Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-05-30
TRUST DEFENDERS
REPUBLICAN, OPPOSITION TO
ANTi.TRUSTS.
Trying to Blind the Voter by Spacious Lang.
uase. From a Republican Standpoint the
Trusts Hurt No One But Save Money For
All.

The Chicago Chronicle, than which
there is no more conscienceless supporter
Of organized greed, publishes the follow
ing defense Of the trusts entitled "rhe
Trust Bogy":
From this time on the country will
hear great deal about the dangers and
evils of the trust, especially from the
democratic party. Political demagogues
must have slogan and there is nothing
at present which they consider such an
easy mark as the much.reviled, uni
versally condemned and unvel sally
dreaded trust.
If q person were to be governed by the
platforms, the stump speeches and the
newspaper interviews OF the next six
months he would form the opinion that
the trust was something like the deadly
upas tree, and it overshadowed and
poisoned every human interest, that the
chief end OF man was to extermnate it
and that the people should in the coming
presidential election support with heart
and soul the candidate most likely to
deliver us from this gigantic evil.
1t is almost cruel to the cheap poll
ticians to deprive them Of the great sd'
vantage they derive from such crusade
as this, and yet the truth is that these
politicians have no clear idea Of what
they mean by trust, that there are few,
if any, trusts in the United States, and
that what are called trusts are simply
ordinary business enterprises and lie at
at the foundation of all national pros.
perity and happiness.
The last ten years have been noted as
a period Of unification and concentration
in every branch Of human activity. The
object is to save waste, and it has been
so successful in this that one is amazed
to think the world should have been SO
long in discovering il.
1t is not trick of the capitalists nor
the manufacturers, but movement Of
the universal human mind. 1t has
affected all business. whether done on a
large score OF a small one, and not
mercantile, manufacturing and financial
business only, but the trades and pro-
LESSONS. Even the churches have
adopted it, and we read of five churches
of five different creeds in one village be-
ing consolidated into one.
AS a result of this process of consolida-
ton business has been done on a much
larger scale than ever before and in some
cases on a colossal scale, and these
gigantic enterprises are now called trusts.
They hurt nobody as a rule, they save
expenses, reduce the cost OF production
and in most cases lower prices. They
are subject to competition among them
selves which in many cases reduces them
to bankruptcy, and as they kill each
other off there is little need OF a political
party to kill them.
1t is safe to say that if any limit what.
ever were set to the scope OF business
enterp, Uses or the size of private fortunes
it would act on the life OF society like a
cord drawn around mans neck. That
is, it would result in social apoplexy and
death and it would be the death, not OF
the capitalist and manufacturer only,
but Of the poor man and the laborer. 1t
would be universal ruin.
| Does the democratic party believe that
it can array itself against business enter
prise and progress and endure?
The Chronicle does not pretend that it
favors reasonable" restraint, as some
republican papers do it does not attempt
to draw distinction between good trusts
and bad ones. 1t boldly announces its
opposition to all antitrust legislation
and characterizes % demagoEues those
who criticise trust rapacity. The Chronicle
is one of the foremost of the newspaper
opponents OF the reorganization move
ment and the above editorial, taken in
connection with the New York platform,
shows what is to be expected if the
plutocratic element obtains control OF the
party machinery. 1t asks: "Does the
democratic party believe that it can
array itself against business enterprise
and progress and endure?" This is the
same question that is asked on the money
question. lis owner, republican banker,
assumes that anything desired by Wall
street is necessary to progress and
prosperity, and that those who resist the
demands OF Wall street are bent on the
destruction OF the country.
The Chronicle is evidently preparing
to threaten panic if trusts are disturbed
lust as it threatened panic if the gold
standard was disturbed. Those who be.
lieve in democratic principles and who
desire remedial legislation might as wei
make up their minds to fight plu.ocracy
all along the line, for the plutocrat APP
pears as defender no matter at wha
| point entrenched privilege is attacked.