Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-01-12

n
so years moro there will be a number
of billionaires. suppose there ave.
What harm can they do? lf each one
owns 10 houses and a hundred horses
and half dozen yachts. with cores
pondlng amounts OF the other appar-
atus OF wealth and enjoyment how
can he hurt any one else?
Each can have only one wife amt
one vote. and no one can get goods
or services which he does not pay
for. Each one viii get board ana
clothes In great abundance and OF
high quality but, what social danger
Is there In That? n may be Freely
admitted that each rich man viii get
Difference and attention and suhmls-
sion from those around him, and thar
this concession will not benefit me
character Of those who render IT, but
this Difference is seen now all through
society TO some extent. and most OF
us accept a little II II without much
sense Of guilt,
II may be feared that the too rich"
will buy votes and get undue political
control This Is possible, II there are
votes for sale, In that case the ricn'
II they want TO buy, can get them.
Two must agree, and they must violate
morals and law Jointly. Each VIII
bear his own share OF guilt and re-
sponsibility lt is once more a quea-
ton OF private ethics and personal
duty, 1t IS probably true, also, that
the rich and their wives and children
will be flattered and that flHttery VIII
corrupt them. That is among the
uerils of their case, and they will have
Ia meet II as host they can. There are
other limitations on their felicity II
we observe that, in case they buy or
terrori2e or wheedle their poorer
neighbors, they will meet such storm
of begging, offering and cajoery that
they will flee human society to escape
1t.
PERILS LIMIT THEMSELVES.
Thus. in general the ethical perils
case is like another one which has
made many people uneasy. They
feared that landlords, by exacting rent
for land, could drive all but themselves
off the earth. But as fast as the
landlords did that. rent would decline.
In like manner, the rich, If they should
use their wealth against the general
good, would find that they had de-
stroyed its power of giving pleasure
and comfort to themselves, The fact
is, that wealth (capitaD Is a part OF
the Industrial machinery, and TO take
1t out and turn IL to excessive per-
sonal use is always to make II useless.
That Is why excess must cure itself. II
the owncr does not see the fact and
accept its teachings, the capital Will
pass into other hands and go on per-
forming its function.
The too rich" never can get in modern
society the power OF the barons In feu-
dalism unless the victims make the case
and surrender themselves to exploitar
ton. This they did in the United
States in the first half OF the nineteenth
century by banks OF issue, and they
are doing 1t now by protective tariff.
This puts the whole political machinery
In the hands of q clique who control all
public affairs from the standpoint of u
selfish interest. Even then, however.
IL is fair to call for cases OF individuals
who have used their gains to Cypress
their poorer neighbors. Any one who
is lifted into prominence by merit, or
power, or wealth, Ii sure to feel the
eyes which rest upon him and TO dread
easy criticism. The position is trying
and painful, and there are very few who
can endure II. Princes are born and
reared to 1t. and even they shrink from
1t.
On the other hand, the utilities OF
capital, when II is in large quantities
In one mans hand. are so obvious as TO
need no enumeration. Corporations
are only devices for winning this adj
vantage. Modern industry requires
large capital under capable manage
ment II tho ethical reasons should
be inconceivably great we could not
make them our rule of action. We
must meet the economic demand and
the Incidental evils. 1t Is on
" calming and reassuring fact that
the incidental evils are either imagin-
airy or trivial. The great capitalists are
needed both for remunerative invest
ments of capital and for the endow-
ment OF useful but unremunerative en-
terprises, They are class from which
may be selected or may select them
selves competent men for social work
and for public functions. They will
show faults and failings like other
groups. but not more, and they are not
more liable to corruption and selfish
ness than other groups.
RESTRAINT OF TRADE
"rhe restraint of trade" is phrase
which has won use during the last
year and seems to be believed TO em-
OF the evil principle In wide class of
cases Restraint OF trade" Is a
phrase which had It's origin In the Eng
lish courts In the eighteenth century in
connection with cases OF interference
or prevention In the market. The ex-
panding uSaBeS OF the market CONNECT
cd with old habits and interests, Just
ms now the expansion of world COM
merce comes in conflict with local In
terests, '.Restraint OF trade" means
hindrance or prevention of exchange of
products which men are ready to make.
il would hardly be possible to express
In three words any other project or
policy which would be 80 anti-social
and surely harmful as restraint of
trade. 4 protective tariff is u device
to restrain trade. That Is its specific
purpose II holds back world COM
merce and maintains local Enterprises
which otherwise would have to meet
new conditions. We have lived under
this system for century. We are told
that II is n great prosperity policy for
MS all Most OF us believe It, We be-
lieVe that the tariff saves us from ruin
and Is the great cause OF our compara-
tive prosperity.
II that is all so, why do we think
that restraint OF trade" Is a bad thing
and serves to characterize the evil ele-
ment IN an incongruous group OF pro-
Jects? We use II as an opprohrlous
epithot OF universal acceptance and
undisputed meaning. Patents also
restrain trade All monopolies do the
same Many natural monopolies are
unavoidable. II we could imagine them
converted into free competitive enter
prlses. trade would M once have new
conditions and great extension. We
do not purpose TO change any Of these
facts which ave conditions OF Industry.
why then Is Restraint OF trade" de-
scrlption OF harmful action and evil