Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1908-05-14
FROM THE
SECRETARY TAFT ON TRUSTS.
MR.. BRYANS PAPER

Secretary Taft Is rapidly disclosing
for 10 believe him ignorant II more
charitable than to believe that he does
not intend TO interfere with the trusts.
although hts language would justify
even this belief He takes Mr.. Bryan
TO task for favoring the exterminatior
~ trusts. and says that TO exterminate
trusts would be to exterminate indus
try. The secretary desires 10 regulate
and control trusts. But has his party
not been regulating and control
ling" for some IL years rowT And
have we BOT more trusts now than We
had when the regulating and control
ling began, The trust family is q
family big enough 20 satisfy the presi-
dents ideas OF the size of family.
and the birth rate Is greater than the
death rate. The administration has
commenced suit against n few trusts.
but not against many. and the trusts
are still gentle enough TO come up and
eat out OF the hand ot the administra-
tion. What has been done In regard
to the steel trustg Did IL not swallow
up the Tennessee Coal and Iron Com
panyg And was IL not given out that
the swallowing was done after the ad-
minlstratIon had been consulted, Is
the steel trust fighting Secretary Taft
And what about the International Har-
vester Company Have the farmers
secured any relief yeti And what
about the paper trust? The steel trust
has something like 81 900. 900 600 of
water In its stock: II can afford TO con
tribute ten millions TO the Republican
campaign fund. because Il can get
back many times that out OF Repub-
iican victory. and this Is only one
trust out Of the many. How can the
people hope to regulate or control
trusts when the trusts. by the election
OF their favorite 10 Office. are able to
control the government
The determination OF trusts f. not
the determination OF business. II, for
instance. a single corporation has a
monopoly Of the production of a neces-
sary OF life. and has ten factories in
| different states for the production Of
this particular article. the extermina-
ton OF this trust would mear the
selling of Of enough factories 10 re-
duce the production Of this one corpo-
ration TO a point where Il would no
longer. have 4 monopoly. But this
would not mean closing mp Of the fac
tories. The people would still need
the article and the article would
still have to be produced. but the in
dependent factories coming into com
| petition with the original corporation
now no longer a would
reduce the price Of the article. and the
people at large would get the benefit
OF the reduction. With a reduction in
price. the people could buy more Of
the article produced. and this would
| increase the demand for labor. and
new factories would spring up or ex-
isting factories would be enlarged.
With a number Of factories competing
| for laborers. the laborer's chance OF
employment would be better. and his
wages would be higher. Then. too.
with q number Of factories competing
for raw material. she price Of raw ma
terial would Increase In other words.
the determination OF the trusts. IN
stead Of destroying business. would re-
store business to a healthy condition.
while IL reduced the price OF the prod
uct. Increased the price OF raw ma
terial and improved the condition Of
the laboring man. Competition Is the
natural condition. and the extermina-
tion Of tho trust would restore compe-
tition. Monopoly is an unnatural con
dition. and the Republican party has
fostered monopoly and thus built in.
dustry upon a false basis TO the deeri-
ment Of all OF the parties concerned
except the monopolist. and he has
been demoralized by his unearned
wealth while the rest of the people
have been victimized by the practice
OF monopoly.
Secretary Taft ought to study the
trust question a little more. or discuss
II less. for each speech reveals HIS
lack Of familiarity with the subject
or his lack Of sympathy with the peo
pie at large.