Arizona republican., 1902-12-08
A GREAT VOICE
 AS FROM THE DEAD
The Last Important UtteranCe
 From Thomas B. Reed
A Contribution to the Discussion of The Trusts and the Tariff. The Subject Divested of the Cloudi- ness in Which Lesser Men Had Envelop .d it.

Now that Thomas R. Reed is dead his last great utterance takes on still additional interest. It is the following on trusts and the tariff in the North American Review for December:
 The elections for this year have taken place, and we have escaped the one great danger of democracy. which is the decision of great questions without discussion. But we have by no means got rid of the questions. We have now upon us the duty of discussing them with such care as will tend to decide them correctly. We have had a season of prosperity which has had no parallel. even in our own remarkable history. There has been a movement of concern tration; and business has been carried on on so great a scale that we are our selves frightened by the tremendous growth, but we are doing it in such l fashion as to influence the old world.
 Conservatism. or the unwllllngness to welcome new things, has its uses. Most new things are not good and die al carly death: but those which push theselyes forward and by slow degrees force themselves upon the attention or mankind are the unconscious produc- tions of human wisdom, and must have
 
 made the subject of unreascplng preju- dice Toward such movement no one has a right to look askance. Above all no one has a right to presume such q movement wrong. It may he wrong; but when business men all over a great nation pursue the same course, the pre- sumption ought to be that they are right. Nevertheless, the first idea is to make them stop.
 The history of corporations can be put into few words. Men of sense are unwilling to, risk their all in one en- terprise or business. If they can limit their risks. and by union with others whose risks can be in Ike manner linn tied, they can make a strong company, much idle money can be utilized and both capital and labor employed. On this basis, and the basis of easier man. agement. corporations were formed and have gradually grown Tn full propor- ton to the growth of the world. In our day this growth has taken a new form. That form has been forced upon business men by competition with one | another. If q number of concerns united to save expense and the duplication of | management, others had to do likewise. | These unions of capital have been forced upon the capitalist.
 This element of force we must all bear in mind if we wish to understand this question. Perhaps you think that men were glad to get into tHese unions and went cheerfully into combinations ! Such was not the fact Men hated td give up their independence. They and their fathers had built up their busi- ness. They were proud of their sue cess, and meant to leave their establish ments to their children. Tn the new combination only one could be the head The others must go out or take rear seats. Then came the task of valuing 1 which encountered the natural unwil- | lingness to have others do better thar we do, until the task of consolidation grew almost impossible. Why was il not absolutely impossible? Simply be ! cause of the murderous competition It was union or bankruptcy. or course | after there had been a few example,, it became easier. The rising tide oi prosperity helped also, because Il raised not prices only. but values, and men were reconciled by getting more than they had hoped for, though thes got no more than belonged to them.
 It would be natural here to say, wh, not let competition go on? What W. want is the results of competition-lov prices so that we can buy all we want The answer to this can be made, and i is worth attention. With small fac tories scattered around and a countr, store in every village, competition did insure us low prices, but we did not escape the evils we will hereafter speal of. So long as competition could b' carried on on the basis of living anC letting live, all went well; but, as cap ital grew in amount and mills in size competition grew more violent anC property ceased to make returns. Now the doctrine of competition, most in valuable in it's way, has its limitations Being human, it is not an unmixeG good. Destructive competition is al evil. The world cannot afford to hav a trade which does not pay fair pro fit. Hence, when a trade ceases to offe fair profit, there has to be a remedy and the remedy chosen here was il reality not a new one. It is impressiv upon us just now on account of it size. In a small way it has gone ol ever since business became business.
 But are we to be exposed to tn mercy of these people who pile up mil millions, and have we no remedy b. law or constitutional amendment Yes. we have many remedies on tn stump and in the newspapers. But tn experience of mankind is universal tina Providence has not left us to the stun orator or to the newspapers. or even { the statesman. Somehow-after muc blundering, perhaps, but somehow every new movement has in itself tn element of protection of the race. Fo instance, we are all afraid of monopo lies; we fear that somebody, by som
 new scheme will squeeze us perma nently, and yet that has never haI , pened. But, you will say. what ca prevent these great aggregations (
 capital from charging what they like
 The answer is. that what prevent 1 them from charpinpc a. n unfair rrica