Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-06-10
Socialism and Oligarchy.

EDONA0AShA anu ChSA@NAgs
Two significant addresses by distin-
guished statesmen were made at Wash
ington this week
cit was an astonished audience that
filed the auditorium OF Memorial Con-
tfnental hall and heard Senator Albert
B. Cummins, the orator of the evening,
predict that wfthin-fve years we should
face socialism as a logical outcome of
monopoly and a price-fxing by trusts,
unless competition should be restored
TO the people of the United States"
says the Washington Star.
This was told earnestly By the speak
er TO those who had gathered at the
commencement exercises Of the Wash
utterances of the speaker, who said he
saw such national disaster in monopoly
and unrestricted trusts.
within half a decade" said the
speaker, you will be face 10 face with
such a condition that you will ask your
government to regulate the price Of all
the products of manufacturers, just as
the interstate commerce now regulates
the commercial Intercourse of states.
The next step will be socialism.
The alternative is to restore competi-
ton TO its proper economic place in
the lives of the American people.
The great problem of the age is no
longer production, but distribution"
continued the senator. This country
can produce more in given time than
any other three countries combined.
We have no longer the problem to face
of how we shall grow our food or man
ufacture our articles. What we most
want to know is how we can best get
our products to the consumers.
81 am not and never have been an
advocate Of equality of fortunes. That
is an economic condition which will
never do in this country of inventive
ness, resourcefUlness and great oppor-
tunity. Every man and woman should
work for what he or she gets, and,
conversely. should get all that he or
she works for. In other countries
there is a barrier of rank and caste
that keeps men down"
Congressman Ira c. Copeley of I'LL
nois, in delivering the graduation ad
dress at Carroll Institute, also at Wash
inEton. said that absolute control of
the railroad, telegraph, telephone, iron
and steel industries rests in the hands
of five men. VINO are the principal own
eTs of the United States Steel corpor-
alton. In addition 10 this, he said the
same men control 20 per cent of the
banking interests of New York, and
that practically every gas and electric
plant in the country is dominated by
them. He declared the country was
facing the same problems as in 1881,
and that it would take all the strength
OF the greatest statesmen 10 bring the
powerful trusts and corporations I'M
der government regulation.
We are face to face with the great
est problem of our existence" he said
In 1860 the question was. Shall the
union be supreme?' In 1862. Shall
5000, 900 black men remain in bond
age? And now. shall five men who
dominate the United States Steel cor
poration rule the country by an dig
archy of wealth, or shall the people
govern for the benefit OF all the people,
and give every man a square deal?
Now the FIVE men who control the
United States Steel corporation also
control 20 per cent OF all the railroads
OF this country. Indirectly they control
nearly ali the rest"
There is food for serious thought in
both these great addresses delivered
TO classes of young people just on the
threshold of life.