The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1906-09-08
Legislation which prevents a mo.

are Indebted to the younger R0ckefel-
Ter for an illustration. which makes
this distinction clear. In defending
the trust system he IL quoted as say
ing that as the American Beauty can
not be brought to perfection without
pinchinS on ninety-nine buds, SO that
the one-hundredth bud can receive the
full strength of the bush. SO great in
dustrial organizations are impossible
without the elimination Of. smaller
ones. 1t Is q cruel illustration. but II
puts perfectly accurate pictures of
trust methods. The Democratic party
champions the cause of the ninety-nine
enterprises which are menaced: they
must not be sacrificed that the one
great combination may flourish. and
when the subject Is understood we
shall receive the cordial support Of the
hundreds of thousands Of business men
who have themselves felt the oppres-
sion OF the trusts. or who. having OBJ
served the effect of the trusts upon
others. realize that their safety lies
not In futile attempts at the restraint
Of rusts. but in legislation. which will
make private monopoly impossible.
There must be no installing of the
issue. and no confusing Of the line OF
battle. The trust as an Institution will
have few open defenders. The policy
of the trust magnates win be to in
sist on reasonable legislation" and
then they will rely upon their power
to corrupt legislators and intimidate
executives to prevent the application,
Of any remedies which would inter-
fere with the trusts
30 hn v1r(vo r.
nopoly Is indefensible and intoierable."
and our plan of attack must contem-
plate the total and complete overthrow
OF the monopoly principles In indus
try.
We must not quarrel over remedies.
We must show ourselves willing to
support any remedy which promises
substantial advantages to the people
IN the warfare against monopoly.
Something Is to be expected from the
enforcement Of the criminal clause OF
the Sherman antitrust law. but this
law must be enforced not against few
trusts as at present, but against all
trusts, and the aim must be to I'm
prison the guilty. not merely to recov-
er a fine. What is a fine of Q thou
sand dollars, or even ten thousand
dollars, to a trust which makes hun
dred thousand dollars while the trial
Is In progress? II the criminal clause
Is not going to be enforced 1t ought
to be repealed. II Imprisonment Is too
severe a punishment for the eminentiy
respectable gentleman who robs So.
900 600 of people OF hundreds OF mii-
lions of dollars annually. the language
of the statute ought to be changed. for
nothing Is more calculated to breed
anarchy than the failure to enforce the
law against rich criminals while II -
rigidly enforced against petty offend
ers.
Recent Investigations have brought
to light that nearly all crookedness re-
vealed In the management OF our large
corporations has been due to the dupli-
cation OF directorates~ A group OF men
obtained control Of severa! corpora
lions doing business with each other
and then proceeded to, swindIe the
stockholders of the various corpora
lions for which they acted. No man
can serve two masters. and the direct
or who attempts to do so Will fall. no
matter how much money he makes
before his failure is discovered Many
of the trusts control prices BY the
same methods The same group OF
men secure control of severa. Compel
ing corporations and the management
Is, thus consolidated. 1t IS not worth
while that a blow be struck at the
trusts by a law making It all fllega:
for the same person to act as director
OF officer Of two corporations which
deal with each other, or are engaged
IN the same general business
A still far more reaching remedy
was proposed by the Democratic plat
form of 1900. namely. the requiring o.
corporations to take out Federal u
cense before engaging In interstate
commerce. This remedy Is simple,
easily applied and comprehensive. The
recurring of q license would not en-
barrass legitimate corporations; II
would scarcely Inconvenience them.
While 1t would confine the predatory
corporations to the state of their orr
gin. Just as a license to sell liquor
leaves the possessOr Of the license to
sell only In accordance with the laws
Of the state in which he resides, SO q
corporate license. granted by a Fed
eral commission, would not interfere
WIN the IlBuL VI SdSu SAotc " iSSu~
& late foreign corporations doing bust
ness within its borders. II corpora
tons were required to, take Federal
license the Federal government could
then issue the license upon the terms
and conditions which would protect the
public. A corporation differs from q
human being in that 1t has no natural
rights. and as all of It's rights are de-
rived from the statutes II can be regu-
lated or restrained accordingly as the
public welfare requires. To control
which congress has over Interstate
commerce Is complete. and II congress
can prevent the transportation of a
lottery ticket through the mails. by
the express companies or by freight.
It can certainly forbid the use Of the
mails. the railroads and telegraphs to
any corporation which is endeavoring
TO monopoIize an article Of congress,
and no party can long be credited with
sincerity II it condemns the trusts
with words only and then permits the
trusts to employ all the instrumentali-
ties of interstate commerce In the car.
rying out of its nefarious plans 1t is
far easier to prevent monopoly than
to watch II and punish 1t. and proven
: tation can be accomplished In prac-
teal way by refusing license to any