYS
90
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legal, and several successful prosecu-
tiOns have hepn affocto6 updor If T,bo
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tions have been effected under it. The
existing state laws need but to be
enforced to restrict corporation with
in the definite purposes stipulated in
its charter. Corporations now get
around the Sherman Act by one corpo-
ration buying another outright, and so
on. No trust agreement is required.
AS the decreed conspiracy of the "trust
agreement" is no longer practiced,
what crime can you make of the other
course? Again, can you 60 further in
legislation and while permitting an
individual to engage in divers enter
priSes, limit that of corporation to
one, two OR three?
AS to the recommendation of a reg
ular system of reports and inspection,
[ do not see what is to be gained there
by. The law gives every protection
therein suggested. A criminal action
will obtain for any false statement to
anothers injury. The stockholder has
right to have the books of the corpo-
ration opened to him; and the State,
through the attorney-general, has the
right to make thorough examinations
Of the books and methods of a cOrpo-
ration.
The complaint is made that the trust
is mOnopOlizing the channels of trade;
that through the system of undersell-
ing troublesome competitors and over.
bidding them for necessary raw ma
terial, eventually all competition will
be crushed out. Again, that after these
combines have established themselves
by breaking down competition, they
make the consumer pay the expense
of the experiment and such further
charge as they think the business will
bear; finally, becoming the only whole
sale buyers and sellers of the commod-
ity. They also tell us, that when COM
bines can operate so independent of the
law of supply and demand as they did
in 1899 and raise the price of petroleum
from $50 to $50; anthracite coal from
375 to 4.2O; rubber from "a to las,
serious evil exists.
| Under searchlight these assertions
are not SO convincing as they might
appear. Before the age of trusts not
more than five per cent of the business
houses were successful. Since the COM
bines entered the field there are COM
paratively more men earning a yearly
income ranging in the thousands than
before. We find science now assOci-
ated with business; that oil once 40
cents gallon is now sold at 10 cents
and is much purer; sugar. formerly
1211s cents now 514; whisky with a tax
of $1.15 imposed is now offered at
$1271a per gallon.
John r. Dos Passos speaks of the
Sugar Trust thusly: "The Sugar Trust
owned pretty much everything when
| it started, and what was the result?
First one refinery and then another
sprang up: until you find a bitter and
deadly fight and competition going on,
which must satisfy the bitterest oppo-
nents of aggregated capital Is there
not the most murderous warfare going
on in that industry? Are there not
new refineries springing up? Do you
want laws to effect results which ma
ture brings about so weIl?"
The Standard Oil Co. is perhaps the
only one that has had an unbroken
monopoly. Their time has not yet
arrived. We must admit that under
large corporations and the present ap-
piication of science, only, could many
of the necessaries and Accommodations
be provided for the public so cheaply.
Take for example the small jerk-water
road travelling at a 15-mile gait or