Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-07-25
onrcIN OF cRnAr roRTrNEs.

IhIlndolnhIa I'D


Mr. James NJ Beck selected partcu'
larry unfortunate time for his defense OF
the methods by which great wealth is nov
won.
For wealth as such there Is no envy in
this country. Certainly less than anywhere
in the world The multitude Of moderate
fortune is sained by success in manufae-
ture. by good fortune in the mine, by skill
in business or in any one Of the helds In
which men work on equal terms, each
aiding all as he gains his own, there is not
only no condemnation. but approval.
There Is indeed just pride in the steady
growth Of national wealth which this great
number Of men Of assured position. high
character and average accumulation
proves
1t is abnormal wealth against which pub
lie feeling is steadily rising, and the reason
Il is rising is because OF the revelations
which have taken place in the last 1--WE or
ten years. most Of all, this year. These
vaster fortunes are won chiefly in one or
two ways Either men in positions OF
trust. such as the directors OF the Equita-
bic occupied. use these positions to make
bargains for themselves. to their own pronI
or uoney-rnakers gain special terms In
transportation. which give them secret
and overmastering advantage over their
rivals.
The very big fortunes. when analyEed
have this uniform origin The Standard
OIL group has undoubtedly gained by its
skill in MANAGEMENT but its chief gain lay
in the special freight rates granted the
trust which everybody knows-no one bet
ter than MI Bcck-wss prohibited BY the
common Law. were contrary 20 the statu-
tory requirements under which railroads
were working and have since been pena-
lzed by special criminal penalties which
have proved wholly inadequate. The for
tunes and corVorations, which united swell
the capital o. the Steel trust rest, as every
one knows on special rates ohthineo
through the manipulation IN party rates
Of the ownership OF small branch lines
rates which have since been held. and were
in fact, at Law and in justice, unfair
and illegal advantage 10 one shipper over
another.
II is possible 70 make the legal hut an
eulpatlne plea for these things that they
were pra cNaced before criminal penalties
were imposed Chough Mr.. Beck does not
40 this}. hut Il is idls 70 make 4 pleR Tor
them in the form Of morals. Both practices
were and are wrong. Every one knows
they were wronE. The men who gained
nv them knew 81 and knowingly did
wrong
When. as IN the Depsv Improvement
COMPANY & group 81 rich men, having IN
nuential relations 70 the New YORK Central
and 70 the BuuitRhls. secured f0r their
land speculation from the one special
train soTvics which was run n q loss
and from the other a loan n x2S0e0o on
property which. upnn superintendent, proved
70 ne worth only gl5l 90 the transaction
was Immoral u hssarved condemnation
and al such gain can have M defense
IN the courts al ingenious lawyer can
free thnss v-nn are responsible ny pieRh-
inc tht stBrucB AZ limitations and uEinE
al the legal device by which men ar pro
tected frnm the consequences Of breaking
the law. hut outside Of The courts, fur such
mnney-makinr on which restH in whole NJ
in mart the mammoth fortunes no moral
defense whsfrver can ne rnHds.