Courier Democrat., 1904-08-11
EXACTI0NS OF TRUSTS
Republicans Say There Is No
Serious Complaint.
THE PUBLIC THINKS OTHERWISE.
How the Combines Are wor;Sing the
Man of Small Capital-lf the Beef
Bnrons and Their Ill< "Come Down"

Freely They Will Not BE Molested.
When Elihu Root as temporary chair
man of the Chicago convention made
the opening speech Of the Republican
campaign he especially held up for
Roosevelt administration against the
trusts and declared there is mo longer
any serious complaint Of trust eXac-
tions." Now surely MIR. Root did not
believe that his statement was true,
for the newspapers Of the country,
which are mirrors Of public opinion,
are constantly filled With complaints
about the way the trusts are plunder-
ing the people, and Mr.. Root is great
newspaper reader. But defending the
Republican party and the Roosevelt ad-
ministration from their evident partial
ity for trusts was difficult job for
even such a renowned special pleader
as Mr.. Root. Nor was he satisfied to
rest his case there, but tried to prove
it by adding:
mo investment in lawful business
has been jcoparlized. no fair and hon
est enterprise has been injured. but it
is certain that wherever the constitu-
tional power of the national govern
ment reaches trusts are being practical
ly regulated and curbed within lawful
hnfnrka
and the men OF small capital are find
ing in the efficiency and skill of the ma
tional department Of justice Il protec-
ton they never had before against the
crushing effect Of unlawful combina
tions."
There again the facts do not agree
with Mr.. Root, for not one industrial
trust has been regulated and curbed
within lawful bounds" by the Roose-
velt administration. Only two prosecu-
tions of trusts have been commenced,
and only one Of these was against an
industrial trust, and that is still hang
ing fire in the courts, and the trust in
question-the packers combine-shows
no signs Of being regulated or curbed.
The other trust-the railroad merger
has been ordered dissolved by the
courts, but is still charging "all the
traffic will bear" and there is still no
competition between the railroads that
were combined in the merger. The peo-
pie of the northwest, where the merged
railroads are located, are obliged to pay
the same freight and passenger rates
as before "the efficiency and skill of
the department of justice" was brought
into play. These two cases against the
trusts is all the Roosevelt administra-
tion has to boast of, and we have the
word Of Mr.. Knox that there will be no
attempt Ito run amuck" against any
other combinations.
The further boast of Mr.. Root that
the men of small capital are being pro-
tected from the crushing effect Of un-
lawful combinations will be news to
most Of them.
The Washington Post, that cannot be
said to be prejudiced against the Re.
publican party, says, There is nothing
in the record to show that the man Of
small capital is finding any protection
against the crushing effect of unlaw-
full combinat ations.'"
A man of small capital, If he thinks
Of embarking in the coal trade, will
find the coal trust f1xes the price and
rules for that business, and most Of the
profits go to the trust.
An Independent meat market owned
and operated by men who refuse to
deal with the beef trust and adhere to
prices fixed by the trust would be
forced into bankruptcy In short order in
any city Of the country in which the
trust seeks to control business. In
Philadelphia and other cities the tobac-
CO trust is refusing to sell goods to
merchants who will not agree to sell
none but trust made tobaccos. In fact,
there has been nothing In the CONNER.
cial or. industrial history of.the last