Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-08-27

taken to enforce the law of the
United States against trusts, combi-
nations and conspiracies in restraint
of trade and commerce, and what fur
ther legislation was, in his opinion,
needed to protect the people against
the same. On the 9Th day Of Febru-
airy he submitted a reply, in which he
taken to enforce the law, and recon-
mended the enactment OF further leg
islation. | call special attention to
the following words:
Congress may make it unlawful
to ship from one state to another, in
carrying out, or attempting to carry
out, the designs of such (state) organ
izations, articles produced, owned or
controlled by them or any Of their
members or agents.
His recommendation embodies the
very idea which our plan noIT pre-
poses to carry out. We want to make
lit unlawful for a corporation to use
1.-The instrumentalities of interstate
commerce for the carrying out of a
'monopolistic purpose. Surely no
party can consistently claim to be OPP
posed to private monopolies which
will permit the interstate railroads to
be used to carry out the designs of a
monopoly or which will permit the in
| terstate telegraph lines to be used to
| increase the power of private mo-
lnopoly; or, to make the case stronger,
no party can consistently claim to be
opposed to the trusts which will allow
| the mails of the United States to be
used by the trusts as an agency for
the determination of competition.
Congress has already exercised this
power to exterminate lotteries. Why
not exercise it to make private mo-
lnopolies impossible?"
And he adds that:
1.-The government should not inter
Ifere with one any more than the
lother, when such aggregations OF
capital are legitimate and are prop
erly controlled, for they are the nat
ural results Of modern enterprise and
| are Deu6uCIdI 10 the DuDIIC.
Mr. Bryan said that no one proposes
Ito interfere with production on a
large scale. No one objects to pro,
duction on a 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 unconsciousIy adopted their Ian
guage.
Let the issue be made plain; let
the distinction be accurately drawn
let the respective positions of the
parties be fully understood. The
democratic party does not oppose al
corporations; on the contrary, it rec
Ognizes that the corporation can rem
der an important service to the public
The democratic party wants to employ
every instrumentality that can be enI
pIoyed for the advancement of the
common good; but the democratic
party draws the line at the private
monopoly, and declares that a private
monopoly can not be justified Oh
either economic or political grounds.
From an economic standpoint, q
monopoly is Objectionable. The mo
ment a corporation secures practi
cal monopoly in the production or sale
of any article, certain evils appear
which outweigh any good that can
come from large production or con
troll Wherever private monopolies
exist, certain irresistible tendencies
manifest themselves. First, it raises
prices-this is the first thing thought
of for the increasing of profits. Then
in proportion as it becomes the only
purchaser of the raw material, it re-
duces the price of the raw material
and the producer of that raw ma,
terial, having no other market, must
accept the price offered. In this way,
too, the profits of the corporation are
increased. Third, a reduction in the
quality of the product affords an op-
portunity for increasing profits.
Fourth, reduction in wages follows
wherever conditions will permit
Competition protects the pur-
chaser, for when a number of inee-
pendent producers stand ready to sup
ply him with what he needs, he can
choose between them and buy from
the one who offers the best product
at the lowest price. He is also pro-
tected in quality because. those who
compete for the opportunity to sell to
him must show either advantage in
price or advantage in quality. Com
petition protects the man who pro-
duces raw material, for when there
are a number of bidders for that
which is being sold, he can accept the
highest price offered. Competition
! also helLs the wage-earner, for his
skill is the finished product which he
offers upon the market, and where a
number of independent industries are
,endeavoring to secure the highest
skill, the skilled laborer has the best
assurance of obtaining a fair recon-
pense; when there is but one en-
ployer, the employee must take the
price offered, because he will lose the
advantage of his experience if he
must go out to find a different kind
of employment.
THE business men of the country
have felt the pressure of the trusts.
1.-THE retailer has been compelled to