The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-02-17
The Power 81 the Trust.

The Standard oil Company has raised J
the price Of oil one cent per gallon The
price is row thirteen ceuts. Less than a
year ago it was eight cents The company
is said TO have paid eighty per cent divi-
dends last year.
That is what the trust does for the con
srmer. Il il, another illustration Of the
rule that it is not safe to give any man or
any corporation. unlimited and uncon-
troIled power. This unnecessary eXaction
does not affect the rich man. whose house
is lighted by gas or electricity. II does no.
touch the large class Of city jewellers VITO
/ do not use lamps. it mulcts the poor o.
/ the cities and the country folk, who must
depend upon this article for their light.
/ That is one reason Why it has gone on 50
! long. Those affected by The increase do
not understand the reason for ii. nor can.
! they give up The use Of oil. There is no
substitute which they can use. They must
| simply economic somewhere else and save
the five cents by going without some o-har
necessary article
There is no useful or needful thing in the
poor mans house which will lot be reached
by the trusts i'm time. The agitation against
their power is at present. and must remain
for years. a workingman's movement be-
cause il affects the workiugmau more dj-
rectIy than the rich. II need not be ar
gued that because this is so. the emplcye
must hate the capitalist or one class war
against another. The fact is simply that
exactions such ss this OF he Standard OIL
) Trust, when they are multiplied. reduce the
poor mans income almost below the
5 starvation point. while they dc not touch
S the well-to-do. II man must live anC
= support a family on an income OF two
; dollars a day. a difference Of from FIVE Il
3 ten cents in his days expenditures viii b
;, felt by him; and IL this difference
doubled or trebled. he is likely TO get int,
p difficulties. To the man with an incOm
-, CT three or four thousand a year. small
p / increases in daily expenses are trivial; an,
o his point OF view mu e. therefore. neces
q sarily differ from that OF tie labOring man
. There is another factor in the situation
e. which ought not 10 e overlooked. Whel
a Workingman OF honest induSJTiOu
habits has TO economic, his method OF re
3 trenchment is different from that Of hi
D
p / accustomed TO a generous income. lose
II his money and comes down to salar
/. which 10 him seems small. His childre
T. | still have enough to eat and are able {
1t attend school his family may be oblige
c to give up the society in which they hay
Il been accustomed to move. but they Civ
g up nothing which tends TO make them be-
J. ter citizens. The children Of such a ma
D. may grow up to be just as useful to tn
n community as IL they had millions at The
~ ! disposal But when the workingman hs
to retrench. il often means that his DO,
and girls must leave school and so to woI
before they have had the education viii,
they need u sometimes means that
boy who might have been surveyor.
=. master mechanic. or builder, must b
come little better than a day Lahore
Some people will say that this is not S
that if Young man desires ia rise, he .
ways can rise. whether poor or rich. 7
= poor know that a great many young f.
lows cannot take time to prepare theI
- selves Tor the work they can do best, b
cause Of the imperative necessity Of ear
III ing daily bread Tor helpless relatives L
'u developed talent is q loss TO the COmmO
he wealth. Il is better TO have a train
J. mechanic doing labOrer's work and
20 artist making furniture, than to have
on clumsy bungIer in control of work I'll
en- ought 20 be done artis,ically- The cou
a try can never have too many educat
&C. brains and hands. That is why anythi
OF that tends to reduce the wages or the
PISS iustrious and ambitious poor below
IN living point is not only an injustice
IS them. but bad for the future Of the COZ
hat try. one reason why America has dev
nal oped with such astonishing raDidity
ish the last hundred years is that, until
Tx comparatively recent date. no such ha
ere pering force was possible, the Amerit
boy worked hard and lived plainly, but
are had enough TO eat an6 could find work
be he wanted it. and he lad chance to
ong all the talent he had When the work.
list man owns his house. educate his cl
ned dren. and spends money for books
ger, newspapers. he makes an investm
and which will give large returns in the tut
Of ! prosperity of the country