The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-05-28

royal roads to wealth, accident and
inheritance, and you might include
the two in one. / envy not the mill
lionaire his millions, tito secure them
| have to ostracise myself from soeie-
ty and home comforts, put aside the
pleasures OF youth and young man.
hood, know nothing of the blessings
and beauty OF nature, the sunshine,
flowers and birds, but stay confined
in a close room for ten hours day,
and be a broken down dispeptie with
money to compensate when healthy,
Joyous prime should be mine.
The problem which conironts US as
a people and a nation, is whether or
not trusts shall be permitted TO con-
tinue to exist, and il so, how shall
they be controlled. That they are
increasing in number and power with
alarming rapidity, lie evident to all.
They have already become factors in
politics and occupy importantplanks
in both the great political party
platforms
Paternalism in government is abb
horrent to the minds OF all free born
Americans. To impose government.
al restrictions upon men IN the ill.,
vestment OF their honestly acquired
wealth, in legitimate channels OF
trade, tends to that paternalism, and
is consequently viewed with suspic.
ion by conservative men. There are
none of us, however, but what want
a strong government, able to pro-
tect the rights, lives and property OF
her citizens. When riots attending
labor troubles, a few years ago in
Chicago, were destroying property
and threatening lives, and the Gov
ernor Of Illinois refused to interfere,
none of us but had a sense OF relief
when President Cleveland ordered
federal troops to the scene; we oil felt
secure under such government.
10 10 maintained by some thought
iul men that trusts will adjust them
selves. As their profits are under
stood to be great through lack OF
competition, idle capital, seeking in
vestment, will form opposition trusts
and enter the field as competitors.
Ii that were true, then trusts need be
feared only as temporary evils. But
that theory is against the evidence
so far developed, and foreign to the
theory OF trust formation, which is
to prevent competition. II an oppo-
sition trust is formed, the price OF
the commodity handled or manuiac-
tured is reduced until instead OF the
expected profits to be derived, they
find a constant loss. This is soon
remedied by a merger, and prices are
raised to recuperate all losses and a
little more added to compensate for
trouble and Inconvenience the trust
magnates have been put to.
President Roosevelt, with strong
following in his party, believes that
publicity is the remedy, and has had
the courage and power to force Con-
0ress to enact some laws upon that
theory. A Department of Publici-
ty" has been established, with q
Cabinet member at Its head. But
unfortunately, sufficient provisions
for carrying the law into execution
were not made, consequently the
adequacy Of that theory to meet the
contingencies cannot, for the present,
be exemplified.
The only publicity, in my iudg-
ment, that would prove especially
beneficial, would be the authorizing
the general government and different
states to have supervision over the
trusts. similar to that now exercised
over banks and banking corpora
tions, insurance companies, etc. This
would undoubtedly do away with
many OF the evils OF which the people
now haveso just right to complain.
1t would regulate, to some extent,
but would not be cure for the trust
evil. Unlike the President, | do not
believe there is such a thing as q
good" trust. The object and prin-
ciple OF preventing competition by
such merger is unguestionably bad.
In view of the actions taken by Re-
publican Congress, at the instigation
OF Republican President, it is fair
to assume that to be the policy OF
that party upon that question, until
the party officially speaks through
it's next national platform.
The Democratic party, so far as We
can Judge by it's platform expressions
and the utterances of it's leaders in
Congress, believes that in a large
measure trusts owe their existence to
governmental favors and privileges,
and that a removal of protective
tariff, or a reduction to permit COM
petition, would solve the problem. 1t
would be a wide stretch OF the i'm.
agination to conceive that the faith
ers of our protective theory OF gov
eminent, when they enacted laws to
encourage and protect infant indus
tries, had in mind that such protec.
ton should extend to the point OF
permitting them to become oppres-
sors OF the people. Imay bepardon-