The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-12-11
SATURDAY. DECEMBER IL, 1909.
Circulation Double That Of Any
Other South Mississippi Paper
MERGERS, TRUSTS AND COMBINES

The News believes in a republican
form Of government. 1t believes that
- government of the people, by the
people, for the people," is the ideal
form Of government. The News does
not believe in parental form of gov
eminent; centralized government,
with all power lodged in the hands of
the fathers at Washington.
But what The News believes in, the
people are denied; and as between two
evils, that Of being controlled by sell
1ish, soulless corporations and combi-
nations of grasping, greedy capital
lists. or of governmental control of
public utilities, which in their charac-
ter are natural monopolies, The News
Is inclined to the lesser of the two
evils, that Of governmental control,
and. II needs be, ownership.
The tendency of the times is so
strong toward combinations; so many
people whose consciences are not sat
isfied with 1t are yet making a virtue
Of necessity. that 1t seems the inevita-
BILE result will be that either the gov
eminent, state or national, or both,
must control these natural monopo-
lies, or combined wealth will control
the government.
John D. Rockefeller and ]. Pierpont
Morgan have more power than the
president of this Union and the Con-
gress combined. That is no outburst
of prejudice, and certainly the wish
Is not father to the thought" it is
plain statement of a plain fact. It
Is growing; and, without the aid of
the government, there is no way to
hinder them from doing anything they
please to do. They can make money
As cheap as they please, or they can
make 1t as dear as they please; they
can make times good or times hard;
they can give employment to all til.
labor Of the country, or they can close
down every mill and factory, and
blanche the face Of every honest
workingman as he sees want and star
walton staring his wife and little ones
In the face. That is neither fancy nor
It is plain, unvarnished
truth.
There is no competition in freight
rates; some traffic association at.
tyn0 to all that. And yet railroads
are the arteries of trade and the
price Of everything is regulated by
freight rates. In nearly all the cities
the street car franchises are owned
BY one company. And yet the daily
expenses of nearly every man is af-
fected by his street car fares. Elec-
trio light companies, gas companies,
necessities both of them, are monopo-
lies IN nearly all the cities, and their
charges are exorbitant, as their divi-
dends show. And now come the tele-
graph and telephone companies with
their proposed merger, that they com
bined may be stronger to eat I'D any
little competitor that may get in their
way, and give such poor service as
they please and charge all they care
to for it. Until MAN, proud MAN. |
win be the smallest unit in this gov. |
eminent, and the corporation the big. |
gest.
And there seems to be but one way
out Of It and that is for the govern |
ment, federal, state and municipal to |
take hold Of these things, Jointly and |
seyerally. and own or absolutely con. |
Irol them.
The people are not getting square |
zeal; y is time the government was |
somins 70 their relief. The railroads
49, more than their fair cut of every
me tree that is hewn down end
'hipped but Of south Mississippi.
When phosphats was discovered IN
renneesee TIE railroads proceeded at
me- e ~ II III Il would bear and
9 eebele ~ non's share Of the profit
Z = = Nll1 eoal and iron, corn and
asesn ~ ~ railroads az no