Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-06-06

more interesting it will be, as we'll as
how much more easy to form an opin-
ion, and how much more worth while
1t will be. SO that / say newspaper
is not merely intended to show the
editors state of mind. 1t is intended
to show what the present state Of mind
arises from, what 1t Is based upon. So
that I want to ask your consideration
of these two things-of two things.
| The Basic Facts.
I'm the first place, what are the
economic facts to which we are con-
stantly going back in our thoughts as
the starting place for the arguments
which we make upon public affairs
We have gone through a great many
years Of discussion or rather Of state
ments about predatory wealth, by
which we are led to understand that
certain gentlemen are going about and
seeking to make a prey of us because
| Of the power they are able to exercise
through their money, But we lack de-
| tails. We lack, in the first place, the
| lists Of the men who are referred to,
for 1t can not be meant that all of
our men Of means are seeking to
make a prey of US. We want to know
who the gentlemen are that are re-
ferred to, and in the second place we
| want to know how they are seeking to
make a prey of us. For can not lock
my doors against unseen and un-
known dangers. I can not defend my
self against thieves in the night. /
can not see things that are stalking in
the dark. If you want to help me de-
fend myself tell me exactly what 1t Is
I have to fear, and then perhaps I can
discover the means to make my de-
fense against 1t.
The Things to Fear.
What Is that we are afraid Of? In
the first place we thought some years
ago that what we were principally
afraid Of was the deliberate violation
of restraint of trade and restraint Of
everything that was inconsistent with
everything against the men who made
the combinations, and so we passed the
antitrust act, and we have ever since
then been trying to interpret the
meaning of antitrust law, and the
trusts are just as much in power now
as they were when the supreme court
Of the United States began to inter-
pret that statute. You dissolved the
Standard oil company, but its power
| American Tobacco company, but
somehow it's grip continues to be felt
in it's constituent parts in our several
communities. Are we so young, are
you so infirm, are you so innocent as
| to suppose that Is the only way In
which II is done? That is the con-
spicious way, but men are getting
too wise to do It in that way, and you
must go very much into particulars.
Tell the Circumstances.
II would that every newspaper In
the country would publish the circum-
| stances Of it's own locality as 1t knows
II In order that we may see what ex-
actly it Is that we have to fear, and
here Is a great deal to be feared-not
fear as those who fear when they
those fear who fear only ignorance
and who are sure when they know
they can take care Of themselves. For
I am not afraid that the American
people will not know of remedies for
| the evils so soon as 1t distinguishes
what these evils are. I am therefore
eager that the American people should
he minutely informed-surely that is
the duty of the press-and gentlemen
OF the press, there are opportunities In
your own community. For example,
a farsighted member Of congress pro-
posed that the United States should
paper should be allowed to use the
limited States mails that did not pub
lish a list OF stockholders or owners
Of the papers, in order that every
/ reader should be able to know whose
| opinion II was that was expressed In
| the newspaper, and whose opinion 1t
was that was excluded from the news
paper and 1t was pointed out that
| that would not go to the root Of the
matter because gentlemen who own and
control the press and the influence
/ ioh
the public were not so innocent them
selves as to hold the stock and let 1t
be known; they would put the stock
in the names of uninfluential and un-
important persons, and they would
/ Immediately make private arrange
ment with that person by which that
stock should he hypothecated and con-
trolled by others who were not the
nominal owners. So that in some bank
lay the nerve centre Of that newspa-
per. and the opinions or influences OF
that newspaper were controlled by the
men who controlled the uses of money
made by that banking institution. See
how the thing is made Of quicksilver;
when you put your finger on 1t all the
constituent parts scatter. See how far
YOU have to go in order to know what
Is going on in this country.
Where the Pinch Comes.
Suppose you want to develop some
undeveloped coal mine, or some unde-
velOped power or resources OF your
own community. You go to New York
and seek the large man Of capital. 1t
may be his money Is necessary to de-
velop your coal mine; and suppose you
invite the persons whose money you
seek to borrow to send down man, an
/ expert, to look at the property, and
suppose he goes back and reports that
the property is absolutely good and
that the investment will be thoroughly
worth while, and then suppose that
| just as you are about to conclude the
contract somebody intimates to the
bank that they are very much inter-
ested in companies that are exploiting
coal mines elsewhere, and that they
| do not want any competition In your
neighborhood and that they will make
1t hard for that bank to get any fur
ther business from them II 1t seeks to
develop something that comes in COM
petition with them: and suppose that
| when all the papers were about to be
signed and ready to he signed, and the
next morning you find they won't sign
them, and you go home and your coal
mine lies undeveloped.
Another Example.
And suppose there is a water pow
er near your city. plenty of water
power to supply you cheaply with
motor power and force for your mills,
and with lights for your city, and you
seek capital to develop that water
power and strike the same snag. Sup
pose there is a great combination In
your region Of the country that con-
trolls some of the chief water powers
Of the region, and they let these gen.
tlemen know that they are involved
also in this enterprise and that 1t will
be made very inconvenient and diff
cult for them if they allow any COM
petition in water power to enter their
region which they have set apart
then you will begin to understand
something Of the modern situation,
something of the system, spelled with
q capital S-then you will begin to
see that certain great financiers con-
trolling the great business Of capital
have divided this country up and they
have said: I'VE do not intend to de-
velop water power in that particular
community except for ourselves. and
we do not intend to let anybody devel-
op coal mines in that part of the coun-