Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-12-31
THE REAL TRUSTS
ARE NOT THOSE HAVING THE
WATER SQUEEZED OUT.
Wildcat Concerns Only Damage Innocent In.
vestors. But the Real Trusts Impose Upon
the Helpless Consumers Of Controlled
Products.

the Helpless Consumers Of Controlled
Products.
Statistics disclose that since January l,
1908, forty-four trusts incorporated under
the laws of New Jersey have been thrown
into the hands Of receivers. OF these de-
funct corporations. the authorized"
capital was $50. 34O, 900; the amount OF
stock actually subscribed for was ST.
272 1881, and the "estimated" assets
81 1854, 6S4.oS.
In the case OF the salt trust, for in.
stance. the capital stock purported to be
$12 900 900, but the receiver for that con-
Germ reports its assets at $37 500.
In this connection the Atlanta Con-
stitution makes very important point
and one that deserves to be emphasized
by democratic newspapers. The Consti-
tuition says:
Tin connection with the moribund
condition Of these wildcat corporations
we observe note OF exultation in many
republican papers over the superficial
idea that, since the trusts are going to
pieces Of their own rottenness, the dem
ocratic occupation Of ''trust busting" is
gone. Our jubilant contemporaries seem
to have wholly overlooked the very
patent fact that the real trusts-the real
monopolistic and, therefore, oppressive
trusts-are not touching the bottom Of
this watery sea, nor are they in the least
danger of touching it.
"The public is not deceived by the
foolish cry that the trusts are committing
suicide, and it has not lost a particle of
its motive for holding in store a dsy OF
reckoning"
The trusts that Ego to pieces OF their
own iottenness" inflict the largest dam.
age upon innocent people who have mon
ey to invest, and who are led to invest
that money in the stocks OF the overcap.
italized concern. 1t is entirely proper
that these concerns be called to account
The evil OF over capitalization is, indeed,
a great one; but not all Of the people Of
this country have money to invest. In.
deed, comparatively speaking, only
small number OF the people have money
to spare for investment purposes; and
the trusts that inflict the greatest amount
OF damage are the trusts that are not 60
ing to pieces.
The trusts manipulated by men who
conspire in restraint OF trade and who &C.
cure corner upon the necessities o. life,
impose upon and Cypress thousands and
thousands of helpless consumers of the
country where the overcapitalized and
"rotten" concerns impose upon half a
dozen men and women having money to
invest.
1t cannot too often be reiterated by
democratic newspapers that, in the Ian.
guage Of the Constitution, "the real
trusts-the really monopolistic and,
therefore, oppressive trusts - are not
touching the bottom OF this watery sea,
nor are they in the least danger of touch.
ing it,"
"Publicity," the only remedy which
the Roosevelt administration seems able
to present, even in half.hearted fashion.
will not touch the "really monopolistic
and therefore oppressive trusts"
Restraining orders and injunctions
will not seriously affect the wicked
schemes OF the men in control OF these
trusts.
There is, however, one potent weapo
upon the statute book and it remains to
this day unused, in spite of Mr.. Roose.
velt's boasts that he is in earnest in his
so. called fight against the trust system.
No representative OF his administration
and no republican editor has yet under
taken to explain why the administration
has not employed that powerful weapon.
The weapon referred to is the criminal
clause OF the Sherman antitrust law.
The managers Of the "really monopo-
listic and therefore oppressive trusts"
are not seriously disturbed by the RENE
dy called publicity" when it is unac-
companied by forceful proceedings. They
do not stand in awe, however, of crimi-
nal proceedings; and the power Of these
real trusts will never be broken until we
have an administration that is just as
willing to proceed against the wealthy
man who conspires against the life OF the
people as it is to proceed against the
humblest violator OF the federal law.
To Cure . Cold In Ono Day