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

~AS sA@>ShAocAs Ss1<o eA1A NV
Representatives, Of commerce, ant
their retirement from the,road .wouli
mean q serious loss to the countr,
while a few promoters would be the
only persons benefited, they gaining
e by the capitalization Of the salaries
saved by the elimination of competi
ton.
Mr.. Taft either misunderstands o.
misrepresents the democratic posi-
ton in regard to the determination
of the principle Of private monopoly
In his notification speech, he says:
"Mr. Roosevelt would compel the
trusts to conduct their business in
, a lawful manner and secure the benz
fits Of their operation and the main.
tenanee of the prosperity of the
country of which they are an import.
ant part; while Mr.. Bryan would ex.
tirpate and destroy the entire bust
ness in order to. stamp out the ev.
lis which they have practiced."
Here is confession by Mr.. Taft
that he regards the trusts as neces.
sary to the nations prosperity, for
ne declares that they play an import
ant part in the maintenance of pros
perity, and he charges that would
"extirpate and destroy" business in
extirpating and destroying the prin-
ciple of private monopoly. Surely,
his study of the trust question has
been very superficial, if he sees dan
ger in the restoration of competi-
ton.
Let us take an illustration: Sup.
pose the democrats succeed in the
enactment of a law in harmony with
the democratic platform-a law re
quiring every corporation to take out
a federal license before it is per.
mitted to control twenty-five per cent
of the business in which it is en-,
gagged. Would this "extirpate AM
destroy" the business of the coun.
try? AS already stated,but a very
small per cent of the corporations
would be affected by the law, and
those affected would be the ones
that have been giving the officers
of the law so much trouble during
the last eighteen years. AS the IL
censed corporation increased its bus.
mess from twenty-five per cent to
fifty per cent, 1t would be under the
watchful eye Of the government, woa
be compelled to make such reports
as the government required, would
be prohibited from watering its stock
and would be required to sell to all
customers upon the same terms
due allowance being made for cost Of
transportation. Would 1t "extirpat
and destroy" business to require
these licensed corporations to do
business on an honest basis and to
be reasonable in their business meth.
DDS? Would not the benefit accru
ing to the ninety-nine small corpora
tions thus protected from conscien
celess methods be enough to off
set any evil effects that might fol
low from such restraint of few big
corporations? Is business so depent
ent upon dishonesty and unfairness
that it would be 'extirpated and de
stroyed" if morals were introduced
into it? When the licensed corpo
ration reached a point where il
controlled one-half of the business
in which it was engaged it would hav
to stop expanding. Would it Eek
tirpate and destroy" business to pu
according to the democratic plan
this limitation upon the greed of g
few corporations? Surely our plar
could not injuriously affect corpora
tons that might hereafter seek tC
establish a monopoly.
But possibly Mr.. Taft thinks tha
: 1t would "extirpate and destroy" bus
mess to apply the plan to existing
monopolies. Let US see: Suppose W
have a corporation now controlling
lseEenty-five per cent Of the outpu
}, OF the article in which it deals, ant
through this control, regulating thu
price and the terms Of sale. How
would the democratic plan affec
It? A date would be fixed at which
the law would take affect and on O
before that date the corporation
would be required to apply for
: license. The evidence would shoy
, that It controlled a larger proper
ton Of the product than the law pen
t mitted, and 1t would be compelled t
: sell Of enough Of its plants to re
r bdnce Its output to fifty per cent o
hl the total product. It could then con
) ply with the law. obtain its license
) and proceed to carry on Its bushes
: In accordance with the law. woul
, 1t "extirpate and destroy" business I
r compelsuch a corporation to dispo.
e Of enough Of Its plants to reduce it