The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-16
Not Built That Way.

The Chicago Inter Ocean puts one
aspect of the merger question in a
suggestive way when it says:
What Mr.. Hill and his associates tried
to do with the Northern Securities com
pany was to secure despotic power over
the fortunes Of the northwest. To make
the plan hateful it was not necessary to
assume that the power thus acquired
would be abused. 1t might be cheerfully
conceded that Mr.. Hill would be the most
benevolent of despots. Yet his plan was
resented, because despotism is hateful in
ITSELF no matter how benevolent
The Pullman workmen might be, and
probably were, better off for living in
Pullman regulated houses, but they would
not believe SO. The average American is
not built to believe so. The people Of the
northwest might, and possibly would, be
better off for having all their railways
regulated by Mr.. HILL but they would not
believe SO. They are not built to be-
lieve SO. t
A despot is an absolute ruler. The
| political despot had his day, but is
out Of date now. Very often the po-
litical despot was a benevolent fell.
low. He always thought he knew bet
ter what was good for his subjects
than they did themselves, and some
times he did. But for all that, polit-
ical despots became unpopular and
there are no political despots doing
business days where the people
as a whole are good for anything.
| In these latter days a. new kind of
despotism, a new kind Of absolutism,
is trying to establish its authority. It
is commercial rather than political in
character. It pretends to know better
than the people themselves what is
good for them. Perhaps it does know
better than they sometimes, but for
all that the people do not take to the
idea Of commercial despotisnl any
more kindly than they do to political
despotism and are not any more dis
posed to submit to it. 1t is all well
enough to philosophize about the
higher organization Of industry and
the concentration Of power as making
for higher commercial efficiency and
greater industrial success, but there is
not single principle or argument in
support of absolutism in commerce
that is not equally true and applicable
in politics. A political despot might
swing things in this country much bet
ter in some respects than the people
can do it themselves. 1t is argued
that commercial concentration is
q economy. We could save money by
Iabo1ishing congress and the state
legislatures and economize Immensely
on time. When the despot saw a good
thing to do he could do it without any
fooling around about laws or consti-
tutions or any such narrow and abb
surd restrictions as those. Popular
government is exceedingly clumsy and
wasteful and inefficient, and its ma
chinery rattles terribly when COM
pared with the mechanism Of COM
pact, well-oi1ed despotism. But just
the same, the enlightened people of
the world are thru with political des-
: potism and will have nothing but pop
: ular government. Is 1t any wonder,
then, that the people of the United
States who have set the pace in the
: worlds progress toward popular gov
eminent, should resist the establish
: ment of commercial despotism in Its
/ stead? For it is substitution. COM
$ mercial despotism will never be g
: complete success and will never stop
If 1t is given full sway, till it controls
the government. It is well enough te
j. talk about the inevitable laws Of trade
i and p1atitudes about the survival Of
( the fttest sound large. but 1t is just
3 as well to keep in mind the inevitable
: laws Of human nature, too. They are
. something which, as our contempt.
3 commercial absolutists forget about
and the oversight leads to trouble.
8 1r rna+,t.r s,,rs <. aa.f~a. - .i