The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-07-10

The fiscal year ending yesterday closed
81 susas n
| and on the Both day Of June, 1902. there
| was in the treasury over and above all
the siSo, oOoo 900 gbld redemption fund. a
| balance of nearly $200,OO0,0O. s
During Cleveland's administration we
| were q debtor nation. suffering with gold
| Withdrawals to Europe, and had great
difficulty, and had to borrow, to maintain
the gold redemption reserve.
| pices, we have become creditor nation,
| the large balance of trade has turned the
Of god to Sur In ssea
| center of the world. Money is plentier
| and interest lower here than in any other
nates the AIM financial and Industrial world.
| Under the leadership of Washington we.
| gained our political independence; and un,
Roosevelt we have gained our Industrial
and financial independence.
One of the important and engrossing
in in recent years. and at the present time
| is that of trusts and monopolies, and how
to regulate and control them so as not to
are living in the midst of an economic
and Industrial revolution. Old methods,
on a numerous, but in each case limited,
scale have given way to new methods
on an enlarged and more concentrated
scale.
The tendency Of the age is combination
concentration,
object of this is to lessen the cost of pro-
duction so as to cheaper the most to the
consumer and not to obtain monopoly,
suppress competition or check the reduc-
ton of price to the consumer. the public
will not be injured and has no fair
ground for complaint.
But a combination which becomes in
one form or another an absolute mono
poly, or nearly such, shutting off all sub
stantial competition, Is in its very es-
sence menace and danger. because of
an
mon to all. as it places the public at the
mercy and under the heels of single
concern. None Of US would like to be
however gentle, kind and humane he
might be, because we would be in his
power, subject to his whims and his ca
Charles ]. Bonaparte the eminent law
yer of Baltimore, at the great confer
ence of trusts held in Chicago in Sep
TENDER. 1899, clearlykstated the case, and
the distinction in the following lam
ggage;
freedom of competition, the consumer
will benefit by the reduction in the cost
of production thereby causedi If the COM
consumer will not ordinarily benefit by
the decrease of cost; on the contrary,
the tendency of such a combination is to
cost of the product"
The Republican party has not been I'M
mindful OF its duty
TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE
from the dangerous consequences of
monopolies so far as the same can be
done by legislation. In 1890, during the
administration of President Harrison,
epaaches the solceRIe9 sherma IN a poth
trust law was enacted, prohibiting monop-
olies and combinations in restraint of
trade; in interstate commerce. which law
SIlIStanfiql1v MI NIT w
legislation on our federal statute books.
In passing upon cases brought under
this law, the supreme court of the Unit
ed States has, in substance, held that I'M
der the Federal Constitution congress has
no power to regulate combinations or
monopolies in manufacture as distin-
guished from combination or MONOPOLY in
trafflc, and no power to regulate or con-
troll combination or monopoly in other
than interstate traffic, and that the pow
er or regulating combinations or mon
opolyt IN manufacture and local traffic
rests with the several states and not in
the FEDERAL government.
From this it is apparent that the act of
1880 has substantially exhausted the pow 4
er OF congress in the premises; and it is
far from affording adequate relief There
are forty-fiye states in the Union, no two
OF them with similar anti-monopoly legis-
latlon, and some of them with none at all
A combination or monopoly in production
of the entire country, can thus exist UNI
checked and untrammeled in any one of
the states. from which the people of the !,
other states suffer and against which they
can obtain, no protection. Besides II is
oftentimes difficult to separate the con-
t aad eeff # er teae
monopoly can inflict were limited to the
state under which It exists and has its
seat then there would be no harm in
leaving It to the exclusive control Of such
state, but where such monopoly extends 4
its operations throughout the entire courl-
Try, then It Is evident that the scope Of
the relief and protection ought to be CO.
can be done. 81 ~
A monopoly. NATIONAL in its scope and
the entire people be subject to national
control: Whoever seeks to enjoy national
also submit to natona Sho and
regulation Protection in such cases
should be mutual. 3 NJ 4
necessities, clear to those who have stud
led the subject. and with view of giving
congress ampler. power. 20 control mon
dietary committee OF the house Of repre- 4
ssentatives, in the Firry-sixth congress-
reported joint resolution proposing the
following amendment to the Constitution
Section 4. All powers conferred by this !,
article shall extend to the several states.
and ali territories under the soyereig pla
and subject to the Jurisdiction Of the
United States. H. ~ 81 q
Sec =. congress snail nave power to 4
define, regulate, control, prohibit or dis
solve trusts, monopolies or otherwise.
The several states may continue to ex-
ercise such power in any manner not In
conflict with the laws of the United
lsec. 8. Congress shall have power to
enforce the provisions OF this article by
appropriate legislation. - -
When this resolution was put on its
passage on May 81, 1900, nearly every
Republican voted for it and nearly every
Democrat voted against it. It failed to
pass for want of two-tnIrds maiorfty
which was lacking because Of the united
opposition of the Democratic party. q
Our state legislature, when the Reprb-
,licans were in a majority and under a
Republican executive. for the purpose Of
preventing a monopoly in railroad trans
portation, in 1874 passed sthe following
law: "a = 49, h
mo railroad corporation, or the les
sees, purchaser or managers of any rail-
road corporation, shall consolidate the
stock. property or franchise OF such cor
poration with. or lease or purchase the