The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-04-19

through Oklahoma into Texas. organ.
lied and backed by the Standard oil
interests, paid and supported by their
funds, used to deceive the public in
the name of business. And IL the
merchants of the country-if the
Wholesale merchants and shippers
do not take the pains to investigate
the authorities on this subject, when
they come to vote and deal with the
question of repeal. modification or de-
struetion of the corporation provision
of the Oklahoma law, they will under.
stand 1t when heavier freight rates
are placed upon them and they nnd
themselves Disseminated against by
the railroads, dealing between them
and other pet wholesale merchants.
Wholesale Houses Not MonopIles.
| may pause for moment to state
that recited the four causes for mo-
nopoly purposely to point out the fact
generally that 1t Is not the aggrega- (,
ton OF wealth or the use OF great
wealth In any particular business that
produces monopoly. The wholesale 4
merchant, the larger jobber or busi-
ness concern, and the immense wealth
used for the purpose OF constructing
these concerns, do not now nor ever
did produce monopoly The wholesale
merchant and great jobber Is import
ant in our business affairs and never
leads to monopoly. AS stated before,
monopoly grows out OF the four con-
dltions which first named under this (
heading. And there Is reason why
there Is no monopoly in the ordinary
| iobbing or wholesale concern or cen.
tralization OF capital in this line, and
that is because OF the we'll known .
rule Of business transactions, so fully /
known to political economists, that /
the size OF the business-unit OF max
imum efficiency for economic value
must depend upon the capacity Of the
head OF the business-unit, upon the ma
4 ture of the particular business, and
upon the method of organization OF
such business. Whenever the busi-
ness capacity has outgrown the ca
pacity Of one man Tor one board) to
govern the unit the point OF danger
under one management is reached.
Hence In a routine business 1t IL
easier for control under consolidation
than is one requiring detail. Hence
governmental operation of the postal
4o hok hxa a
OF the country may be under one man
agement. The manufacturers are
next in nearness to routine but they
have been unable to be placed under
one management The most they
can do is to pool" While we OBJ
serve the great department store and
the little store beside 1t, and we have
never yet seen and never will find all
OF the department stores of the coun-
try under one management, because
the detail requirements of such q
business-unt exceeds the maximum OF
efficiency OF one head and could not
be managed by one person except at
loss.
No Danger in Large Scale Production
Now there Is no danger in large
scale production so long as we find
the little merchant living side by side
with the great department store. We
witnessed the large concern fall and
the little one stand up in the panic
OF 1S93-invariably when the large
one borrowed money. The little
tradesman and retail merchant must
have for his greater efficiency the
wholesaler as near to his door as pos
sible, for this minimizes the trust
making influences Of transportation
companies. We are not enemies q
l5rge concerns or large wealth-it Is
monopoly we seek to destroy-the
bane OF the large as well as the small
concern. Then we must look else
where for the evils OF monopoly We
must look into the transportation
charges. the discrimination and re-
bates. We must ascertain whether or
not the railroads are favoring one
wholesaler over that OF another In
the same town, or whether there is
discrimination in rebates between th'
jobbIng houses OF different towns OF
between the business of one town or
that OF another. 1t Is quite another
thing to have a fair rate without
Just and equitable rate. A fair rate
is one that prevents determinations
that prevents rebates-that puts eV
cry shipper upon an equality An
equitable rate is one that gives the
carriers reasonable amount upon
their investment, which ultimately
must be determined by calculating
The value Of their read ana the phys
cal properties. The provisions In the
Oklahoma constitution limiting capt.
talization, the provision for regula-
tion by the Corporation Commission.
and all these things, are necessary II
we are to have both an equitable
rate" and fair rate"
, AS to Building Railroads
The cry that the provisions in the
Oklahoma constitution retard the CON
structon OF railroads is not true.
This is the same cry that was used
in Texas after the election OF Jim
Hogg; the same cry that is always