Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-08-30

4 was QOuG IN a recent interview Oh our
great leader, Mr.. Bryan. He says:
where visible property is taxed and
the invisible property escapes, the
possessors of visible property are
overtaxed in order to make up for the
evasion of those who possess invisible
property. But even when a property
tax is honestly collected upon all
FIRMS of property, real and personal,
1T IS not as fair a tax as an income
tax. Property may be temporarily
unproductive. If a farmer pays taxes
on his land, the tax goes on, even
though the crop may fail. If a money
lender pays a tax upon his money, his
security may fail, or there may be
default in the payment of the inter
est, while an income tax adjusts itself
to the condition of the tax payers,
being large when the income is large,
and small when the income is small"
THE TRUST EVIL.
My fellow-citizens, time forbids an
eNtel ded discussion of the great ques-
ton of trusts. Their evil effects are
almost everywhere apparent. The is
u OF competition against consolida-
ton is n fraught with tremendous
effects upon the happiness and pros
perity of the great body of the peo-
lle. This is an era of consolidation
and concentration, the result IN part
of n striking revolution in our indus
trial civilization due to the discoveries
of the powers of steam and electricity,
and their application to machinery. to-
gether with unwise legislation. The
steady tend of events under re-
publican legislation is in the
direction of powerful monopIies. 1t is
not possible, neither is it desirable, to
put a limit upon the inventive genius
of IL people. Invention has made il
possible to bring comfort and even
luNuries to the homes of the humblest.
and if the United States, by beneGicent
legislation, should harness the mighty
forces of this civilization for the bene-
TT of all the people, there would be
but few monopolistic clouds upon the
sky of cur domestic future. The spirit
of invention has lowered over the trou-
bled waters of human toll until the
transformation is the marvel of the
age. Invention has wrought nightly,
ard enormously increased production
in every arena of enterprise. There
hdS DNCh CildISSu pItuuClsOn bu the
farms in the mines, in the manufac-
tories-whenever there is a labor, and
there should also be a ~cheapening of
the output and CONSEQUENT increase of
consumption; thus increasing tie en-
ployIrent of labor. BY the aid of la
b~or-saving machinery 600 hands in the
manufacture of agricultural imple-
ments can now do the work formerly
requiring 1900 men. In the manu-
f~acture of boots and SHOES one hand
HOW does the work formerly requiring
five men; in the manufacture of car
pets n man cen now accomplish a re-
suit which in other days required ten
to twenty men; in spinning a like in
crease CT production is seen; and in
the great indI stries of cotton and
wooden goods. iron, steel, sawed 1um-
Der, paper, flour and grist mills. it is
estimated that 517 ,2G9 l.ersons with
the aid of machinery perform the la
bDr formerly requiring 15,4o5,O93 per-
SOILS.
Mr.. w. c. Dodge, Il prutCctionist of
national reputation, and the author of
a recen publication entitled, "Our
Country; What It is, and what has
made It what il is" SENATE Document
No. 1857. among ether things, says:
"Iiut while in past years protection in
the fern of a tariff was Of the utmost
Importance and assistance in building
up our manufacturing industries, it
must he apparent to every observing
PerSGH that protection il: the form of a
tariff is consts ntly becoming of less
Importance to u.s." Continuing. he
says: "Now, how is it, and what is it.
that enables IN operative to-day to
produce so much more in a less num-
Der of hours than he could thirty or
forty years ago? 1t is simply invention
the inventions embodied in the i'm
proved machines, tools, processes and
appliances hat our inventors are con-
stantly furnishing t. our manufactur-
ers." Again, he declares that this re-
markable increase manufactured
produciS) has been largely, if not
mainly. due to our inventions, stimu-
lated ard fostered by our patent sys-
tenn" Continuing further he says"
The cost of production has been IN
that way (by l~abor-saving machinery
enormously decreased. One man with
the aid of machinery can oft tiIces do
the work which it required ten men to
do without machinery. That has great
, ~ reduced the prices of such articles"
L could multiply quotations, but I
have made a sufficient number to es-
tablish that labor-saNing machinery
enormously arguments production,
while at the same time it should
cheaper the output, increase tho con-
sumption, open up new fields for Ia
hor and give added employment to Ia
Dor. But for unwisc Legislation these
happy results would be as certain as
the course of the seasons or the revo-
, luton Of the cal tn upon its axis.
Monopolies are essential to the or
g~anization of trusts; because they can
net exist in tic presence of competi-
ton. 1t follows. thr,e fore. logically
that trusts arc the rich fruitawe of
, InonopcIies. One of the great writer's
on political economy anticipated the
present condition of our country in the
terse statement that, 'whcre compe-
tition is not, monopoly is" Another
writer CT eminent ability declared with
the emphasis Of u~nanswerable logic
; that where conf ination is possible,
competition is impossible
l Mr.. Chairman, it being Obvious that
trusts could not exist if there was
fair competition, h people mist as
certain the cause which prevent COM
/ petition in order to make an intelli-
gent application of remedial legisla-
ton. 1t will o be de MED that there
= are certain rus which are due to the
: monopoly of natural advantages. The
. anthracite Coal Trust is a notable ex-
, ample !: this character of trust due
: Ia the ownership by q few Individuals
, of the only au'hrac.'e coal mireS IL
, the United States. There is another