Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-09-18

| w., shS-is eSo1 ~ ASs tS1P~S
lower limit? II the control Of fortyi
five per cent may constitute q mon.
epoly, why does he not suggest that
al a maximum? It can not be be-
! cause of,any disinelination to amend
his platform, for he has already made
! q patchwork quilt Of the conventions
platform by promiscuous amendments
| And to what well known meth
DDS does he refer? To the under
selling Of competitors in one SEXTON
while the price is maintained else
I where? And yet this is the very
thing W hich we propose to remedy,
but he proceeds to denounce our
remedy as absurd and socialistic. The
trouble with Secretary Taft is that
he spends so much time trying to
discover excuses for inaction in trust
masters that he has none left for
the consideration of effective rene
dies. He spends more time uttering
warnings against remedies proposed
thanhe doesin pointing out the ev-
lis to be remedied or in suggesting
remedies. He says:
"The combination of capital in
large plants to manufacture goods
with the greatest economy is just as
necessary as the assembling of the
parts of machine to the economi-
cal and more rapid manufacture of
what in old times was made by hand.
And he adds that:
"The government should not inter-
fere with one any more than the 9TH
er, when such aggregations of capital
are legitimate and are properly con-
trolled, for they are the natural re-
suits of modern enterprise and are
beneficial to the public"
No one proposes to interfere with
production on scale sufficiently large
to enable the producer to utilize by
products and take advantage of all
the economies that large production
makes possible. 1t is Just here that
the trust magnates attempt to con-
fuse the public mind, and Mr.. Taft
has unconsciously adopted their Ian
guage.
Let the issue be made plain; let
the distinction be accurately drawn;
let the respective position of the
parties be fully understood. The dem
ocratic party does not oppose all cor
porations; on the contrary it recog-
nizes that the corporation can rem
der an important service to the pub
lie. The democratic party wants to
employ every fundamentally that
can beemployed for the advance
ment Of the common good; but the
democratic party draws the line at
the private monopoly, and declares
that private monopoly can not be
justified on either economic or DO
litical grounds.
From an economic standpoint, a
monopoly is Objectionable. The mo-
ment corporation secures a prac-
tical monopoly in the production or
sale of any article, certain evils ap-
pear which outweigh any good that
can come from large production or
control. Wherever private monopolies
exist, certain irresistible tendencies
manifest themselves. First, it rails
es prices-this is the first thing
thought of for the increasing of
profits. Then, in proportion as it be-
comes the only purchaser of the raw
material, it reduces the price of
the raw material, and the producer
OF that raw material, having no 9TH
er market, must accept the price of
fered. In this way, too, the profits
Of the corporation are increase. d
Third, reduction in the quality af-
fords an opportunity for increasing
profits. Fourth, reduction in wages
follows wherever conditions will per.
). NIT.
Competition protects the purchaser,
for when a number Of Independent
producers stand ready to supply. him
with. what he needs, he can. choose
between them and buy from the
one who offers the best product at
1.-The lowest price. He is also protected
In quality because those who CON-
pete forthe opportunity to sell to
him must show either advantage in
price or advantage in quality. Com
petition protects the man who pro.
ducss raw material, for when there
are a number of bidders for that
which Is being sold, he can accept
the highest price offered. Competi
ton also helps the wageearner, for
his skill is the finished product whicl
ne offers upon the market and where
a number Of Independent industries
are endeavoring to secure, the high.
est skill, the skilled laborer has the
best assurance of obtaining a fai,
recompense; when there Is, but one