Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-09-11

| GUS to our form of government. These
men have avoided the plain mandate
of the law and have intelligently pro-
| flied at the expense of the many.
at is not hysteri., to declare that
| these l1en without capital cannot &C
| cumulate millions of dollars without
! injury to the rights of others. What
mans services are worth hundred
thousand dollars annually in any legi-
innate undertakings And yet, with
thirty years accurlu'ations at that
rate, without expense, without loss,
J it will not reach hundredth part of
| Rockefeller's wealth. Neither can the
Oil King make peace with the world
through public benefactions designed
to benefit a handful of favored stu
dents. A condition of affairs which
| permits these extortions under the
guise of law, brings responsibility
home to every citizen.
mo evil arises from the reasonable
| accumulation of wealth. 1t is dishonest
exactions forced upon the helpless
| citizen that creates discomfort The
beef trust, coal trust, ice trust and
, other prosecutions are unpleasant re-
| minders of repeated failures of the
government to reach violations of law.
A great monopoly after continued
watering of stocks EFFORTS 25 percent
annually from the purchasing public.
When such monopolies exist and com
petition has been throttled, then the
courts must step in and demand an
accounting. From the moment compe-
tition ceases, the public right to con-
troll attaches. 1t is not hysterical to
say that monopolies, whether control
ling public service corporations or
life's necessities, must be content
with reasonable profits upon capt
tai invested. The cause for any as
! sumed hysteria on this subject lies
| in the reckless aristocratic course
! followed by these so called captains
of industry brought to the bar of pub
lie opinion by an awakened public con-
science. History constantly repeats
itself, even though the battles may be
bloodless.
The speaker contended that any
man who seeks to array one class
! against another is an undesirable citi-
zen.' but the man who fears to call
public attention to grave weaknesses
corruption or disobedience of law
may be more dangerous than the law
/ violator.
Today We find commercial forces
in hostile array against one another
( Capital meets capital in the bitter
contest. Again sapital charges labor
with unreasonable exactions and la
Dor demands of capital greater priv
leges. Presumably neither side is
wholly wrong and yet lock outs
| strikes, and business suspenions con
! stantly occur with no solution of set
Element other than the firing out o,
the contestants. The danger in these
conditions lies in an increasing antag
onism generated between two neces
sary parts of our commercial life.
According to the State Labor Com
missioner wages have increased only
two and one half per cent within tbs
past year. but in the same breath VIZ
learn necessities of life have growr
about 40 per cent within the past two
years Everything is going up. be
coming inflated, exalted with its IN
dividual concerns. and yet the ris'
in prices and increased demands .
labor and capital against each othe
fail to disturb the Individual citizen
Within the pact fortnight thi