The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-29
FOOLISH JOHN BULL.

Your Uncle John Bull is having nys-
terics these days, and having them
about every fifteen minutes. Usually
the pattern of conservative calm, he
has worked up to a dangerous temper
AZURE with every indication Of trouble
ahead for the cause of his excitement
This time it is not the question of a
for the Transvaal, or the
sedition of the Hindu press, or the pro-
posal to tunnel the channel. but just
soap, plain soap, that is making him
sit up O. nights and use violent Ian
guage.
The beginning of the trouble came
with the discovery that the soapmakers
of the country had formed a trust. That
was bad enough. but it didn't really
soak In thoroughly until a soapmaker
in a moment of awkward candor con-
fessed that he had been giving fifteen
ounces of soap for a pound. The threat
ened invasion of the Armada in the
good old days of Queen Bess couldn't
have made more of a rumpus than this
ounce of shortage in the laundry supply
business. The British newspapers fair
ly sizzled with denunciations of the
fraud, the amanuenses of the empire
deluged the Times with communica-
tons, the political atmosphere reeked
with the bubbles of soap.
On top of this came a virtual admis-
sion of wrong-doing by the trust which
restored the weight of its bars to the
full sixteen ounces; and that settled it.
Just what will come next does not APP
pear, but If somebody doesn't get life
sentence or an indeterminate long term
of Imprisonment it will be because the
British law has not been framed tc
meet such an emergency. About the
only people to get any comfort out q
the situation are the socialists, who de.
clare the trust is all right, because it i.
paving the way for national admins
tration of soap factories.
Evidently the British have not beer
educated properly or they would view
the prospect of a soap trust or an,
other old trust with equanimity. ]
they would consult our Republican
leaders on this side, they would dis
cover that a trust is a good thing an
ought to be pushed along by the aid o
tariff.
Instead Of kicking about extortion an
short weight, they ought to point t
their national prosperity and prove tina
the wealth, the power, the far-reachin
territory of the British empire can onl
be preserved and extended by soa
trust. Or, If one trust won't do 1t, Gel
tainly a dozen or two ought. Has nc
the great American nation grow
wealthy under the trust system? Do nc
our trusts sell abroad cheaper than the
do at home; and isn't that the only wa
to broaden" our markets and max
this a world-power, whatever that ma
be? Don't our trusts, like their soa
: trust. strangle the little dealer and shl
down factories and discharge workme
and do without travelling men, as
matter of economy? Doesn't our col
sumner, like their consumer, have to pa
big prices In order to sustain dividend
on watered trust stocks? Doesn't II
trust system the world over work Il
same results in the same old way
course il does, and the British are foo
ish to think that a measly little o
ounce of soap is worth making all TIL
fuss about.
What's an ounce of soap. anywa
even to a clearly people, so long as Il
great trust manufacturing industrit
= the home Industries of the nation, g
the loot?