Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-02-10

uncertainties which e,of the very es-
sence of the transaction. There is a
legitimate work for the stock exchange
and for the chamber of commerce, but
there is an illegitimate and vicious
speculation on the stock exchange and
the produce market which has lured
many business men to their fall The
ordinary methods of accumulation are
necessarily slow when competition is
left free to regulate profits, while the
gambler is spurred on by the hope of
quickly realizing large profit upon a
that many are charmed by the siren
song of the stock ticker, but it means
ruin, and to the extent that man
yields to the temptation his morals are
weakened There is but one sure meas
ure of rewards, viz, that which COM
pensates each IN proportion as he
serves society. The securing of some
thing for nothing by lucky turn OF
card or by a sudden change III the
market paralyzes ones purpose, and in
persistent effort. | might emphasize
the fact that gambling i'll stocks and
farm products often leads to embez-
Element, larceny and suicide, for these
are the fruits of speculation when it
becomes Il disease. But | prefer to
put my argument against gambling
upon the broader ground that it is, in
| all cases, demoraliZing influence,
whether the gambler wins or loses.
l might dwell upon the evil effects
| of speculation upon innocent parties
whose property is juggled up or jug
gled down by the manipulators of the
market, but | am addressing myself
not To the innocent outsider but to
those who may be tempted by the prof
| its promised 10 the inside ring. | would
suggest, however, that those who, by
Cornering the market, suspend the law
of supply and demand, add crime tC
vice and defraud those who are Undue
ed to invest i'll chance" which has
no actual existence.
Monopoly second Temptation.
| Monopoly is the second commercial
temptation. MGnopolies have been at
| tempted ever since trading began, an6
before because more money can be
made put of them. Many well meaning
business men permit themselves TO be
drawn into practices which are no
only indefensible in the realm of con
science, but which violate the statutes
The officers of the law are constantly
Engaged in an effort TO prevent the mo
nopolizing of trade.
| II is strange that anyone should at
tempt to defend private monopoly
for its plan and operation can be cas-
lily understood by anyone who know:
either human nature or history. NJ
Judge would be permitted to preside il
! his own case; no juror would be al
flowed to serve in a suit to which hC
was a party, and yet the head of mo
nopoly arbitrarily decides every da.
questions where his interests are OIL
lone side and public interests on tn
tothcr. Can he be trusted to decide in
partially and to exact only a reason
able profit? 1t is absurd to expect hin
to do justice TO those with whom h
deals. The student of history know
that the monOpolist has always bee
an outlaw. Three centuries ago. unde
Queen Elizabeth, the house of con
. mons protested against the monopC
lies which she had authorized, and
| found, when in the Holy Land, that
, very complete monopoly existed Their
| some seventeen hundred years age
! Josephus tells how John of Gishala S,
: cured monopoly in olive oil and chars
! ed ten times as much for the oil as h
+ paid for it. For the benefit of thos
e who think that all monopolies ar