Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-02-08
A LESSON IN PROTECTION.
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been am object of hatred, has embodied
the very quintessence of Trust wicked
ness, 40. so, on the same street. should
personify the American spirit, the deter
mination of the American citizen to
emulate the foreiathers and revolt
against Trust eXtortion. The colossal
nuhdmg 26 Broadway which houses the
humorous subsidiary companies and de-
partmcnts which make up the Standard
on Co., typiiies the ramiications, the
strength and the arrogance of the Oil
Trust. The massive building seems to
breathe defiance to the American peO-
pie a defiance and a warning A de-
lance OF all law and all restraint. a
warning that whoever dares match his
puny strength with that of the Trust
will be crushed by its remorseless des-
potism
Equally does $50 Broadway personify
the individual spirit; the spirit that has
made America what it is; the spirit of
individual determination; the spirit to
do and dare; the determination TO live
and thrive despite the attempt of a
Trust TO annihiliate whoever win not
submit to its dictation. For much as
some are prone to extol bigness. il is not
the great aggregations of capital that
have put this country to the fore among
the natious. but rather the individual de-
termination to achieve, no matter what
the obstacles. And the greatest evil of
the Trusts, in my opinion, is not their
gigantic robheries, colossal az they are,
but the closing up of opportunity to in
dNidual effort, which inevitably results
from the existence of these combinations
with their monopolistic power 20 crush
competition. And so, ! say, that $50
Broadway personiiies the real American
spirit.
But, you may ask, in what manner, in
what particular, does it typify the
American spiriti
If there are any here who do not al
ready know it. would say that 26
Broadway is a gigantic granite building,
4 stories high, 1875 feet wide, some $50
feet deep, running through to that haven
of stockhrokers, New street, and is used
exclusively by the Standard Oil Co.
No. $50 Broadway, on the other hand,
is a modest 25-feet building. II seems
to stand as protest against the policy of
concentration going on all around It, as
it is going on all over the United States,
under which a constantly smaller num-
her of people are absorbing most of the
wealth produced. On the street level
there is nothing TO distinguish il from
scores of other store fronts, as the store
window, ike most modern stores, is a
large square pane of plate glass. But
the contrast Is striking IN another par
ticular. The imposing structure which
is the home of the greediest and most
ruthless of all trusts, the STANDARD Oil
Co., that band of financial pirates dub
bed by lawson as the system" -. while
impressive in its inassiveness, yet lacks
the attractive element No. $50 Broad
way, on the other hand, while itself an
unimposing building, yet possesses a dis
tinct attractive power While none but
the agents and satellites and those com
PEELED 70 do its bidding, ascend the steps
at 26 Broadway, hundreds of the city's
population eagerly enter the other,
while scores of people are ever congre-
gated IN front of the store.
Why this contrast may be asked. The
answer is simple. Where 20 Broadway
is the home of addition, division and 81
lenee," and all who enter must swear
eternal fealty and secrecy, $50 can only
thrive through publicity and open and
above board dealing. The Oil Trust has
ANtiA ANA NNNtnrAAN ANI us htINhnlhf all
who do business with it had better keep
mum as 20 what they learn; but the
other buildings derives its popularity be-
cause it is the head centre of a contest
against monopoly.
It's power 70 attract lies IN the fact that
behind that large plate glass window is
spread out the conclusive proof Of the
falsity of the claim that the system
miscalled protection" really benefits
the worker IN whose interest it is said
to be established.
ln that store window is displayed, in
case upon case, the indisputable proof
that human beings cannot be trusted
with unrestrnined power; that such
power win al .ost certqinly be used sole
ly for their own aggandizement and
enrichment, and not for the benefit of
those in whose interest IL is claimed to
be conferred, aud for whom those en-
trusted with the power are supposed to
merely act as agents.
That these agents are vociferous in as
serting that they ask for the power to
tax simply that they may convey the
benefit 90 others does not alter the case.
The power to tax being theirs, they use
it not TO raise wages 10 employees, but
to create fortunes for employers not to
expand production but TO restrict it by
eXtortionate prices.
At $50 Broadway an enterprizing
American merchant presents the proof
that his fellow citizens are victims of
gigantic lim-ham game; that the people
are playing with those who hold loaded
dice the dice being labelled protection -
Because that word implies a spirit of
beneicenee. those who hold the loaded
dice are able TO fool the American people
that In some mysterious maner they are
its bcncictarios whereas, they are really
It's victims in this store window is dis
played hundreds of hundreds of watches
lAmcricun which have been exported
and sold abroad at such large reduc-
tions from the home price, that this
watch dealer, Charles A. keene, is able
TO maintain agents In England, Germany
and other European countries, yes, even
IN Egypt, TO purchase these American
watches, express them back TO the
United States. and, after paying all eN-
pensCs for commissions, express and in
surance charges, is also able to undersell
other dealers In the Same identical goods
who buy their watches direct from the
Watch Trust, by from 90 to so per cent.
Having before their own eyes this con-
vincing evidence of the fraud that is
practiced upon them in the contention
of the Watch Trust that tariff ON
watches IS necessary TO prevent them
from being driven out of business by
foreign watch manufacturers-th very
foreigners whom they are undersellng
IN Europe-is it surprising that those
who have heard of the fraud should
make a pilgrimage to that store 20 see
for themselves, and that there should