Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-07-12
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
Shameful Prevailing Conditions
Traced to Source.
REPUBLICANS STAND CONDEMNED
Filth, Fraud and Graft Are the Nat
FOstered, SoulIess Corporations Poi
sOn and Plumber the People and
Stifie Competition.

Stife Competition.
There are persons who maintain that
1t is idle to attempt to show a connec
ton between Republican politics-o1
policies-and the disgraceful records
of current events, including such mat.
tiers as the revelations concerning the
Chicago packing houses and the
graft shown in relations between
Pennsylvania railroad officials and coal
mine owners. Indeed there are those
not only be fruitless, but would be
nothing more dignified than a display
Of malicious political prejudice.
However, it is certain that such con-
nection exists and can be shown. 1t
may be denied, but it is nevertheless a
fact, that the conditions productive Of
the results mentioned could not exist
If it were not for the enormous combi-
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 at Washington. One marked
effect Of such combinations Of capital
is to develop the radical evils of mo-
nopoly. AS the Journal Of Commerce
says:
1.-THE power acquired over the mar
ket for raw material may be oppres-
sively used upon the producers of that
material. 1t may also be used as an
instrument of coercion over transpor-
tation companies to extort discrimi-
mating rates and preferential treat
ment, SO that competition may be
crushed out and smaller independent
butcherlng and packing concerns may
be 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 an industry may
be used for a great deal of injustice
and wrong and may result not in low.
er prices, but in arrogating all the ad.
vantage Of increased efficiency and
economy where these are actually real
lied to the organized capitalists, who
have built up this power and who
WELD it for their own profit regardless
Of consequences to anybody else or tc
the community. 1t is almost inevita
BILE that they should come to use il
selfshly, greedily and, if necessary tc
their purposes, %corruptly and tyran
nically. This is a tendency and these are
consequences that have made monopo
lies contrary to public policy anG
caused them to be feared and de
tested"
These monopolistic tendencies are
the same III purport and result wheth
er displayed by the beef trust, the Goa
trust. the steel trust or any like com
bine. The result is always the same
increased wealth for the monopoly an(
increased cost to the u
When competition is healthy and lie
climate, when business is distributed
among concerns of manageable pro
portions, there will always be found
motive On the part of each to exec
in the quality of products and to seel
patronage by real superiority rathe,
than by the employment of glaring ad
vertisements which are usually falls
and misleading, from the unwarrantet
label upon a can to the immense sigl
erected upon the mountain side.
But when there is no competition
when it has been eliminated by "fa
vorable'-and that generally means
"bought'-legislation, so that the bust
ness is conducted on a scale so enor
nous that details are concealed, meth
DDS may not be observed or real quail
ity Judged, then the motive to excel b,
reason of real worth and superiorit.
no longer exists. The public pays tn
penalty and whatever price the mo
nopoly is pleased to charge.