Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-09-13
'RAIDING THE PEOPLE
TRUST CORPORATIONS ACT LIKE
MASKED HIGHWAYMEN.
The Abolition of the Protective" Tarin
Would He Some Relief-Banking Power
Aids the Work of Organization for the
Purpose OF Robbing the People.

IL uscu W Ue al dAiOuu ludI CoAhPO
tition is the life of trade, but now that
competition has been eliminated In
many lines of business it will be nee
essary to revise the truism and say
that monopoly is the only trade condi-
ton that will assure good profits. The
manufacturer is fast being absorbed
into the trust, the small trader is be-
ing wiped out by the department store,
the competing railroad is thing Of the
past and even the high seas are to be
controlled by the transportation COM
bine by the purchase Of all the steam
ships.
These combinations are all being
perfected and some like the steel trust
and the hard coal trust are consumat-
ed and the work of robbing the peo-
pie under the guise of the law is well
under way.
The people have been too busy try
ing to adjust themselves to this new
order Of things that they have so far
given but little attention to the
changed political conditions that have
accomplished this economic revolu-
ton. They have allowed their repre-
sentatives to enact laws under which
these combines are organized and are
maintained as monopolies.
1t will be long and arduous task to
undo the harm already done,but 1t can
be accomplished by reversing the lever
and repeating the laws that authorize
these gigantic corporations or by ia
king from them the special privileges
and immunities they now enjoy.
The tariff protection can be revised.
That will introduce competition
against such as the steel trust.
The interstate commerce law can be
amended to compel all lines of trans
portation to give equal rights to all
shippers great and small and that
charges must be reasonable.
Taxation can be equalized so that
corporations may be assessed at the
cash value of their stock and fran
chises so that they may be taxed the
same as the farmer and the small
trader and householder.
To accomplish this the people must
elect public servants who are their
friends instead of as now the compli-
ant tools Of the corporations and the
rich and powerful. The President must
be an antitrust man and thus an at
torney general will be found who will
prosecute the trusts. Whereas dur
ing the republican administration he
has been selected from the chosen
trust lawyers.
Congressman and senators who have
shown themselves to be the willing
tools Of the corporations must be de-
feated and friends of the people elect
ed in their stead.
Moreover, as the trusts and corpora
tions are the creatures of the states.
the laws under which they are organ
lied must be repealed or modified, this
is the sole business of the state legs
the people are determined to protect
themselves. Without the sovereign
power of the state of New Jersey the
steel trust could not exist, unless some
ether, state should be equally subserv-
lent to the money and power of the
trusts.
The trusts and corporations have
not begun to put forth all their power,
they are feeling their way until they
can be sure of maintaining their mo-
nopoly. AS it is now the few who
control them have absorbed more than
half of all the wealth of the country
and are rapidly gathering in the ma
jor part of the remainder. Every day
the coming battle is postponed, the
procrastination Of the people makes
the fight more difficult to win
Money is power, and the trusts and
corporations know it. Their avarice,
rapacity and greed will increase as
their power expands. Now or never
is the time to strike for economic free
dom.