The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-23

lie the Anniversary club, gave a toast
| on THE Trusts" Mr.. Wells is of the
firm of Shartel, Keaton & Wells, lawyers
and has made a splendid record in okla
homa. The ideas on trusts given by Mr..
| Wells are in part as follows:
Mr.. ToaStmaSter and Fellow Republic
cans: The unrestricted operation of the
law of supply and demand has always
| regulated prices of all commodities, eX-
cept few monopolies. Prices so fixed
are admittedly fair; and the law is still
| In full force and operation notwithstand-
ing some populistic suggestions that it be
repealed
In popular parlance a distinction,
easier to understand than to define, seems
to be made between trusts and monop-
olies. The latter have always existed in
a limited way, and in the case Of patents
and copyrights have been fostered and
protected by government with results
generally admitted to be beneficial Trusts
may perhaps be defined as organizations
which by their size and magnitude Of
their operations are able TO control either
the supply of or the demand for a given
article, to such extent as TO restrain COM
petition. The present agitation is brought
about by recent organizations which have
attempted largely to control the output
of certain commodities 1t is the restraint
of competition, not the size of the organ
ization that is Objectionable; but it is
the magnitude of the organization that
enables it TO stiie competition.
I'VE may differ. and we 60 differ as to
the magnitude of the evil, but we will
agree that it exists. We may differ as to
the extent of the danger, but we will all
agree that there is danger. The problem
is one that must be worked out on new
lines. for the. history of the world fur
nishes no solution. 1t IS a new problem
arising naturally out or conditions that
have nexer existed before. Its solution
will require the best thought of the best
minds of our country and must be worked
out gradually and on safe lines. 1t will
not do to kill the patient TO cure the dis
ease. Radicalism and Gemagogery have
no place in its treatment. There are too
many advantages in big corporations TO
destroy them all merely because some are
so managed as to be injurious. While |
do not profess to know just what the
solution OF this great problem will be, of
one thing | feel convinced. and that Is
that it must be worked out through the
great Republican party, and the courts OF
our country. 1 have an abiding conviction
that each are equal to any emergency
that will arise in the future, as they have
been in the past.
The problem of permitting organization
for the purpose Of cheapening production,
and at the same time seeing that such
cheapening of production insures a cor
responding cheapening in the price to the
consumer is different one. but it VIII
be solved. and 1t will be solved right
and solved through the political party
that has solved all great American ques-
tons for more than a generation, and
solved them so satisfactorily thot our
friends of the Democracy have been
forced - find a new issue for each re
curing campaign. In the next campaign
we win hear little of free trade free silver
or free T2gais. The Republican position
on each of those questions have been
proven correct by the logic of events. We
WILL however hear much weeping and
wailing about the trusts. In New York
the Democratic orators VIII abuse the
Republican party because il has enacted
and enforced anti trust legislation; and
in the west they viii abouse it because
1t hasn't. AS in the past their arguments
viii be trimmed TO suit the audiences. on
the hteory that anything that IS opposed
to what the Republican party has done
or has not done IS good Democracy and
in full accord with the sanctfied prin-
oiples OF Jefferson and Jackson. On tha
other hand the Republicans viii have a