The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-11-30
THE THING rs EASY"

Whenever Mr.. Roosevelt begins to talk
about regulating or destroying the trusts,
and he is continually talking about
doing something some time, though
many fear it will all end in talk --hc de-
it is to do anything than to poi ltins out
how the difficulties may be overcome.
That is the tone of all Republicans except
those hrazcn and "stand pat" Rr7ubli-
cans like Mark Hanna. who soly" 10
| whole question by the impudent and bold
assertion: There are no trusts"
Yesterdays Winston Journal contained
much solid sense in an editorial on
trusts, answering a question of a Re-
hcan addressed a letter as follows TO
| the Journal:
| "If yoI or any of your party ca study
out bill that will kill all illegal trusts
and not kill all others that are outside
| of trusts and monopoles you will confer
an everlasting obligation on every Re-
! publican that has thimbleful of brains.
You have said that if your party was
put in power it would smash all trusts.
| Now please put your plan in black and
white, and make it so plain that a Re-
publican, though fool, can understand
| it."
III its answer the Journal gives a strong
| arrangement of the Republican failure to
| try 10 do anything. We quote:
The Journal comes to the relief If
| th:s unhappy neighbor who has fallen
among thieves, and has been persuaded
| that the thieves are Ieedful to his hap.
p:ness For, to begin with, let it bc UNI
derstood that there are no trusts, from
the point of public discussion, that are
not illegal. A trust uniformly under
stood--as defined by the Sheman anti
trust LAWS a combination in restraint
of trade. 1t may be in the form of a
corporation, but it is not necessarily so.
Whatever its form. it is unlawful. And
rCw this inquirer asks whether yoU can
SUPPRESS a law breaking trust without
destroying law abiding busincss-wheth-
e: you can punish forgers without hurt
| lag writing teachers-whether 70 can
suppress crime without destroying vir-
| tue.
How can you 10 it? First, enforce
| the law Republicans tell us in one
| breath that nothing can be done, and
| in the next they point to the Injunction
asked by President Roosevelt against
| the beef trust, and promptly granted by
the court-but whose open violation by
tie beef magnates goes unpublished.
Why? The antitrust law provides for
| tie confiscation of the goods of q trust
! in transit. None are confecated. Why
Second. Stop the discrimination in
| freight rates. That is one great support
| Of trusts LOW, and has been f1r years.
| 1t would help all legitimate business t.
| stop it, for that is the most effective
| mode by which the lawless trusts get
| advantage of law abiding competitors
| undersell them, and drive them out OF
business 1t would be a blessing, rot an
| injury, to every law-abidng merchant
and manufacturer if the interstate COM
| merce law were amended and enforced.
But although Republican Congresses have
hcen pctitioned by merchants ard rianu-
factul."s associations, railraa commits
:icnrrs. farmers associations and others,
W 10 liiS, Incy nave uniformly TcluSe0.
Third. Remove the excessive tariff
on trust-controlled products. This
should harm nobody Reduce the sched-
ules to point where importation would
follow and prohibit domestic greed. Do
as you do with banks-allow fair interest
but not usury.
THE thing is easy, sir, if you will go
at it intelligently and occupy middle
ground between the Republican cormor-
ants who having black cat would
skin it to the tail" and the visionary
Democrats and Populists in the A. B. c.
class who want such legislation now as
!"omas jefferson wanted a hundrcI
Years ago when tha whole Uni: Cd States
didn't have as much money invested or
as many people employed in factories as
Forsyth county has now"