Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-12-31
Bliehting influence Of Monopoly.


In an address in New York on Tuesday
last Mr.. Pinchot. Chief Forester of the
United States, discussed new and strik.
ing aspect of the problem of conserving
the natural resources of the nation, The
American people, he said, have made up
their minds that these resources must be
conserved. The question of vital import
ance is. to whose benefit shall the con-
servation of the coal lands, the forests and
the water power conduce-to the welfare
of the nation or to the advantage and
profit of monopolstsH The issue, in Mr..
Pinchot's view, is sharply drawn between
special and privileged and self-seekine in
terests on one side and the rights of the
masses on the other. between govern
ment by men for human welfare and gov
eminent by money for profit"
Mr.. Pinchot maintains that monopoly
leads inevitably to lowering of moral
standards, and that the ultimate result is
to increase the number of corner loafers
and to promote the traffic of the white
slave" traders. This is putting the case
with almost startling candor. Yet the ar
gument of the Chief Forester is, on the
whole, sound and worthy of thoughtful
consideration. When, as he says, monopo-
lies obtain control of the sources of pro-
duction, opportunities for employment are
restricted and vast numbers of men and
women find it increasingly difficult to make
fair living. Desperation is followed by
decentralization and ultimately by degrade
ton in the case Of many unfortunate per-
sons. 1t is undeniable that the country
has made phenomenal progress in a ma
terial way, but despite and not on account
of the growth of monopolies and it has had
undermining of morals and in the wreck
of character which can be traced directly
to the results of monopoly.
Mr.. Pinchots warning is an impressive
one. 1t concerns an evil which is the pro-
life source of evils. 1t does not make the
situation less intolerabe to reflect that
some of the monopolists who have acquired
| immense riches through special privilege
are in their private lives model citizens
and in their personal transactions conform
to the accepted code of morals. But il
| such men, in the exercise of the advan.
tages which they possess through monopo.
lies, are absolutely Indifferent to the vel
| fare of the masses, If they extort undue
profits from the poor, if they perpetuate
their special privileges through political
corruption and by debauching Legislative
bodies, they are, however blameless in
private life. public enemies. These mer
might be shocked to hear that they are
responsible in any way or to any degree
for the moral degradation of the victims
of monopoly But this, in effect. is Mr.
PinchOt's indictment.
In the social and moral, as well as in the
economic sense, monopoly of the sources
of production and of the necessaries Of
| life has inflicted grievous injury upon the
people of the United States. The people
Mr.. Pinchot asserts, have lost more thar
they can ever regain by gifts OF public
property forever and without charge to meT
who gave nothing in return. There is nc
limit to the greed of the mOnOpolies. Their
hands are now stretched out to seize what
is left of the natural resources of the ma.
ton. Shall they obtain possession through
the indifference or the complacence of Gov.
eminent? 1t is right here, as the CHIEF
Forester explains. that the conservation
policy touches the daily life Of the people
The population of the United States is
growing steadily by natural increase and
by immigration. II is essential. morally as
well as economically that the avenues OF
employment shall be enlarged, not re-
stricted, by monopolistic control. Mr. Pin.
chot has put the question to the people
and to the Taft administration frankly and
forcefully. There is food for serious re.
Election in what he says.-Balto. San.