Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-15
Trusts and Tariffs.

"NOw, my friends, as q matter Of
fact the trust is not a mysterious in
stitution. 1t is 4 very simple method
of plumber, and it is a very natural
consequence of Republican policy. In
fact, ii is an inevitable consequence
| when we come to consider the ordinary
composition of human nature. The
trust is simply a device by which the
potentialities of Il tariff system for
plunder have been made effective and
put in active operation. You will OBJ
serve that under a tariff system which
made commodities produced in this
country more expensive than abroad
domestic competition oftentimes 50 re-
Guced prices that the persons engaged
did not get much benefit out Of the
tariff Their domestic competition be
came so keen that they We're not much
better off than they would be if they
had the competition of the whole world
freely admitted TO the country.
Now it did not take long for some
entcrprising gentleman to see that il
they could eliminate domestic compcti-
ton the tariff law would protect them
from foreign competition and then they
would have the consumer absolutely at
their mercy one trust after another
was organized, and Immediately they
proceeded to raise prices enormously,
not merely t. raise them generally. but
to raise them specifically in this coun-
try beyond what they charged for the
MI
nonenon occurred at once which 4
great many people could not under
stand. and for want OF better eX-
PLANTATION it was attributed TO the
genius of certain financicrS.
cit was found, for instance, that if
there were three corporations or con
Germs engaged in domestic produc-
ton. ana these were worth. say, mil
lion dollars apiece, that the moment
they combined. instead Of being worth
S.. GOO. 900. the sum Of their stock. they
became worth $15.O00,O00 or $2O,G0O,-
600. and this extraordinary multiplied
ton of values was attributed TO WHAT
\ race of men that were called, think.
NapolporS of finance and magicianS
ana various other complimentary
terms.
i have no doubt for awhile these
gentlemen supposed themselves pos
sessed of some occult power. They
forgot the ordinary limitations Of man
kind. They seemed to have completely
overlooked the fact that there never
vet was a MULTIPLICATION of cOmmOdi-
ties on this earth of n miraculous
character but one. and that was
when the lOaves and fishes We're null
tfplied upon the side of the mount.
But they went along rs if these poor
human beings had the power. by mere
scratches Of Il pen. to exercise power
that was divine and TO create these
commodities of themselves. Well, now,
what really occurred was this: These
three corporations put together $1,000
OOO worth of property, and that is all
they conveyed.
''But the power to plumber the Amer
lean people was Il valuable asset in
their posscsSion-the right. in other
words. To charge what they pleased for
their product where the product was Il
necessity was. in fact, a license and
power to levy tribute on the body Of
| the American people; not to sell their
product for what it was worth, with
| any regard To the cost of production.
| but to exact for it whatever they chose
from consumers left helpless in their
hands. And il came to pass that these
corporations deliberately proceeded to
capitalize this power of levyiug triD-
ute as one Of their own assets. The
| great steel corporation, with property
worth 5000. 100000. according TO the
most liberal estimate of a friendly cen
| sus bureau. organized itself upon 4
| capitalization of 81, 600. ONO. OOO-that is
TO say. this property was worth 5000
100000. This power to plumber was
worth the balance. And that power to
| plumber, capitalized, made a feature of
| its stock, was bought and sold, or
shares in it at least were bought and
sold. in the open market.
Think of it, The right to plumber
| to levy tribute on the American people
bought and sold in the open markets
| not merely OF our own country but Of
| every country on the globe. Think OF
! ii. Why. down here in Boston over a
! hundred years ago the attempt TO ex-
act 4 small tribute on one article Of
! common consumption resulted in a
revolution which changed the whole
/ aspect Of civilization. Here the de
scendants of that same people sit
! tamely down and submit TO taxation,
/ to plumber. not by a government. but
/ by syndicates of their own creation.
Now, as against that. the Democratic
| policy is one simply of production. Ii
| IS very simple. Ii has no magical
! formula II does not pretend 10 do
anything for anybody. 1t cannot. and
tells the truth about it. 1t does this:
II says that all men shall have absO-
| lutte rights Of access to this soil, the
riches there created ny the hand OF a
| benefcent Providence; each man shall
enjoy all that he produces. No man
shall touch anything that is not pro
! duced by his own labor. That is the
| whole sum OF Democratic doctrine