The sun., 1900-09-16
Mr.. Hewitt and the Trust Question.

Our correspondent who paid deserved
tribute to the ability Of the Hon. ABRAM
8. HEWITT and his fidelity TO conviction.
spoke OF his views Of the trust" problem
as having been borrowed from THE Sun.
This was an error and 1t does injustice to
Mr.. HEWITT. for he Is distinctively a man
OF an original mind who does his thinking
for himself.
So long ago as 1878. Mr.. HEWITT, In
suggestive address on Capital and Labor
before the Church Congress, at Cincinnati.
presented very stridngly the very ideas
concerning trusts to which our oorre-
spondent referred. They took shape In
his mind while engaged In thorough
investigation Of the subject as member
OF a committee Of Congress appointed
for the purpose. but whose report, un-
fortunately has never been made and
published
At that time. nearly a quarter OF Gen.
tury ago. Mr. HEWITT outlined theory
of the advantages Of trusts to labor which
Is now beginning to provoke favorable
thought in the minds Of Intelligent work.
men Even then corporations controlled
UlOT6 lIdn lldu VI bllc puhi-
ness OF the world although the first In
dustrial corporation had been organized
less than fifty years before. lndiscriminate
attack on corporations was then fashionable
among social and political demagogues
and shallow economic philosophers, as It
is now, though it is an attack as Mr.. HEWITT
said upon that phase of human organlza-
ton which offers the best promise for the
advancement OF the working classes
Because new agencies produce evils we
must not lose sight Of the greater good
Of which they are capable and In reality
accomplish" The corporate principle
he went on. expressing the idea to which
our correspondent referred, Is the only
one which admits of the association Of
labor and capital upon the basis OF an own
ership distributed among those who con-
tribute either capital or labor. Such an
ownership Is Indispensable not merely
70 harmony, but also to the achievement
OF the largest possible results and the
equitable distribution Of the products Of
human industry"
The Industrial combinations. corpora
tions. trusts have been an Inevitable
Q6VtlODIQtuJ, uuc W lilc llupOSSlDluIY OF
profits under the system OF the past; and
labor Ia becoming sufficiently intelligent
to understand that 1t must rely for COM
pensation on what the business oan afford
10 pay Moreover. a consequence OF suoh
combination is that there Is no 'onger
secrecy In business The exact con-
dition. not only Of any particular business.
but also Of business Of all kinds. is now
generally understood and will become
more and more the property OF society.
With the trusts too the great object
aimed at Il rather steadiness and stability
OF business than excessive or spasmodlc
profits Through the division of the
capital Of such Industrial combinations
into many shares, costing a comparatively
small sum each. employees are enabled
10 become shareholders In the busi-
ness; and the habit OF association. not
only between workmen and employers.
but between different organizations en-
gagged In the same kinds Of business, will
10 far to mitigate the evils Of the oom-
petitive SYSTEM and a. self-respect
usually increases with the possession Of
property. property itself being humaniz-
ing and refining agency the moral gain
viii be great, With increased production
60 lower prices and lower prices mean
Increased consumption and consequent
improvement OF the condition Of man
kind"
Ambition 10 become Interested In the
business as shareholders will encourage
saving. the parent OF capital among