The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-10-18
WHO is RESPONSIBLE?
Shameful Prevailing Conditions
Traced to Source.
REPUBLICANS STAND CONDEMNED


Fostered, Soul1ess Corporations Poll
son and Plunder the People and
Stife Competition.
There are persons who maintain that
i is idle to attempt to show connec-
don between Republican politics. -or
policies and the disgraceful records
of current events, including such mat
ters as the revelations concerning tie
Chicago packing houses and the
graft shown in relations between
Pennsylvania railroad officials and coal
mine owners. Indeed there are those
who assert that such attempt would
not only be fruitless, but would be
nothing more dignified than display
of malicious political prejudice.
However, it is certain that such con-
nection exists and can be shown. It
may be denied, but it is nevertheless a
fact, that the conditions productive Of
the results mentioned could not exist
If it We're not for the enormous eombi-
nations of capital, creating exclusive
monopolies of various forms Of trade
specially fostered by a Republican tar
if and carefully shielded by Republic
an agents G. Washington One marked
effect of sisen combinations of capital
is to develop the radical evils of mo-
nopoly. AS the Journal of Commerce
says:
'sThe power acquired over the mar
ket for raw material may be oppres-
sively used upoa the producers of that
material. 1t may also be used as an
instrument of coercion over transpor-
tation companies to extort discrilni-
mating rates and preferential treat
ment, so that competition may be
crushed out and smaller independent
butcherlng and packing concerns may
J ruined. The same. Influence may
be oppressively and ruinously exerted
in the other direction in distributing
and marketing the products This mo-
nopolistic control in GA industry may
be used for great deal of Injustice
and wrong and may result nof in low
er prices, but in arrogating all the ad-
vantage of increased efficiency and
economy where these are actually real
iZed to the organized capitalists, who
have built up this power and who
weld 1t for their own profit regardless
Of consequences to anybody else or to
lie community 1t is almost inevita-
bic that they should come to use il
eei6slllys greedily and, If necessary to
their purposes, corruptly and tyran-
nicaIly. This is a tendency and these are
consequences thRt have made monopo-
lies contrary TO public policy and
caused them to be feared and de-
tested"
These monopolistic tendencies are
the same in purport and result wheth-
er displayed by the beef trust, the coal
trust, the steel trust or any like com
bine. The result is always the same
increased wealth for the monopoly and
increased cost to the consumer
When competition is healthy and le-
gitimete, when business is distributed
among concerns of manageable pro
portions, there will always be found a
motive on the part Of each to excel
in the quality of products end to seek
patronage by real superiority rather
than by the employment of glaring adj
vertise pents which are usually false
and misleading, from the unwarranted
label upon can to the immense sign
erected upon the mountain side.
But when there is no competition.
when it has been eliminated by ''fa9
vorable"-and that generally means
bought legislation, SO tkat the bust
ness is conducted on scale SO enor-
nous that details are concealed, meth
DDS may not be observed or real quail
ity judged, then the motive .o excel by
reason of real worth and Superiority
no longer exists. The public pays the
penalty and whatever price the mo-
popoly is pleased to charge.