Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-09-06

without mourning the hostility, Of the
leaders of his own party. The thouble is
that the republican party is not in a posi-
ton to apply effective and golng
reforms. because it has built up through
special legislation the very abuses which
need to be eradicated.
Definition of a Trust.
Before any intelligent action can be
taken against the trusts we must have
a definition of a trust: Because no cor
poration has an absolute and complete
monouoly of any important product, the
| apologists for the trusts sometimes insist
that there are really no trusts. Others
insists that it is Impossible TO leglsiate
against such trusts as may exist with
| out doing injury to legitimate business.
For the purpose of this delusion it is
| sufficient to draw the line at the point
| where competition ceases to be effective,
and to designate as a trust any corpora
tion which controls SO much of the prod
net of any article that it can fix the
terms and conditions OF sale.
Young Rockefeller Quoted.
Legislation which prevents monopoly
not only does not injure legitimate bust
ness, but actually protects legitimate bus
mess from injury We are indebted to the
Younger Rockefeller for an Illustration
which makes this distinction clear. In
defending the trust system he is quoted
as saving that. as the American beauty
cannot be brought to perfection without
pinching off ninety-nine buds, so THAT the
| one hu11uTeull Duu CdH IcSCiNC thS I'll.
strength of the bush, so great industrial
organizations are impossible without the
elimination of the smaller ones. 1t is a
cruel illustration, but it puts a nerfectly
accurate picture of trust methods.
The Cause of the Ninety-Nlne.
The democratic party champions the
cause of the ninety-nine enterprises which
are menaced-they must not be sacrificed
that one great combination may flourish,
and when the subject is UNDERSTOOD we
Ill ,aon;1a tba nprHjn1 SJInport of hun-
dreds of thousands of business men who
AVE themselves felt the oppression Of the
trusts, or who, having observed the effect
of the trusts upon others; realize thai
their safety lies, not in futile attempts al
the restraint of trusts, but in Legislation
which will make a private monopoly I'm
possible.
There must be no MISLEADING of issues
[ and no confusion of the line OF battle. The
l trust, as an institution, will have few
! open defenders. j..
4 The policy of the trust magnates, vii
. be to insist upon reasonable legislation,
and then they will rely upon their powe
to corrupt legislatures, and to intimidat'
e executives. to prevent the application Q
n any remedies which would interfere wit
the trusts. d.
r Our motto must be, "a private monopol
e is indefensible and intolerable,' and on
! plan of attack must contemplate the tota
and complete overthrow of the monopol
= Need Not Quarrel, Over Remedies.
. We need not quarrel over remedies. w
e must show ourselves willing to supper
l. any remedy which promises substantis
4 advantages to the people in their w,arfar
against monopoly, Something is to be eS
y pected from the enforcement OF the Grim
"a inal clause Of the Sherman antitrust Law
~ but this law must be enforced not aga'ns
~ a few trusts as at present, but against q
.e the trusts, and the aim must be to In
prison the guilty, not merely to recover
+ fine. What Is a fine of a thousand dollar
- o,,op ton Thousand dptIa ra 70 a tril
y which makes a hundred Thousand dollal
~ while the trial is In progress? II the erin
X inal clause Is not good to be enforced,
IN ought to be repealed. II Imprisonment
e, too severe a punishment for the eminent aaN
millions of people of hundreds Of milliol
Of dollars annually, the language of u
statute ought to be changed, for .nothil
is more calculated to breed anarchy TN
H. rich criminals. while 1t is rigidly enforc
,iyI against petty offenders.
~ Advocates New Legislation.
cb But 1t Is not sufficient to enforce exis
lot ing laws. II ten corporations conspiri
encd with punishment, all they have
40 do now Ia to dissolve their separate corp
r~ations. and turn their property over
its a new corporation. The new corpsorati
he separate corporations attempted: and ,
not violate the law. We need. thereto
re- new legislation, and the republican PAL
nat not only fails TO sqch 1maa n
sur cratic party must be prepared to propt
pntl new and efficient legislation.
No Man Can Serve TWO Masters.
iE Recent Investigations have brought
a light that nearly all crookedness revea
old In the management Of our large corpol
the tions has been due to the duplication.
ich / directorates. A group OF mon organi
the or obta.E control Of several corpo