Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-06-21
SOME TRUST BUSTING.


A public letter to President Roose-
welt by Hon. Jno. II. Dos .Passos, of
New York and Westmoreland con nty,
Va, offers suggestions anent the
proposed amendments to the Sher-
man Antitrust law. He says that
in hisjudgment the whole subjsotof |
trustsmust be carried out of the Geld |
of politics and, placed in the domain
of pure legislation. Distinotise fsa-
tnres of the law which Mr.. Dos
Passos proposes are that the act, con.
tract or cembination alleged sip inr- |
ions to.the public ought to be passed |
upon by jury, who should be- left
to say whether the particular seom-
bination attacked is hurtful,te the
trueinterests of the community. Pos
sibly such plan would be beneficial. |
Certainly We are in no sympathy |
with the wholesale denunciation of |
trusts and corporations. Baneful as
many of them are, fully as much |
harm has come, and still continues,
to the public by lack, of proper dis
elimination. A political demagog
will arise to denounce the trusts IN
order to boost himself into some
feathered nest, and the hurryiug
public will not stop long enough to
Ind out whether the ball that is
being kicked 10 legitimate prey-is
pig-skin or lignum-vi,s Frequently
1t is the case that the public goes
home to nurse It's toe:- Funny people
we are, anyway. We cry for rail-
road, we long and pray for the IRON
horse; and when he comes we begin.
to try to get rid of him. After all,
we are Inconsistent beings through
life. Let us tone down some, become
reasonable, go much as lieth within
us, and stop following bIatherskites
uN achaSoBHs 7
Right here We are reminded that
we beat the air for things out of
sight while closer to us worms crawl
that are preying upon our lsbors:
We ciamor for two-cent railroad
fare and the .buncombe statesm an
arouses enthusiam among constitu-
ents, some of whom do not spend two
dollars a year in travelling. But
these ship their products, and the
tariff-as all tariffs, usually-is eat
ing out their yitals. eryA
Let us have two-cent mileage, but
not at the expense of the shipper.
The railroads must live, and if you
cut them in passenger tariffs they
will reduce the accommodating
schedules (and mo power can deter
them) and will also make up on
freight charges. For all trusts, rail
roads or combines we should ask
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS not demolition,
We had this brought home to us
some weeks since while travelling in
another State. A prosperous farmer
was vociferous over the secured two
cent rate, when a bystahder suggested
he count how many times he had
IL been to town the past year. His
fare for the year-=-and he travelled
more than most of his neighbors-
was short of twenty-five dollars,
saving blythe swoscent ratsSpossfbly
five or ten dollars. Pursuing the
inquiry, it was learned that the man
shipped abep fopr Scss- loads of pro-
duce a year. The past year freight
rates had been advanced $27 per car.
,lThisifarrner, then, had paid $lOs to
save $40!
"Llve and let live" should be
our business motto, and we should
take with many grains of allowance
the blatant politicians dictum, con-,
: sidering first of all the axe he has to
grind.
Mon Eonn.asa;o.sst sl.-xa..