Arizona daily citizen., 1901-11-08
TO RESIST MONOPOLY.


yclopment since the organization of
the billion dollar Steel Trust Is the re
ported purchase, by interests Identified
with the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany, of the Pennsylvania Steel Com
panys plants Protectionist newspa
pers, mainly those which are defenders
OF the principle OF industrial comhina
ton find in this transaction proof Of
their contention that no trust can os-
tablsh an absolute monopoly It ls to
be hoped in the interest OF the public
that the result may demonstrate that
monopoly beyond certain limits at
least. is an impossiblity in IN" United
states
The Steel Trust was formed for the
purpose of controlling the manufacture
OF steel products in the United States
The Pennsylvania Railroad it is stat
ed pays on an average about 81. .ooo, 600
a year for steel rails while iron and
steel products which It requires for
crease the amount Of its expenditures
well beyond the 81 900 900 mark Ii the
Steel Trust were to secure an undis-
puted monopoly OF the business ii
might be tempted to increase the price
OF its product and to exact "A heavy
tribute from the Pennsylvania Rail
against pXtortion syndicate composed
OF officials and directors OF this rail
road corporation has acquired control Of
these steel plants. 1t is consequently no
longer at the mercy OF the trust for il
the latter should raise prices beyond a
reasonable figure the railroad com
pany. or the syndicate which repre-
sents it, can set the recently acquired
steel plants to work and make rails
regardless Of the trust
Whatever tends to break the power
of monopoly deserves to be encourag
ed, By consumers generally the action
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
phHy WIN Nv i'HhlA lA'' "'th Si'sht 'N"
isfacton The question OF monopoly
Is by far the most important issue
which the people Of the United States
have to consider. Combinations exist
in almost every branch OF industrial
enterprise. ana. turn In whatever direc-
tion he may the consumer finds him
s,nIF ,,,t8 tr,, MI yaI
for the purpose of establishing mo-
nopollstic control of it's particular in
dustry. The Pennsylvania Railroad at
tempts to solve the problem only so far
as the protection of It's own interests
is concerned 1t is powerful cor
poratlon, with financial resources great
enough to buy steel plants and operate
them IT cannot be expected, however,
that IL will engage in the manufacture
of steel rails or other products Of iron
and steel for the benefit OF other rail
roads or for consumers In general Its
solu on Of the trust problem is. there
fore only n limited one. Its purchase
benefit of itself and OF it's allied inter
ests. 1t breaks the monopoly Of the
Steel Trust merely to the extent of its
own consumption. This is a sub
stantlal achievement. to be sure; 1t is
also proof Of the highest order Of bust
ness management by the officials Of the
tvn nj Dot I'm
settle the question of monopoly in the
United States
There are few corporations in this
country as well equipped as the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company to chal-
ienge Mr.. Morgan's monopoly. Still
unless the men who control the Steel
Trust also control the majority of rail
roads. the billion-doll colossus may
find its monopoly successfully deiied
by other corporations now dependent
upon It's product. Before this gigantic
consolidation was affected Mr.. Andrew
Carnegie was prepared to build an in
dependent railroad line in order To
market the products of his mills. That
was challenge which the Steel Trust
did not take up. preferring to buy Mr.
Carnegie's steel mills rather than enter
into competition with him. The Penn
sylvania Railroad may have taken a
hint from Mr.. Carnegie. When the big
corporations fall out the general pub
III may be able to extract some com
fort from the situation. 1t liz an in
teresting and significant phase OF
economic development in the United
States that the first effective revolt
against monopoly comes from one of
the greatest railroad corporations in
the United States. When the corpora
tions feel the necessity of curbing the
power OF monopoly and OF protecting
themselves against the possibility of
ext0rtion individual consumers of trust
products may pluck up courage and
hope for beneficial results in the frl-
ture, and those who suffer from the ex-
tortion made possible by monopoly
OF the carrying trade. have a good ex-
ample In the action OF the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company, of the
necessity OF self protection. Freight