The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-13

i tie business They we're satisfied, an an
\ they proposed to stand pat and lie
\ well enough alone" i%
1 There is no doubt that many pcor
are opposed TO trusts IN theory The!
are o,s,osed to what Mr. Hearst calls
the terminal trusts" but the election
returns clearly Indicate that they arr
not so much opposed to trusts IN piac
tice as to be willing at this time 10 q
into the tr,ist-snashlng business at the
risk OF destroying the prosperity wh'cf
they are now enjoying.
What is trust, anyway? Is 1t some
monster III human shape. With little heat
and wide mouth and pronounced ROUND
lny. such MS Mr.. Hearst's papers picture II
No: the trusts arc corporations. and thcai
stocks nre very largely held by the people
themselves. and tho stockholders share
in the profits.
Our esteemed contemporary thinks tina,
tile people elected Roosevelt because they
did not believe the charges OF friendship
to tile trusts made by the Democrats
against the Republicans. II the people
did not believe that the Republican party
was the friend OF trusts. aid that the
trusts regarded the Republican party as
such a friend, they were ns grlleless g
any lamb ever sheared III Wall Street.
Did they believe that the Republicans,
liz continued is power. would reduce the
tariff upon which many trusts have
waved fat and strong. and upon which
they are still feeding? Did they doubt
that the trusts had contributed large
sums of money to the Republican cam
paign fund, and did they believe that
these contributions were made for the
sake. OF patriotism and not In return for
fnvors past and present and faVors eS-
pectcd? Did not the Republicans con-
fcss that they had receicvd large CAM
paign contributions from the trusts and
did not Judge Parker and the members
Of the National Committee assert that the
Democratic party had received no contri-
buttons from that source? Yet. IN spite
of these facts, which were proclaimed far
and wide, the people elected Roosevelt by
the largest plurality ever received by
any candidate for the presidency. and
returned TO Congress an overwhelming
majority OF Republican members.
Our esteemed neighbor may be able by
some keen process of reasoning to show
that tho voters OF the United States on
last election day were in the ilunor to
smash the trusts and drive them out Of
business. hut our experience teaches
that under the secret ballot system men
vote as they think, and the vote Of the
American PEOPLE, under such conditions,
is a very fair expression OF their sem
timentE.
try on one paramount issue, and that was
Stand pat The voters understood from
1t that If the Republicans should win they
would preserve the status quo. They
would continue the policies which they
had pursued during the past eight years.
They would not revise the tariff. They
would not do anything to disturb business.
They would not poster the trusts any
more than they could help. The voters
took them at their word, and continued
them in power.
IN the light Of these facts,Sis It extra
ordinary" that a practical newspaper like
The Times-Dispatch should reach the con-
clusion that "thc people at large are not
so much opposed to trusts as the anti
trus st speakers would make 1t appear?"
Let us not be misunderstood. Ofoourse,
We do not mean to say that by their vote
on election day a majority Of the%voters
of the United States meant TO approve
all the trusts and all the methods that
they employ. R,,t it is very hard to draw
fine distinctions between criminal trusts"
and trusts which, are not criminal In
deed, It is hard to draw fine distinctions
between trust and an ordinary corpora
tom between corporation which is a
trust and a corporation which is not.
Corporations are necessary and the peO-
willing to punish and injure all corpora
tons because OF the miseoings Of some
corporations called trusts. They know
very well that any policy Of government
which would seriously injure the bust
ness Of the corporations--or, II you please,
the trusts-would have a disastrous effect
upon business ut large and upon general
prosperity. For this reason they showed
by their votes on election day that they
were unwilling nj this time to 90 into
the trust-sn,ashing business, and that
is all that The Times-Dspatch meant in
saying that The people at large are not
trust speakers would make It appear"
49,
Col. Marshall and Mr.. Christian.