Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-11-23
HENRY WADE ROGERS.

three perils which menaced the stabil-
fly of the institutions of this country
two Of the three municipal misgovern-
ment and corporate greed.
In the bicentennial commemorative
address Mr.. Justice Brewer comment
ed upon the enormous financial consOl-
idations of the present time and the
corresponding organization of labor,
and the opinion was advanced that the
centralizing tendency was antagonis-
tic to the republic and not consistent
with popular government.
The power which private corpora
lions possess and their capacity for
mischief are so boundless that serious
men have realized the absolute neces-
sity for the protection of society.
Take, by way of example, the railroad
corporations. 1t is within their power
to construct the Industrial map of the
United States. Railroad rates have be-
come the air In which Industries
breathe. The railroads by the rates
they make can decide whether the but
ter consumed in New York city shall be
produced in New York state or Michi-
gan or Ohio; whether western mer-
chants who buy their goods in New
York city shall have an advantage over
those who buy them in Boston or
Philadelphia.
Time was, if it is not still, when the
railroads could dictate not merely
where industries could be carried on,
but by whom.
Take the case of the Standard Oil
company. 1t certainly is no secret that
built up by discrimination in freight
rates made by the railroad companies
upon the demand of the Standard Oil
company in order to crush the indie
pendent refiners. In the course of a
year and half the company received,
or was said to have received, from the
railroads ten millions of dollars I'm re-
bates.
The formation of the United States
Steel company and other Industrial
combinations of n like character lately
effected have given great prominence
to the questions which relate to the
Rtrusts. The speech which the president
made n few months ago in Minneapolis
IS Indicative of feeling which day by
day is becoming stronger. He said:
More and more it is evident that the
state has got to possess the right OF
supervision and control"
That trusts may result in saving of
the wastes of competition is no doubt
n good. Against that good, however,
are possible evils of great magnitude:
The evil of stock watering, OF high
prices to consumers because of mo-
nopOlistic power. of low prices to pro-
6ucers of raw material. which the COM
bination as being the largest buyer can
compel the producer to accept, lower
wages to the laborer, and, above all,
powerful, if not corrupting, influence
which may be exerted over political
organizations and over every depart
ment of government, the executive, the
legislative and the judicial.
1t is within the recollection Of some
who are here present that it was open
ly charged in the public press that the
influence of great corporation secured
the appointment of a gentleman now
dead as associate justice of the SUI
preIne court of the United States. The
judiciary committee of the senate de-
clined to report his nomination favor
ably, although, after much delay and
considerable feeling. he was finally con-
firmed by n majority of one This
is now mentioned simply to show how
it is possible for corporate influence TO
reach even the highest court.