The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1902-08-29

the effects of competition, but that's
now a matter of past history and
hereafter farming machinery will cost
whatever the trusts choose to die
tate. Another branch ofthe business
that has not been considered is the
fact that the combination will cause
the discharge of about 10000 men
who were making a living by being
employed with the different machine
companies. One of the greatest adj
vantages urged in favor of the trusts
are the economies practiced by the
great industrial combinations which
result in piling up the dividends
for the stockholders, but it is difficult
to see how the cause of labor will be
benefited by the turning loose of this
vast army to come in competition
with other existing trades. Labor,
unlike moneyed corporations cannot
be formed into a trust and is governed
entirely by the rule of supply and de-
mand. If there be a great many UNI
employed persons and sharp compe-
tition for employment, wages will
decline except in the most highly or
gained branches of skilled workers.
Thus the harvesting machine combine
in getting rid gifts 10, 900 employees
not only deprives these men tenn
porarily of the means of making a
living, but by swelling the ranks of
the unemployed and cheating the
value of labor by increasing the sup
ply and reducing the demand. The
trusts base their rights for existence
upon the fact that they pay good
wages and thereby are friends of the
working man. This may be true so
far as itgoes, but the discharge ofper-
fectly competent help for no other
reason than to reduce the expenses of
a trust throws upon the market a
character of labor that must seek a
similar well paying position. From
the fact that trusts now practically
control every avenue of business and
invariably reduce the number of em-
ployees from one-third to one-fourth
there is constantly growing up an
army of men who heretofore were
enabled to make good living, but
owing to the fact of losing their posi-
tions they are compelled to go in
competition with less skilled labor
and accept anything that will enable
them to keep the wolf from the door.
The effects of this when carefully con-
sidered are far reaching and the con-
sequent evils are becoming more and
more serious as time goes by. Itisa
we'll recognized fact that the cost of
living largely, owing to the trusts,
has been advanced from one fourth
to one-third more than it was ten
years ago. If this be true, and all i'll
telligent statistics show that it is, it
is readily apparent that the time is
not far distant when, if the hand of
the law does not intervene, the peo-
pie will become desperate and use
forcible means in breaking the powers
of the combination of capital.
There is no more difficult question
confronting the people today and the
aggregations of money are becoming
more and more defiant so long as
they have so much benehcient legis-
lation which is influenced by a power
elected by the influence of their own
money. 1t will require radical steps
to be taken promptly to unhorse the
power of money and the only hope
that the common people can have is
in the election ofDemocratic officials.
The first step will be taken this fall
and is but a preliminary to the Presi,
Dental campaign which is to follow
in 1904. Our first duty is to elect a
Democratic House at the coming
election and with a good start the
victory to follow will be more than
half won.