The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-08
TRUSTS AND wORKINGMEN.

TRUSTS AND
The platform adopted by the Democratic
district convention on Saturday says: 1.-THE
trusts are dismantling mills and throwing
men out of employment" The same charge
will doubtless be made by scores Of Demo-
cratic conventions during the next few
weeks 1t Is made in the Democratic cam
paign book. which devotes a great deal of
space to a romping sort of discussion of
the trust question without showing any
intelligent understanding OF it and with
out suggesting any remedy for it's alleged
evils.
AS the Democratic party goes before the
people on the proposition that the trusts are
dismantling mills and throwing men out of
employment the burden of proof is upon 1t
to establish the truth of the proposition.
IL IL Is true the fact should be known, and
If that can be shown to be one of the gen.
eral objects of trusts it would be strong
argument against them, at least from a
political point of view, which is the only
point of view the Democratic party takes
of any question. The public wants all the
IL
1t is true that trusts are dismantling mills
and throwing men cut of employment with
out giving employment to others in larger
numbers the public ought to know 1t, and it
would be competent evidence to go before
jury of the people to assist them in MAX
ing up their verdict in the case.
Trusts are of comparatively recent origin,
and they have not been in operation long
enough yet to determine whether their ulti-
mate effect will be to reduce the numbers
Of men employed in the particular indus
tries affected or not If there is any evil
dence that they have done thus far it is
In the exclusive possession Of Democratic
conventions and others who are making the
charge. The report of the British parlia-
mentary committee which recently visited
this country to investigate Industrial condi-
| tons said: "The trusts up to now have
wages having tendency to increase" The
report said nothing as to the comparative
| number Of men employed now and before
| trusts began to be formed, but everybody
knows 1t Is vastly greater. On last Labor
day. week ago. Samuel Gompers, presi-
| dent of the American Federation of Labor,
sent a greeting to the toilers Of the coun-
try In which he said:
1t is true that the toilers are more fairly
| and generally employed, that progress and
economic Improvement are apparent, but
| 1t is also true that never was wealth so
| concentrated or industry so developed, and
the possessors so alert to take advantage of
4 m IF Iah
| Is no reason to fear for the future so long
as the workers are true to themselves and
| true to each other.
| If the trusts have reduced the number of
men employed Mr.. Gompers evidently had
not heard of it, for he makes the unquali-
| fed statement that the toilers are more
fairly and generally employed than ever
before. He says wealth is more concen-
trated than ever before, but he does not
/ mention trusts as menace, and says
| workingmen have nothing to fear as long as
they keep up their organization. Every
body knows there are fewer unemployed
men I'm the United States at the present
| time than at any previous period I'm the
history Of the country, and this Is particu-
larly true of skilled laborers. Perhaps, how
ever. the managers of the Democratic party
| have some important evidence on the sub
ject which they will submit at the proper
men out of employment. AS they have vol
unfairly taken the affirmative of the propo-
sition and have gone before the people on
1t the burden of proof is on them to estab.
fish the fact.