Arizona daily citizen., 1901-07-15
AN ApOLOGlST FOR TRUSTS.


It is inevitable that the responsibility for the
recent organization and the current impostions OF
gigantic trusts should be laid at the door OF the he
publican party Aside from the fact that the popu-
lar mind establishes intimate relation between
public evils and public blessings and the coincdeht
administrations, there is close economic princlple
of cause and effect between high protection and mo-
nopostic consolidation.
Even the spokesmen OF the ADMINISTRATOR
while pretending to oppose trusts, and while point
ing to the declaration against them In the last TWO
Republican platforms still realize that the party and
the administration need defense Thus Congress
man Charles H. Grosvenor, of Ohio who delivered
an address at Winfield, Kansas few days ago. took
it upon himself to defend the of the great trust
magnates insisting that fine distinctions should be
made between combinations that injure and combi-
nations that benefit. His defense was poor one,
indeed Thesubstance of his argument was that when
combinations preserve wages and the number of wage
earners and do not increase the cost OF products
thesre houd be no complaint, and that when the re-
verse is true the organizations thus imposing on the
people will be wiped off the face of the earth by
one of two processes either by law or by the more
sure and certain process of competition"
In the first place a monopoly may impose on the
people even while maintaining the number OF em-
ployed the standard of wages and the selling price OF
products Competitions in the very nature of things,
gives to the people the benefits of the constantly de-
creasng cost of production, due to improved mach
inery, new and richer supplies OF raw material, new
of manufacture and other agencies that at
feet the development of industry. But monopohes'
having no competition fear take to themselves the
net gain of industrial evolution, when they dc
not impose arbitrary advances in the price OF prod
ucts.
The Standard Oil Company, SO frequently held
up as an example of the 'atrustic trust has, it il
true reduced the price of crude oil and its products
But it has not given consumers even l per cent. oil
the benefit that has resulted from the great increase
of oil production, the wonderful Improvements in
pumping and refining and the other advancements
that has reduced the cost of the material anC
that of its manufactures. The conclusive evidence
Of this is to be found in the enormous appreciation
of value in the company stock and the tremendous
dividends paid to shareholders
Discussing the fact that American goods ar
sometimes sold abroad for less than they are sold a
home. Mr. Grosvenor declared that this was some
times done at loss and for the purpose OF "sublu
eating foreign markets" Now if monopolis quais
monopolies afford to go into foreign lands, pa
the freight on their goods and still underse oca
competitors what is to become of the American
manufacturer who tries to check their throug
the medium of compettion-the medium that MI
Grosvenor declares is the "most sure and certain
There is nothing in the Ohioans explanation of trust
to modify the sentiment against them.