Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-09-06

Others. realize that their safety lies not
In futile attempts at the restraint OF
trusts, but in legislation which will make
a private monopoly impossible. Our motto
must be: "a private monopoly Is inde-
fensible and intolerable,' and our plan OF
attack must contemplate the total and
complete overthrow of the monopoly
principle in industry
Imprison the Guilty.
we need not quarrel over remedies. We
must show ourselves willing to support
any remedy which promises substantial
advantage to the people in their warfare
against monopoly Something is to be
expected from the enforcement OF the
criminal clause of the Sherman anti
trust law but this law must be enforced,
not against a few trusts as at present,
but against all trusts. and the aim must
be to imprison the guilty, not merely TO
recover fine. What is a fine of $1,000, or
even $4,000 to a trust which makes $l00,-
600 while the trial is in progress2 II the
criminal clause is not going to be en-
forced it ought to be repealed
New Antitrust Laws Needed.
But it is not sufficient to enforce exist
ing laws. If ten corporations conspiring
together in restraint of trade are threat
ened with punishment all they have to
do now is to dissolve their separate cor
porations and turn their property over to
a new corporation. We need, therefore,
new legislation and the Republican party
not only fails to enact such legislation,
but fails even to promise it. The Demo
cratic party must be prepared to propose
new and efficient legislation.
For Tariff Reform.
The tariff question is very closely allied
to the trust question and the reduction OF
the tariff furnishes an easy means of lin
iting the extortion which the trusts can
practice. While absolute free trade would
not necessarily make a trust impossible,
still it is probable that very few manufac-
turing establishments would dare to en-
ter into a trust if the president were en-
powered to put on the free list articles
competing with those controlled by
trust The principle embodied In the
protective tariff has been the fruitful
source of a great deal of political corrup-
ton as well as the support of many OF our
most iniquitious trusts. 1t is difficult to
condemn the manufacturers for uniting
to take advantage of high tariff sched-
ule when the schedule is framed on the
theory that the industries need all the
protection given and 1t is not likely thai
the benefciaries of these schedules viii
consent to their reduction so long as the
public waits for the tariff to be reformed
by its friends.
But one of the worst features of tar
if, levied not for revenue but for the
avowed purpose of protection, is that II
fosters the idea that men should use
their votes to advance their own finan.
cial interests. The manufacturer has
been assured that it is legitimate for him
to vote for congressman who, whatever
their opinions on other subjects may be,
will legislate larger dividends into his
pocket, and laboring men have been urged
to make their wages their only concern.
There never was time when tarin
reform could be more easily entered upon,
for the manufacturers by selling abroad
cheaper than at home, as many OF them
do. have not only shown their ingratitude
toward those who built the tariff wall fol
them. but they have demonstrated theiI
ability to sell in competition with the
world. The high tariff has long been
burden to the consumer in the United
States and it is growing more and more
a menace to our foreign commerce be,
cause it arouses resentment and pro.
vokes retaliation.
The Railway Question.
The railway question is also interviewer
with the trust question Nearly all the
private monopolies have received rebates
or secured other advantages over com
at the hands of the railways would &c
far toward gripping the trusts, and re
ioice that the president has had the
courage to press this question upon con.
gress While the law, as it was finally
distorted by the senate is ont all thai
could be wished, it deserves fair trial
Rate regulation was absolutely neces-
sary, and it furnishes some relief from
the unbearable conditions which previ-
Il y.s.+ rCf
that the vesting of this enormous power
in the hands of a commission appointed
by the president introduces new dan
ger If an appointive board has the
power to fix rates, and can, by the ex-
ercise of that power, increase or decrease
by hundreds of millions of dollars the
annual revenues of the railways, will not
the railways feel that they have a large
pecuniary interest in the election OF
president friendly to the railways? Elk
perience has demonstrated that municipal
corruption is largely traceable to the
fact that franchise corporations desire
to control the city council, and thus in
crease their dividends. If the railawy
managers adopt the same policy the SEN
timent in favor of the ownership of the
railways by the government is likely to
increase as rapidly throughout the ceun
try as the sentiment in favor of munich
pay ownership has increased in the cities.
Favors Public Ownership.
/ have already reached the conclusion
that railways partake so much OF the
nature Of a monopoly that they must
ultimately become public property and
be managed by public officials In the in
terest of the whole community, In ac-
cordance with the well-defined theory
that public ownership is necessary where
competition is impossible. do not know
that the country is ready for this change.
/ do not know that majority Of my
own party favor it, but believe that
an increasing number of the members
of all parties see in public ownership the
sure remedy for determinations between
persons and places, and for the extor-
tionate rates for the carrying of freight
and passengers.
Believing, however, that the operation
of all the railways Shy the federal gov
eminent would result in Capitalization
which would all but obliterate state lines,
l prefer to see only the trunk operated
by the federal government and the local