The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-04-13

Standard Oil Trust, and VINO has made
a deep study of the monopoly ques
ton, has given her views to a daily
paper.
Miss Tarbell has watched the prog
ress of the Hearst suit against the coal
trust and has been perfectly CONVEX
SAINT with every move of this great
combine in it's efforts to crush the peo-
pie and of every effort made to check
mate it by Mr.. Hearst. Tonight, at
her home on West Ninth street, she
gave her opinion.
BY Ida M. TarbeII.
Il regard the decision of the United
States supreme court in the suit of
Congressman Hearst against the coal
trust as very important 1t is more
1t is just and righteous decision. l
vine right. The coal trust certainly
has no divine nor other right to OPP
press the public and force money from
the pockets of the people. The prin-
ciples on which trusts are formed are
all bad ones. The basic idea of all
trusts is to control the output and to
regulate the price of any commodity
in the trust power so that it shall meet
the approval of the trust pocket.
Output and Price.
"The output and the price of coal is
thus regulated at the will of the coal
trust. 1t can, and does, determine the
amount that shall be sold and the
amount per ton that this specified
amount shall bring. There is not the
least element of uncertainty about it.
so far as the trust is concerned.
1.-THE trust is bound to get the high
est possible price. regardless of the
| welfare of the people. There is an
other reason why this decision is
righteous one and one that ought to
make every person thankful. outside
of the trust members. 1t makes it
clear that trusts are not above the law
and that they cannot conduct business
| on secret plan that waves aside all
| inquiry with the declaration: We are
| honest. Our methods are none of the
pubic's business This decision de-
clares that the trusts methods are very
much the public's business. If these
methods are honest, it is up to the
| trusts to prove it. If these trusts are
no pirates, as alleged, they owe it to
the public to prove that they are not.
If they are honest, in their methods
| there ought not to be any difficulty in
sufficient for the members of trusts to
draw themselves up haughtily and
say: 1T is our private business
Anomalous Position.
How anomalous. How can bust
ness that the public is not only sup
porting. but enriching beyond the hope
of avarice be termed a private BUSH
! ness?' What ever the public puts it's
money into, the public is entitled to
know about. The fact is the trusts
enjoy far too many privileges. Their
autocratic power exceeds even that of
the president of the United States.
The power of even this highest officer
in this land is hedged about by re-
strictions. Why should members of a
private corporation, even if it has been
organized to selfishly control some ne
ceGs,tv of life be allowed a greater
latitude than The president? BY what
right do the members of this trust
marvellous assurance, say: Our
methods are our private business We
are not obliged to reveal by what
methods we fix prices?'
The trusts should be controlled and
restricted the same as the banks. There
should be at times a perfect f1oodlight
on their methods of doing business
believe in publicity and this decision
is a step in the right direction, the di-
rection, that shall open to the gaze Of
the men that buy the methods of the
men that sell and control the market
prices
| The Debutante-I think she is lust
as pretty as she can be. The Wall
| hOwQrS-MOSf Oir1o