The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-26

by well Known methods, frequently ef- feet monopoly and stamp out compe- tition in part of country as com pletely as If it controlled sixty or sew enty per cent thereof"
 Why, then. does he not propose lower limit? If the control of forty five per cent may constitute a monopo- ly, why does he not suggest that as 2 maximum? It can not be because of any disinciination to amend his plat form. for he has already made a patch work quilt of the convention's piat- form by promiscuous amendments,
 does he refer? To the underselling ot competitors in one section while the price is maintained elsewhere!. And yet this Is the very thing which we propose to remedy; Sut he ni,rS proSeeeoss sns socialistic. The trouble with Secretary Taft is that he spends so much time trying to discover excuses for inactfon in trust matters that sheShas none left for the consideration of effective rene dies. He spends more time uttering Svarnings against remedies proposed than he does in pointing out the evils to be remedied or in suggesting reme-
 aThe combination of capital in large plants to manufacture goods with the greatest economy is just as necessary as the assembling of the parts or a machine to the economicai and more TaDlQ InaHuldCtutG ok WA8s %-% ct~ " was made by hand.
 And he adds that:
 ssThe government should not inter fere with one any more than the otn, !, are legitimate and are properly con . trolled for they are the natural re- suits of modern enterprise and are
 No one proposes to interfere with production on a large scale No one objects to production on scale SUI aciently large to enable sne no proousSSr sSr vantage of aiI the economics that large production makes possible. II is Just here that the trust magnates and Mr. raft has unconsciously adopt-
 Let the issue be made plain: let the distinction be accurately asaWl, ies De fully understood. The Democratic party does not oppose all corpora- lions; on the contrary 1t recognizes portant service to the public. The Democratic party wants to employ every instrumentaiity that can be em- pioyed for the advancemenr oI tne party draws the line at the private monopoly, and declares that a private monopoly can not be justified on eith- nopoly is objectionable The moment a corporation secures practical mo- aoPcy in tss sys aopeSr S WhcR out weigh any good that can come from large production or control Wher- ever private rnonopolies exist certain irresistible tendencies manifest them selves. First. 1t raises .prices.-this is the first thing thought of for the increasing of profits. Then in propor- 51on of the a raw VeGT matsriai e # N Nfeduces the price of the raw material. and the producer of that raw material. having no other market. rpust accept the profits of the corporation are increas- ed. Third, a reduction in the quality of the product affords an opportunity for increasing profits Fourth, re- duction in wages follows wherever conditions will permit.
 Completion protects the purchaser, for when a number of independent producers stand ready to supply him with what he needs he can choose be- tween them and buy from the one who offers the best product at tho lowest price. He is also protected in quality because those who compete for the opportunity to sell to him must show either advantage in price or advantage in quality. Competition protects the man who produces raw material. for when there are number of bidders for that which Is being sold, he can accept the highest price offered. Compel ton also helps the wage-earner for bis skill Is the finished product where a number of independent in- dustries are endeavoring to secure the highest skill. the skilled laborer has rec2mpense; when there Is but one employer. the empioye must take the price offered, because he will lose the advantage of his experience if he must so out to ind 8 different kind of em- The business men of the country have felt the pressure of the trusts. The retailer has been compelled to enter into contracts which restrict his man. agement of his own affairs, he has changed to his disadvantage and he has been forced to carry more and more of the risks of trade. He is con vinced that there are no good trusts and that his only safety is in the Dem ocratfc plan which lays the axe at the root of the tree.
 The travelling men naturally take especial interest in the trust question. poly secured by a corporation the less they are needed. We have no more
 intelligent class than the representa- tives of commerce, and their retirement from the road would mean a serious loss to the country while few pro- moters would be the only persons bene- fted. they gaining by the capitalization of the salaries saved by the elimina- ton of competition.
 MT. Taft either rnisunderstands or misrepresents the Democratic position in regard to the exterminatioh 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 benefits of their operation and the maintenance of the prosperity of the country of which they are in important part; while the entire business in order to stamp out the evils which they have prac- ticed.''
 Here is a confession by Mir. Taft that he regards the trusts as necessary to ssie nations prosperity, for he declares that they play an important part in the maintenance of prosperity, and he destroy'' business in extirpating and destroying the principle of private monopoly. Surely. his study of the trust question has been very superficial. if he sees danger in the restoration of a reign of competition.
 Let us take an illustrations: Suppose the democrats succeeded in the enact ment of a law in harmony with the democratic platforms law requiring every corporation to take out federal license before 1t is permitted to con- trol twenty-five per cent of the busf- ness in which it is engaged. Would this "extirpate and destroy the busi. ness of the country? As already stat ed, 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 licensed corporation increased its business from twenty-five per cent to fifty per cent; the government would be compelled