Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-06-19
no GOOD TRUSTS
SECRETARY rAFT's ARGUMENT A
PAlpAHLE FLLLAcY.
~oost Rsduetlens Through Combine
! ton, II True. Mas Proved of No
Benefit to Ne American Pso-
/ pIe-Wheis Theory Wrong.

Secretary Taft seems to have got
into trouble over his late remarks tc
the railroad conductors at Chicago
The Socialists quote what he said
with satisfaction Is admitting "the
fact of the class struggle" The seere
tary declares he was misquoted, and
that what he did say was this:
THAT unless laborers united into
organizations, the laborer would stand
no chance in that inevitable contro
lversy that We always hope will be
peaceful, but that must exist-that
inevitable controversy as to how Ia
.Ibor and capital shall share the joint
product of both"
The effort Of Secretary Taft to allay
the dislike Of labor to him, on account
of his former injunctions when Judge,
IN the interest Of employers, and
against the strikers, will require more
than such q small tub that he has
thrown to the labor whale.
But whatever may come Of the CON
troversy between Mr.. Taft and or
iganized labor, tAsre Is another state
Iment he is reported to have made in
the same speech that no Democrat car
indorse, because 1t does not agree
with notorious facts. Combinations
of capital" said Mr.. Taft" within the
bounds Of the law are necessary fol
business expediency and for cost re
duction." Mr.. TAFT evidently believes
with President Roosevelt that there
ARE good trusts" which through mo
nopoly can produce Cost reduction.
1t would be interesting to know how
these eminent Republicans explail
the fact that although the steel trus
by combination virtually controls tn,
steel production Of the country ant
has undoubtedly reduced the cost o
production, yet persists In maintainin,
the price Of it, products at the to-
notch. Cost reduction" of trust prod
ucts Is bat Of little service to tn
American people II. they do not paI
ticipate in the reduction by buyinl
cheaper. goods. Al the trusts by com
binAtion may reduce the cost of thei
products, why should not the peopl
who use them participate in the re
ducsd cost? From the restricted view
of. Secretary Taft and President Roose
veit, q trust that produces cheape
than Independent manufacturers car
Is a good trust, bat from Democrat
) standpoint the whole theory of trus
combinations is h1ed on monopol,
and the tariff which protects tn
trusts is the chief cause of their e,
istence.
Cost reduction without reduction 1
price to consumers is but an absH
republican fauaey.
. There can be 70 trust or combina
ton unless there 10 some kind Of m,
nopoly back Of 1t. Therefore, there ca
be no combinations that are good fc
the people: Those trusts that are pr,
tected by the tariff would soon becom
comparatively good" If the tariff tn,
protects them was reduced to a rev
nue. basis so that the competition the
have smothered ct home by combin
ton would be revived by competitic
from abroad II by combination u
der free competition the trusts, be
the steel trust or any other trust, ca
then by cost reduction" sell the
products cheaply 10 the American pc
pie, there would be some ground fl
saying. such q osmpeting trust is
- good trust. But there never can be
good trust as long as 1t is so pr
tected by the Republican policy
tariff prct 3tion that 1t can chars
more for its projects here than 1t sci
such products fsr in foreign cou
fries:
If the trusts have any barga'
counter =! positions to offer, The
= should be first offered to the Amerios