The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-09-26
IARlfE AND TRUSTS.

.cened friend OF Inc 4iiHes.
Editor OF Inc Times:
SRI nave read in many issues OF your
,aoer the editorial assertion that inc
nrntecr,ys tariir is the mother OF trusts.
! nave also repeatedly heard and READ IL
elsewhere but 1 nave never yet seen OK
heard a satisfactory explanation OF II
nave never been given a reasoiapie
OASIS upon winch the assertion might
rest irorowing Worcesters defnluoh
Of the word mother do you contend
mat the protective tariff produced
trusts or caused them, or that IL was
.nc,r .,orlE1nY. second. DO You sui
.hink, as has been repeatedly conteaoeo
In your columns. that trusts are me
natural ovoratIon or commercial conoi-
Tons and mat they are tHe iesui. Va
compeuuon IN trade?
=, ,,o,,r ,ssue OF the 18th instant, apro-
nos OF MIR. tienuerson's step in declining
his nomination Tor the Fedora! House OF
REPRESENTATIVES,. you speak OF the tafll
Fostering, trusts. which is. OF course.
rrue to exactly the same extent as IL Is
TO an individual engaged IN q business
tho importation or the articles Oh "hlch
Is taxed by the schedule. 1 also ask you
,r you think that a reduction OF Inc
4.,;r ia a revenue basis will destroy
trusts? what explanation do you oHef
Tor the existence Of trusts In free-traoe
England?
Please observe that these questions IN
nowise involve the wisdom or un"is-
dom OF the protective tarlH as a gene
raj proposition. but merely It's effect Oh
che so-called trusts. u. "A.
tlcnmond, Va, Sept. 2sth
we think that our correspondent Is
mistaken IN saying that he has read IN
many issues OF me Times the editorial
assertion that the protective tarin is the
mother OF trusts II such an express
sion hu. been used II was an inadvertence
and ola not convey our meaning. we
SRI, ne,Ieye. indeed we are more than
ever convinced, TINT large corporations
or combines. or II You please, trusts, as
that term is popularity used. arc the ma
tural evolution of conditions. They have
como because there was demand for
1nem, because there was necessity LOT
tnem organization is a distinct charae-
,eristic of civilization.
we lay great stress upon the fact that
we are an independent people, that every
American citizen is an independent IN
olvldual ana a sovereign. But in point
OF fact this is peculiarly an age of inter
dependence. In organized society no man
uveth 10 nimsor. Society means CO.
operation Government is organization.
every municipality is a cooperative
organization. Wnat number of people
could not 90 when WORKING lnGeEcnc-
entity they can DO when working in CO.
operation 1t is this cooperation which
distinguishes and differentates civiilza-
ton from parparlsn. The truly hide
pendent man Is found IN The forests OF
Africa There every man is for himself,
there he takes who has the power, and
he Keeps VINO can. In clvilzed society
there is organized government, and the
interests ana weiIare OF each Is the con-
Germ OF all.
The principle OF cooperation has been
carried unto the commercial world, and
through It our great enterprises have
been pulit UP. AS civilization advances
there is more and more of organization
and cooperation In the commercial
world, and steam and electricity hay<
made cooperation easier and the more
necessary. 70 say that without a pro-
1ec;lve tarin there would be no great
would be to utter an absurdty. The
Times does not believe IN any such alb
surolty. AS our correspondent well says.
there are trusts In 1ree-trade England
and there would be trusts IN Tree-trade
America
But the tariff does undoubtedly give
many of the great corporations Of this
country an advantage and a power whicd
they should not have. We are opposed
TO this talIu on principle. We do not
believe in government aid to private en-
terprIses. we DO not believe that the
government has a moral right or a legal
right under the Constitution to use the
taxing power Tor any other purpose than
to raise revenue We believe in as little
interference as possible on the part or
government with the private AFFAIRS OF
lite. We believe IN a policy OF hands
OF. We believe that 1t is the junction
and the hounden duty of government to
give to each and every man the same
right and opportunity that every other
man has to make a livelihood and
cumulate and TO pursue happiness
we believe In letting the natural laws
of trade have free course and then let
ing every man work out his own saliva
zion by his own brain and Drawn, as
Mr. Jefferson used to say. without aid
or nncrance on the part or the govern
ment.
We are opposed to a protective tarln
,ax LEVIED In Inc interest or trusts, not
because we are opposed TO business cor
oorauons. but because we are opposed
20 giving them any peculiar advantage
ne believe in putting the corpora tons
and combines OF the United States in
competition win the corpora tons ana
combines OF the whole world. II under
sucn conciuons American corporations
and combines c;klnot maintain them
selves, then let them fall.
Secretary SHAW q Republican and a