The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-06-21

of the trusts if they solicit or accept a
part of the proceeds of the trusts mis-
conduct?'
And what should be said % the se-
sponsibility of the stockholders in a
trust? Some may attempt 20 draw q
line between the stockholdep and Che
director, or manager. Some EBAY say
that a stakeholder caa conscientiousiy
draw dividends from a trust. if in che
election of directors ne tries 60 secure
men who will deal 6airly with che
public
likewise. some may argue a nlan
may conscientiously be a director in a
trust it, in the selection of its officers.
he tries to secure the election of men
| who will respect the rights % tf1e pub
| lie But one who will attempt to de-
fend either a stakeholder Or a director
on the ground that he means we'll, but is
| out-voted, will probably defend the
manager of a trust on the ground that
he is acting for others and not for him
self, and therefore under compulsion to
make the most possible for them se-
gardless of his own conscientious
scruples"
THE shifting OF responsibility is in
itself recognition of the ndefensible
position of the man who accepts the
benefits of immoral transactions. It
marks the triumph of love OF money
over conscience Al man WHO buys
stock in a trust buys with the know
ledge that it is condud BED by human be-
ings; he buys it viii, the knowledge
that he cannot control the conduct of
those in charge unless he has a major
ity of tn stock, and if he will allow his
reason to exercise itself he will soon
come to the conslusion that he takes the
stock for the purpose of securing for
himself the profits that arise from dis
regard of human rights
''If it is impossible for a mere stock
holder to justify participation in taaint-
ed profits, what shall be said of the di-
rector and the manager himself? In
the case of Mr.. Rockefeller, it is a fact
known to all that he not only derives a
large part of his present income from
the Standard Oil company, but that the
dividends of his Stndard Oil stock have
furnished the money for his other in
vestments. The tremendous pyramid of
his fortune rests upon the stock OF the
Standard Oil company, and it is mat
ter only too well known that in &C
curing his fortune he has resorted to
every evil practice known to the trusts.
He has forced rivals to sell to him by
cutting off their market Or source of
supply, or both: he has bankrupted men
who refused to sanction his business
methods. He has violated the laws of
state and nation, and secured not only
rebates, but part of the freight paid
by others. If but few of the facts set
forth in Wealth Versus Common
wealth (by Henry D. Lloyd are cor
rect, no criminal now incarcerated in
the penitentiary for larceny has shown
more indifference to human rights and
property rights than this same Rookie
Teller. Does it lessen his sin that he |
has given literally to churches and col |
legess Nay, it exagerates them, for he
attempts to make others share with him
the odium that his conduct merits He
is held up as Christian, but the test of /
is not in profession, but in
performance, and Christian has been
too well defined to enable man like
to be taken for one IF a
man say I love God and hateth his |
brother, he is liar" This may seem /
forcible way of putting it, but who has
authority to change the test? And
what victim of statute law has ever
shown his hatred of his brother more
than Rockefeller has in his management
Of the Standard Oil company Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" can
not be proved by the distribution of
part of ones income if it is disregarded
n the collection of the income
1T is high time that we should have
/ moral awakening which will condemn
both the giver and the gift where the
money is accumulted BY methods which
ire repugnant to the conscience This
form of punishment should not take the
olace of the law; it should rather sup