The Bemidji pioneer., 1901-08-22
official County and City Paper.
/. FIGHTING TRUSTS. !

EETHATis a sstrnst?'' is il simply a
ny corporation of exaggerated cap
ital stock? Or, is it a combination OF
men for the purpose Of preventing com
petition and exacting unhealthful
profits? If it IS either, it IS almost
quixotic to attempt what the social
lists nurmur for.
When John Lind was first inaugur-
ated governor OF, Minnesota, he gave
the legislature a column or two of fine
type on the subject of control Hing the
corporations or trusts. But he sug-
gested not a first step ia actual prac-
tical legislation that could advan
What he 50 profusely argued. The
simple fact is, SO long as corporations
exist under the law, so long as men
n are permitted to form joint or other
stock concerns, with limited or uri-
limited liabilities, there can be no law
enacted that will prevent the dealing
In the stocks Of such companies, and
unless that can be prevented there is
no such thing as stamping out the So
called trusts.
The congressional act preventing
and the Minnesota law which supple
ments 1.-THE consolidate Of parallel
lines Of railway has already been
shown to be q complete nullity through
the simple purchase of large inter-
est in the Northern Pacific railway
by james j. Hill and his friends.
With Mr.. Hill ia practical control ofthe
traffic and other affairs If the great
competing line to his road with him
or his friends having the power Of re-
Inoyal and appointment of the officials
of the Northern Pacific, what common
sense is there in a law which prevents.
the actual as we'll as the practical
consolid alton OF the two lines? None
I whatever. And that is so all up and
( down the line Of corporation rule.
The Great Northern Railway Co. is a.
leasing and financing corpora ration,
under whose benign influence and
/ powers the old ST, Paul, Minneapolis
s& Manitoba, the Montana Central, 4
4 the Eastern Minnesota, the Willmar
4 81 Sioux Falls and other lines were
cOngregated under one supreme head.
"A greater Great Northern will soon
be organized unless all signs fail
to take over not only the two lines
named above, but also the Burhng-
ton system, the Erie, the Lehigh, the
LackaWanna and other systems aggre-
eating upwards OF thirty thousand
miles OF railway, and which are cap
italized at upwards of 81 SOC, 900, 900,
under leases that will be tantalnount
to just what the under systems are
now to the Great Northern. What is
to prevent it, Absolutely nothing
that Is sensible. Their stocks have
been bought in the markets. They
were for sale under the freedom Of /
markets system. A few men control
them, not so much by their individuals
holdings as through the holdings of I
their friends and admirers the hold
ings OF women and men who put trust
in men ct supreme ability and I'M
doubted honesty. What are you
going to do about it, Strike? Men
have been striking for the last fifty
years, and are still airing their griev-
ances by that method at a time when
they We're never SO we'll employed or
so wellpaid
The leather trust, so-called, con-
trolls and owns practically all the tan
neries in America, and has capital
to undertake the control OF the leather
product of the world.
i The steel trust, so-cailed, owns i
practically all the steel mills In
America, and is wealthy and power
full beyond the dreams OF the wisest of q
all Englishmen.
The sugar trust, so-called, owns
likewise the sugar refineries Of the
country, and is even now in pursuit of
the sugar plantations Of Cuba, so that
American capital shall reap the fruits !
Of whatever prosperity may come to /
that land through the separation from 8
Spain and nisgovernment.
Other corporations have been organ
lied in other branches of business and
are thriving and working for America
and American institutions.
Control of one corporation is as
: -.
easily secured as that OF another, If
one and his friends have money
enough to effect the purchase. Hav-
ing control Of two competitive corpor-
asions, why should competition con-
5inue9 And how is the Legislature, or
congress, or the democratic or repub-
lean or populist party to limit the I
,ower Of purchase by any one man {