The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-10
A Case in Point.

A few days ago, quite by accident,
four American citizens were thrown
into company and conversation. Each
of them was the head of a manufac-
turing enterprise of importance. They
represented respectively dyes, tobacco,
iron ore and newspaper publishing.
Two were from the North and two
from the South. Among them they
employ between six and seven hundred
people and represent some five million
dollars in capital. Two of them have
been protectioniSts on principle and
two inclined to free trade, but four
years ago all voted for Mckinley.
Comparing notes, these four men,
typical American citizens, who have
been fairly successful in life and rep
resenting the most important manu-
featuring class in the country, discov-
cred that all their enterprises were
threatened and constantly hindered by
trusts. Tobacco, iron ore, newspapers
and dyes, some North and some South,
all are under the black shadow of
the same system and all made help
less by the tariff. 1t was the sd ne
cause in each of these widely sepa-
rated branches of industry-the home
supply of raw material controlled by
the trusts, the foreign supply shut
out by the tariff duty. ExperienC es
and observations were exchanged.
They were not theoretical and the
discussion was not political nor on
political economy. 1t was "a business
talk by business men and of actual
business conditions. Some of them
had suffered expressions and Other s
eXtortions. All of them felt and sail
that practically they We're at The
mercleS of the trusts or would be SC
unless conditions changed within u
few years. Branching out from THEN
own experiences, they told of cases d-
rectly within their knowledge where
in ways, sometimes brutal, sometimes
subtle, occasionally ineXpressibly
small and mean, business men who
had put themselves. or had been put
in the way of the trusts. have been
bounded and prosecuted. Three of the
four men are Republicans, but
the four agreed that any party repre-
senting a definite plan of resistance
to the trusts and the powers of huge
combinations of capital would receive
the warm and earnest support of the
substantial business people of every
community in the land.
The fact is, that every man who
does legitimate business, every man
who works for his living is menaced,
deprived or plundered by trusts. The
constant effort of these organizations
is to kill the independent manufac-
turer, to control the merchant and
regulate his profits, to master the la
Dor market, to regulate the prices
and supply of products and raw mate
rial for their own advantage. The
same danger that makes the night
mare of the employer menaces the
unconscious laborer. The multi-mil-
ionaire who is trying 10 conduct his
business outside of the trusts and the
mechanic who depends on his daily
F-I1-
We cannot imagine that the incidents
and the conversation above recited
are unusual. Reports of the same
conditions come from every part of
the country and are familiar to all
business men.The entire business COM
munity of these United States is filled
with the spirit of resentment against
the trusts and the tariff which main
tains them. with fear and with eager
longing for deliverance. In our view,
the Democratic party has ample rea-
son to hope for a political tidal wave
of tremendous strength and extent.
It's proper course is to appeal to the
actual needs and Well-fOunded fears
of sensible business people and to Of
fer them q coherent remedy and
means of relief. Mere wild vaporing
and abuse or vague and fantastic
financial theories will arouse contempt
and distrust Tariff reform is not only
possible, but easy. Even a Repub-
lcan Senate must yield to a Demo-
cratic victory at the general election
and to the tremendous pressure from
the mass of the business people and
interests of the country. The trusts
are built largely in air. They repre-
sent artificial and enormously infiat-
ed values. If the tariff prop and bull
wark is pulled away from them they
will crumble and vanish like sand
bank before ocean waves. 1t is easy
to prove that the trusts can be reach
ed, controlled, restrained and when
necessary destroyed by simple changes
in the tariff. 1t is easy to prove to
the intelligence of the people that the
trusts are public enemies and that the
Republican party. which has built and
fostered them. should not be trusted
to deal with them.