Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-02-22
TO FREE MANKIND.
WHY THE GREAT COMBINES ARE
"A GOOD THING"
Trust Combination tho Forerunner of
Socialism-when All tho People VIII
Own All the Worlds Natural Monop-
Olies.

From the Omaha Nonconformist:
For four years last past, plutocracy
has been engaged in consolidating
business enterprises into gigantic
trusts. Now that plutocracy has won
another victory, and feels assured of
unrestrained power for four more
years, it has commenced the CONSOLE
dalton Of existing trusts into combines
still more gigantic.
The iron and steel trade is in the
hands of several separate trusts. A
scheme is now on foot to consolidate
them all into one. SO that the entire
trade in iron and steel and ship ma
terial, wire nails and general hard
ware shall all be in the hands of one
general management. So, also, in the
case of the railway trusts-the big
ones are swallowing the little ones,
and after their meal is digested. they
are combining in one in order to
swallow the country.
The banks are also keeping up with
the procession and very soon the en-
tire banking business of the country
will be in the hands OF half dozen
great banks, to which the smaller
banking institutions will be helpless
slaves. A movement Is also on foot
to unite all the express companies into
one trust, SO that the robbery OF the
people may be uniform and univer-
sal.
These consultations will also take
place in other branches of trade until
few very rich men will absolutely
control the entire commerce and
finances Of the country.
The formation of the present trusts
has closed many factories and turned
out Of employment a vast army of la
boring men, and the further CONSOLE
dalton Of existing combines will re-
lease from business another vast null
titude of employees. When all the
iron and steel business is united IN
one combine, there will be only one
set of managers, one set of clerks, and
no travelling statesmen at all. All the
other employees now getting wages
will be out of a job. Competition in
manufactures, transportation banking
and mining will be as dead as the
Caesars
If these combinations wish to re.
duce wages they can do it; if they
wish to raise prices there will be none
to modest or make them afraid; they
can set the limits to their own profits
and in all the land there will be no
power great enough to stop them ex-
cept the people, and the people are
either too ignorant or too cowardly
to put an end to robbery.
There is only one good thing that
we can see in this situation. 1t may
possibly teach the slow learning peo-
pie the great benefit of cooperation,
and the mighty consultations will
have combined the business of the
country so that it will be easy to be
by the universal trust of all
the people when they get wise enough
to take advantage of the situation and
demand their natural and God-given
right.
The Nonconformist Is not afraid Of
this consolidation. 1t believes 1t to be
in the direct line of human progress.
From the multitude Of competitive
factories to the trust is only one step
from the small trust to a combina-
ton Of trusts is another step-from
the union Of trusts to the consolida-
ton Of all business in the hands of the
people is the third and final step from
to cooperation. The arst
step has been taken; the second step
is in process of being taken and the
third step will follow in natural Sc
quence. And that is socialism-ths
only bright spot on the darkened heri-
zon of humanity.