La Junta tribune., 1908-09-19
cuarAnGzr OF PRODUCTION
What Would be the Eject Of Dryan's
Plan for Curbing the Trustsp

What Would be the Eject Of Dryan's
Plan for curbing the Trustsr
Now comes the suggestion that, By
law. the operations Of corporation
shaii be SO curtalled that to the whole
output it shall not contribute more than
50 per cent. Those who have neither
the time nor the inclination to 90 below
the surface OF things may acquiesca
but even they may not.
Presume machine to be invented.
and presume Its promoters, not only to
establish a plant for its manufacture.
but to be fortunate to the extent that
the use Of the contrlvanee becomes gen.
eral. At the start they make the whole
output. Then comes a rival. beginning
by producing % per cent. Down swoops
the government. compelling contrac-
tion by the pioneer.
What Is the result? 1t ID to reduce
the total production, though the de-
mand for the machine may be greater
than the supply. The pioneer plant
ermentai mandate, and its rival makes
good but half of the deficiency. OF
course. there are what may be called
secondary effects. and they ensue imme-
dIately.
Presume the nrst plant to have cost
two millions and to employ 1000 men
No sooner In the second plant estab-
lished than 1000 men are thrown out
Of work. and property represented By
n million IL converted into an Industrial
junk shop The author OF this brilliant
idea tugxests that the company ell
what It becomes illegal to use.
This is equally brilliant. It may
take the entire plant to produce one
machine. Of which there may b many
parts In that event, compliance with
law can come only by discharying 1000
men or by keeping 1900 At work on
half time Nor does the proposition
emanate from an occupant Of . home
for the feeble minded.
1t comes from the Democratic candi-
date for the Presidency. 1t comes from
mental machinery which enjoys mo-
nopoly OF that ssort Of thing OF this
machinery the aggregate output -
large. but no effort has been made to
restrict 1t. One Of the choicest Of 1t.
products Ii that monopolies be exter-
minated. This is a pet thunderbolt-
but Mr.. Bryan has the crudest notions
as to its Significance. He seems to
think that In some mysterious way It
would benefit the plain people,"
A big corporation produces ON q big
scale. Exterminate 1t. and 1t stops
Corporations become big for reasons
economists have no trouble In compre-
bending. They do things by Wholesale.
And part Of what they save remains In
the pocket Of the consumer, who would
otherwise have to pay far more for his
purchase.
Mr.. Bryan says he would dissolve.
destroy, obliterate, extirpate. exter.
inmate. Sometimes, he says. kill. He
finds fault with Mr.. Taft because he
will make no use Of these terms or Of
synonyms for them. Well. the Repub-
lican candidate for the Presidency has
not lost his mind. He is not formulat-
Ing a policy Of destruction He knows
that evolution from the little to the
big was not only Inevitable. but bene-
fieent.
In defamation the Nebraskan Ii ef-
fective and impressive; In elaboration,
In detail, In what are called specinca-
tions, he Is out of his element. To ask
him to be exact is to suggest that he
clip his own wings The only known
equivalent for his Democrncy n De.
structIon.- Brooklyn Eagle.