Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-03-08
POLITICAL SITUATION.

10 the friend Of reform the signs Of
the times are certainly most encour,
aging. The educ ational campaign
now going on is full Of tremendous
possibilities.
Ida rarbell has thoroly exposed the
process by which the Standard Oil
monopoly was built up. The great
lessop taught in that series of articles
was that the most dangerous weapon
in the hands Of the trust builders l.
the rebate system Miss Tsrbell has
shown that the Standard Oil syndi-
cate cot only Obtained heavy rebate
on its own shipments but also received
the same rehat on ALL SHIPMENTS
MADE BY ITS COMPETITORS. Thus the
competitors were forced to pay tribute
to the Standard company, the rail.
roads acting as collecto 3. Against
such = combination no competitor was
possible. The Standard is supreme
in its field aud can raise the price Of
it's product whenever it ses tit 10 do 50
IL has just declared quarterly diyi
dend OF fifteen per notwithstanding a.
annual rr tit OF sixty per Cent. When
we recall the fact tn at the productions
OF the entire country equal less than
four per cent Of the capital invested
in productive enterprises we can be
gin TO realiz the wholesale robbery
perpetrated by this monopoly. Moth
ing very encouraging in this condi
lion: but the fact that the American
people are learning how they are be-
ing .bbed and how the monopoly has
been built up gives promise OF rem.
ed, being found and applied.
Thomas W. Lawson in his series Of
articles in Everybody's Magazine il
showing up another phase OF the sam
system, its Complete control Of the fin.
aucial system Of the country and it
ruthless robbing Of the SIN al investor
The chief value Of his exposure of the
"System'' is that it will deprive the
captains OF tinanc3 Of the confidence
Of that vast army Of small investors,
savings banks depositors and persons
holuing Old line lie insurance poll
cies. Those people have hitherto beer
the bulwark of monopoly, for when
ever any party Or any measure threat
ened monopoly the captains of hlanc.
would raise the cry that it would hurt
thai army, and this Cry has hitherto
been successful in raising al opposi
ton that tie friends of reform coulC
not overcome. Lawson may or msy
not be able to prescribe an effective
remedy for stock manipulation, but he
has surely deprived the "System" O.
us most potent'weapon in politics.
Ia the same magazine that contain!
Lawson's articles Charles Edward
Russell is giving an expose of tot
methods by which the beef trust ha:
not only obtained absolute control G
the meat business add the live stool
market of the country but has also
levied tribute from the people On al
articles that have to be shipped in re
frigerator cars, such as fruits, vege
tables, butter, eggs and fish. Herr
We are again forcibly reminded tina
railroad discrimination is the key tt
success for monopoly.
With the exception of some of Law
sons exposures OF the inner workings
of the "System" and its connection
with the old line life insurance com
pa1ies, there is very little in these ar
rsignments OF monopolies that ha
not been told in some manner before
But it is the first time it has been tol.
in manner and through a medium
that insures respectful hearing
It has been told on the stump and il
newspapers by the populists for III
last fourteen years. But they repre-
scented political party antagonist
to the parties to which the great 1na
jority Of the people belonged. There
fore they had to struggle against on
of the strongest elements in huma1
character-prej ldice. Then the popu
lists had definite remedies to propos,
for every evil attacked. While thi
ought to have been source of strengt]
it really proved to be the opposite
Whxn driven TO acknowledge hat con
diti ons were not exactly right the OLE
partizans would turn about and at
:, TACK the populist platform as bep,
too radical and impr acticable. Their
~ are nu such obstacles in the way O
3 those ~hu are now laying bare the evil
Of monopoly, Their party politic
are unknown, and they are telling thei
stories through maya zines that neve
meddl with party politics. Thus the,
reach b. class Of people that woul'
never read the literature of the low]
and despised populists. With tn
cool precision OF surgeon they la.
bare conditions, leaving the question
OF finding H. cure to others.
When the American people hav
thOroly digested these facts and com
to a. full realization Of how completed
the monopo lists have become master
of our iudu STRIFE, there will; come a
irresistible demand for r. form. Eve
now the govern ment is making som
attempt, to mOulfy the evil, and tt
most .encouf aging sign about thes
attempts is that they are directe
against the main source Ut monopoly