Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1906-05-25
PUBLIC OPINION FEARED.

Dou't waste your time denouncinR
corporations. A corporation a only
act through its president and board of
directors. To attack q corporation is
but waste Of breath, but the officials md
directors are the ones hat are subject
to the penalties OF the Law and to the
great moral force OF public opinion.
The coal trust is soulless, but Brother
Baer and the directors OF the railroads
and coal companies who are illegally
combined to plumber the public and
prey on the miners. can be reached by
the law and eventually will be. Al
though trust magnatcs' skins are
wonderfully thick, Yet they are amcna
BILE to public contempt, which is u
wonderfully sharp weapon. Back OF
the coal trust and the steel trust ls J. p.
Morgan. hurl your shafts Mt him.
The Standard Oil corporation is really
the Rockeiellers and Rogers. The
sugar trust is liavemeyer, The New
York Central railroad is the Vunderbilts.
The Pennsylvania and Baltimore e
OH railroads are entirely controlled by
Cassati; the Great Northern, the
Northern Pacific aud the Burlington by
Hill; the Southern railway by Morgan;
the Southwestern railroads by Hartman
and so it is with the other systems. The
industrial trusts are likewise mostly
controlled by Que man.
President Roosevelt speaks OF good
aud bad trusts" but the trusts and cor.
porations are only what their managers
make them, and honest OF dishonest
directors, or managers, should be prais'
cd or blamed.
How powerful public opinion is on
those corporation officials who have
sinned is shown by the sell.banishment
Of Rockefeller to avoid appearing AS a
witness, and the fitting OF the insurance
grafters. Tho corporation cannot be
punished. Ii you fine it, the money
comes out Of he pockets 81 the share
holders, So that Rnathe matiz,ng cor
poratiOns Is so much vanity. That is
where the efforts OF President Roosevelt
against the trusts nave failed Of ac-
complis hmcnt. The case against the
Northern Securities company, which
resulted in its virtual dissolution, has
had no effect, but il the law Ind been
brought to bear on President Hill he
would probably have been glad to see
competition resumed between the Great
Norther r and Northerr Pacific rail-
roads.
The administration has utterly failed
~ all it, antitrust contests. Every
trust, cCmtln", or corporation Is still n
monopoly. H. far as it can be, and con-
tinues to plumber The people rs much
AZ the bus ness sagacity Of the mana
gers consider desirable. Will the vo;-
era who are the victims OF trust and
corporation rapacity indOrse the feeble
eiio;is Of the administration ut trust
busting? A true reformer, with all the
great power IT the government at his
command. ehoulh nave been able tn put
the bodies OF come trust magnates at
hazard in the courts. But not IA trus;
magnate has been convicteJ.
Public opinion with its moral force
nlnne has done more to curb the trusi
magnatcs, and il the contempt OF the
people ID centereh on the persons and
not on tho impersoDal corporation, il
will have still greater effect.
Underneath all this, no VI il the
cause that has fostered the trusts. nuC
that can only be removed by the adop
ton Of the good old Democratic doctrir,
Of Equal rights to all and speciu
, privileges to none."-Ezcbange'