The independent., 1903-03-19
TRUSTS A NECESSITY.

Congressman Starks idea of primary
nominations, but | wonder whether
people would turn out to such or
would only few who make politics
their business still manipulate as has
been the case in the past? There must
of necessity be machine" the or
ganiZation, which consists of state,
county and precinct committees.
These are generally supposed to do
about all the work and my obserya-
tion has taught me that precinct pri-
maries are attended by them and few
who have axes to grind. But under
our present system of telephones and
rural mail it might be possible for
each county chairman to get an ex-
preston over these routes by giving
a few days notice, but to get voters
to attend primary election to simply
choose between two or more neigh
bors as delegates to county cOnven-
tion it requires something very inn
portant and as a usual thing will re-
suit about as the present plan has.
| also notice many of your writer's
are giving trusts fits and | wonder
how they are going to stop them with
out checking all advance in CONNER
cial evolution. In my opinion trusts
are a necessity. No single person can
carry on great enterprises. 1t re-
quires combined effort. Take the oil
trust: when coal oil first came into
use it cost so cents per gallon; now
it costs 121s cents. How was this
done? First, by competition in open
ing oil wells; second, by combining
capital to still increase production;
third, by merging many interests and
piping the Oil at less rates than rail-
roads would deliver it. Each of these
conditions made it possible for cheap
oil and larger profits. Why curse
Rockefeller for getting rich when at
the same time he has lessened the cost
of oil rs per cent. love to see any
man make money when at the same
time he is saving others money. | be-
lieve, however, thta human nature is
selfish and that Rockefeller is not
cheapening oil as he might for, if re-
ports are true, he is getting very rich.
How would it do for Uncle Sam to
say, Now, Rocky, this oil is God
given comfort to all mankind, there
fore, | will put graduated income tax
ON you until your. profits are large
enough for any man, after which you
can take your choice; cheaper your
oil to the people or give the surplus
to me and I'll use it in tightening their
burden Of taxation
I see the old tariff bone is being
gnawed a good deal in your columns
The populist party cannot afford to
try to take that bone from those two
''old dogs" It's dry gnawing any
way.
The people of this country are. for
tariff and no political party can live
unless it advocates some tariff. What
the populists should do is to advocate
> just tariff exempting nothing we
can produce, let it be raw or manu-
factured material. 1t is the Unequal
ties by privileges given under the law
and not the law that is wrong.
W. G. STARKEY.
Violet, Neb.
(Mr. Starkey evidently burns pine
knots or candles for lighting purposes
or has pull with the oil trust
for we cannot get kerosene at 12h
cents a gallon in Lincoln; 19 cents in
five-gallon lots is the best we can do.
Mr. Starkey overlooks the fact al
though kerosene is cheaper now than
it was in the days when it was dis
titled from coal, or before the art Of
refining the petroleum was developed,
yet for the past several years the price
has been steadily creeping up in de-
fance of all known laws of price when
controlled by competition. There is no
such economy of production as Mr.
Starkey believes-it, is economy of
transportation, a better rate than
anyone else can get. There are hun
dreds of dismantled refineries whion
could refine oil as cheaply as Rookie
feller can-but they can't get it to
market. Rockefeller did not reduce
the price of oil rs per cent-he was
not omnipotent then and couldn't pre-
vent its going down. But today he is
showing the world the spectacle of in
Z creased production and increased
price, with no new use to indicate an
abnormal increase in the demand
Ed. Ind ~ s..sar.s-. {. ..,,
SOCIALISM.