The Boise citizen. (Boise, Idaho) 1906-1910, 1909-03-05
GREAT Trust PROBLEM
High FINANCIER POINTS OUT EVIL and GIVES
outline OF REMEDY

Alexander Graham Bell the paentee the telephone, who
muti-mlionae through that invention has interesting
article of the Worlds Work. which is of inter
that admits the gravity of the trust question and
proposes remedies of character that would have been
by any high nancier years ago We quote follows
We have arrived critical point in our history Competition
element business going and monope which op
posed o competition, coming in
Individual producers longer The nineteenth century
saw them largely replaced by individuals known
Corporations companies which did business upon such scale
that individual producers unable compete In process of
time large fish the smaller until now in the twentieth century
find the companies themselves being gobbled by still larger
gregaons capital labor the form of trusts Combines
monopoze the of wealth. and to
tinguish competition altogether.
Competition bring down prices the lowest point
which people able buy The few obtaining OF
tortion over many possibilities of evil very
What with the has become the problem Of the
While local Companies subject the trusts
their field of operations beyond their jurisdiction and only
the National Government can Congress- however has
jurisdiction only interstate and trade and commerce
with foreign countries that requires the cooperation of the
National governments fully with the situation
The attitude Congress- shown by the Antitrust Act of
July g. 1890 Wilson Tariff Act of August 27 1894 seems
to bei harmony with the attitude of the legislatures dealing
combines that within their urisdctionhey seek to get rid
monopo altogether by declaring illegal all combinations that
destroy competition and the have sustained them in
this attitude.
Now the thought this connecticut Have these
bnatons no good points should give pause? Are
they wholly bad that capital punishment and refoa
quite of the question? Are wise seeking to stamp
would the plague? Do they constitute diseased
product they the result OF natural and healthy
growth?
The history the past strongly suggestive of natural process
evolution and combat law of nature The whole
history the nineteenth century reveals gradual and steady change
our methods conducting business whereby large aggregates of
capital organized army of individuals under single control
the place of muludes of small capitalists at with one
another each competing with the others in his interests and
in opposition the interests of the Others and all at war with the
pbc to make the most out people their selfish interests
Now noteworthy that far the producers concerned
combination peace; competition warfare Competition means
mob without organization and weak for effective work. coblna
ton organized force powerful and efcen 1t is only necessary
that this force should controlled the interests of the people
whole in order o be benifcial in every way
May it not be possible that making great mistake in
deciding that all combinations in restraint OF competition are nece
sary injurious should be declared illegal? Is not the remedy
control rather than destruction?
Let look the from theoretical point of view by
considering hypothetical case:
Certain companies competition with another sell their
products public certain price and make certain pro
After while they find that by combining themselves into
company or expenses of the production and distribution
would much reduced that would be possible for them to sell
products the public less than before and yet derive
greater profit themselves.
Let them do So and combine Now who injured by this
destruction of competitions Not the public who receive the goods
price than formerly Not the companies who make greater
profit And yet this combination restraint of competition BY
this very restraint competition both parties benefited Why
hen should combination be made unlawful? combination
that reduces the production and distribution certainly
benfca its 1t constitutes abor-savng device
Such combination hardly be considered u to the public
even though prices but simply leaves them before
the increased profits that arise combines represent natural
reward introduction of improved machinery of production
and distribution
1t not then until prices raised above the level produced
by competition injury public begins be the result The
evil arises when the public forced to pay higher prices spite
that production and distribution has been reduced
The combination itself good thing even though tends