The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-12

Germs. But the railroad. the telegraph.
all the agencies of modern cOmmunica-
ton have knit the nation into a single
community. and individuals acting sep
arately can no longer do the work re-
quired by modern life; and organiza-
lions Of industry become vaster than
the little concerns of the old days. as
the consolidated industrial nation is
vaster than the little separate commu-
mites Of the old days. Organization
of industry simply keeps pace with the
organization Of society"
Benefits Conferred by Combines.
What is the general result? Is il
better for the merchant, manufacturer
or farmer who ships over railways, 10
have the little short separate lines of
twenty-five years ago. or is il better
for them that those lines are so con-
solidated into systems sweeping TO the
farthest city markets and 10 the ma
tons ocean ports? The little lines of
road are what you had a generation
ago; the trunk line Is what you have
today. and yet. then you paid 20
10 400 per cent more freight on every
pound of grain and every box of mer-
day. Is II better for the 1000, 900
laborers employed by railways TO work
for the little lines that existed twenty
five years ago or for the mighty rail-
way consultations that employ them
today? The little separate lines of
generation ago, acting in competition,
without scientific or sensible connec-
ton, paid their laborers Is to 20 per
cent less in wages than the same men
receive today; and statistics show that
hundreds Of those little lines went into
the hands OF receivers every year.
often their laborers lost their wages
utterly. Today hundreds of thousands
OF more man are employed by railways
at higher wages than ever before; re-
ceiverships are almost unknown, and
no railway laborer loses a dollar OF
his wage. And yet the opposition 10
the government demands the dissolu-
ton OF these consultations
These modern conditions have
/ caused these modern industrial devel-
opments, not the tariM. not the favor
/ OF the government. not legislation nor
/ the want of il. Destruction of the
/ tariff, therefore. would not destroy
| trusts IL would merely create inter-
national trusts. English, American
I and German trusts would combine in
stead Of compete. But until American
| industries shall dominate the indus
Z tries OF the rest Of the world. until
the United States becomes the perma-
/ nent banking house of the nation; un-
| iii We have grown so great that we
are the controlling influence in inter-
national commercial policy, American
trusts are better for US than interna-
| tiOnal trusts.
Trusts Breed Prosperity.
Have these organizations extorted
money from the people? Examine the
scale of the cost of the necessaries of
| life during the last generation, and
YOU will find a steady decline in prices.
/ Have these organizations thrown labor
out of employment? Why. then. are
more men employed at higher wages
in the United States than ever before
more employed in proportion 10 the
| population than in any other country
on the globe. Have they reduced the
. wealth OF the people? Why. then,
/ have the deposits OF workingmen IN
savings banks increased Why have
/ the farmers OF the nation during the
. very period OF the formation of trusts
paid OF the mortgages on their farms,
which were placed there before the
period Of trusts began? And why
/ should organizations OF commerce and
/ industry seek 20 imPoverish the peo-
pie since their only source OF prOnt
/ is the prosperity Of the people2 They
D can make money only by selling what
1 they can produce: and they cannot sell
l il II the people have no money TO buy
4 Senator Beveridge then discussed the
/ evils OF trusts, and declared that there
] were three. First. the watering OF
stocks which defrauded the innocent
/ purchaser Of those securities; but While
/ only a few of our eighty millions are
! Injured in this way. that evil must
I nevertheless. be remedied ana us only
/ remedy is publicity. For no one Will
/ buy a worthless share or STOCK II ne
] knows the condition Of the corporation
\ that issues il. And when statements
of their business are published 10 the
/ world. every purchaser may know
what he buys And although the
! trusts themselves. as a method OF Sc
! curing popular confidence, have begun
| Ia publish statements Of their business
/ (as witness the voluntary publication OF
/ its condition by the steel trust), yet the
! administration proposes that the peo-
ole shall be informed or the CONDITION
/ of corporations doing business through
I ont the nation II they do not follow
4 the example of the steel trust and pub
/ usb their condition voluntarily.
Evils CLOSED Over.
The other evils Of trusts are the
unjust raising Of prices and the unjust
/ lowering of wages. And although
/ prices are seldom arbitrarily raised by
I trusts. because the higher the prices
/ the smaller the sales. and. therefore,
/ the smaller their prctts, yet the ad-
ministration IS determined that the
folly and the crime Of unjust prices
shall be made impossible. And al
though unjust reduction OF wages IS
/ less and less frequent. as is proven ~
the voluntary advancement OF the
| wages Of the employees OF the steel
/ trust and hundreds OF other great EN-
/ ployers o. labor, the possibility Of such
= wrong must be prevented But the
only method 10 prevent these WRONGS
/ is the gradual development OF national
/ control Of corpora tons doing business
I throughout the nation. And the de-
partment Of commerce which President
! Roosevelt urged congress TO create is
| the seed from which will grow perfect
/ national control Of national industry.
Trust Question Unimportant.
But effective national supervision
must grow IrOnclad control OF bust
/ ness methods which themselves are
perpetually changing and improving
...-., "a -. aud