The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-03-08
The Monopoly rlust Be Prevented.

OhuCA tAO dOONN "a PhAOh ~
The Commonev Of March I, after noting
the billion dollar steel trust, prescribes
the following remedy for such giant
monopolies:
"LetCongress compel all corporations to
take out federal license before engaging
i'll interstate commerce or, If that is too
harsh, let it require that scorporation>
having capital above designated amount
shall take out license.
1t should be made unlawful for such cor.
porations to use the mails, the telegraph
lines, or the railroads outside of its own
State until the license is granted"
We have the greatest respect for Mr..
Bryan's ability and craftsmanship and
admiration for his sterling integrity and
courage, but we seriously doubt his pre-
scribed remedy for, or preventive of,
corporations of the monopolistic or trust
class.
The combines would doubtless pay the
license, if not too high, with some grum-
bling, but would seriously contend against
their right to use the mails, telegraph and
railroads under any conditions. but the
payment of license would remove this
obstacle. The payment of license would
not break up the monopoly if the trust
was powerful enough to crush out
opposition.
But suppose the trust refused to pay the
| license and went into the courts as they
always do, how would the government go
about compelling the telegraph from
transmitting any message in cipher if
! necessary The government does not
own or control the telegraph and does
not attempt to prevent it from censoring
important news, which it is charged with
habitually doing: or from preventing the
railroad, which it does not own, from car
rying any freight they have mind to
The government can't even-or has not
compel the railroads to comply with the
interstate commerce law
But let us suppose the government by
imposing a license should succeed in
breaking up even temporarily the trusts,
the object of which is to restore "healthy"
competition in business, which would be an
effort to restore old methods of doing
business, or turning back the hands on
the clock of time which mark the progress
of the age. Competition is business war.
1t waged the battle till completely ex-
hausted, and then entered into truce
which brought about the present combi-
NATIONS. The numerous independent
business concerns WHICH form trusts do
not go together Of their own voluntary
act. Conditions compel them. A long
war Of competition exhausted them, and
compulsory renewal of the war would
kill off the weakest till the last one disap
peared. This is the logical result of nat
ural conditions. 1t is no longer muscle
against muscle in the shop but the auto
matic machine and capital against the
world. The best machine with capital
will destroy Its weaker opponent and no
law of Congress could prevent 1t.
But for the sake of further illustration
let us concede the great industrial trusts
like the steel trust received a temporary
check through the rigid enforcement of
the plan Mr.. Bryan suggests as laid down
by the Kansas City platform, as funda-
mental principle of sound economics,
how could it be applied to the railroads,
the Geographic lines and the money trust?
These are the primary trusts on which all
the industrial trusts rest.
The oil monopoly never could have
been formed had Rockefeller not had the
| railroads as his active allies. The 81, Ioo,-
ooo, 900 steel trust never could have been
financed without the money trust behind
it. Neither could the Morgan & Co. rail-
road trust have been financed had not the
same parties controlled the finances of
the country, with man in the United
States Treasury pouring million dollars
day into their banks.
The bankers trust, the transportation
trust, the telegraph trust, are the three
corporation giants that have power over
all others and which the government can
take charge of any day by simple act Of
Congress, without any constitutional
tinkerng or changes. Its right of emf
nent domain covers all of them.
OF these three master trusts or monop.
olies the money trust is by far the greatest
of them all. 1t could squelch Morgan's
great railroad combination, and his steel
trust as easily as turning over the hand,
but the three are bound together by tie
Of mutual interest This is the great
triple cancer on the body polite where the
knife will have to be put in deep if cure
is effected. All other trusts are fostering
sores from this centre of economic cor
ruption. All other remedies will prove
mere patiatives. surface solves.
H~n-A~ n1~NI a. CI~s~a H-A,.IN