The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-27

In view of the colossal character of
the combinations of railroads. steam
ship lines and industrial plants which
have been already made the question
as to whether there is likely to be a
limit placed upon the concentration of
railroad and other chartered properties
in few hands is being seriously asked.
1t is not definitely known, of course
to what extent it is to the purpose of
the Morgan syndicate to combine the
steamship lines of the world under one
control, but the inference from what
is appearing in the public prints is that
the British and American lines have
been merged, with the exception of the
Cunard Line, which is expected to join
the combination. 1t is stated that eff
forts are being made to bring the Ger
man and French lines under control of
the Morgan syndicate. If they are
successful all of the important steam
ship lines of the world will be subject
to the will of a very few men, and
probably one man.
The merging of the railroads of this
country is going on at a rapid rate.
A few days ago Mr.. Melville B. Ing
alls, the president of the big -Four"
system, and one of the ablest railroad
men in the country, said that he
thought the limit in the merging of
railroads had about been reached, that
if it went much further it meant
one-man control, and that meant gov
eminent ownership. Whether or not
he is right time alone can determine.
1t does not look, however. as if the
limit of railroad combination had yet
been reached. If the suit which the
government has brought against the
Northern Securities Company should be
decided in favor of the company, it is
practically certain that all of the
smaller roads would be taken into the
great systems and that the merging of
great systems would go on wherever
there was irritating and troublesome
competition. 1t would be impossible to
arrange the systems so as to avoid
competition.
1t would be an easy matter to in
crease the capital of the Northern Sc
curities Company sufficiently to enable
it to control all of the railroads. The
original purpose of it was to control
four great railroads, namely, the
Northern Pacific. the Great Northern.
the Union Pacific and the Southern Pa
cifc. The Northern Pacific now con-
trolls the Burlington and Quincy.
We have seen the United States Steel
Corporation organized with securities
amounting to more than 81 300, 000, 000
1t includes most of the plants for max
ing steel and steel products of the
country, and yet there is evidence of
a purpose to absorb other plants. There
is a movement now to bring all of the
cotton mills of the South under one
control, and it is probable that 1t will
be successful.
Is it the purpose of Congress to at
tempt to stop the merging of great
industrial and railroad properties? 1t
does not seem so. In a speech at the
convention of Indiana the other day
Senator BeVeridge spoke in approval
of the great combinations which were
now being made. He contended that
they would give us the trade of the
world, and, besides, they were approved
by the wage-earners, because they pay
better wages and give steadier en-
ployment
But, if no limit is placed on these
combinations, if they continue to grow,
very soon, when the issue will be pre-
scented as to whether the few men who
will control them shall own the gov
eminent or the government own the
combined properties?