Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-08-14
What Chance Has Even the WeI-to-
Do Man?


For an understanding Of the prac-
tees that embitter men against the
rich and powerful, that make OF some
socialists, Of others anarchists, and
of others bankrupts. sycophants and
suicides, let some of the evidence
against the Harvester trust be assem-
bled and perused.
Exhibit ! shows the trade agree
ment by which the Harvester trust
mOnopoliZes the trade in everything
the farmer buys. All dealers in farm
/ implements sold by the trust are re
CURED TO sign This agreement:
/ said agent especially agrees not 10
/ accept the agency for or be interested
in the sale of any grain binder, head
/ er, corn binder, husIter ana shredder,
/ reaper, mower, stacker, sweep rake.
hay rake or hay tedder other than
those manufactured by the Interna-
: tional Harvester company"
The agreement further stipulated
that in case the agent or any partner
or employee for him, violated the
clause he aust pay a penalty Of from
$40 to $50 for every independent"
tool or implement sold. The imple-
ment dealer was permitted no free
dom of trade.
George w. Perkins, formerly of
the house of Morgan, who is striving
to do as his father directed him, was
the financial genius back OF the
trust. He had the Morgan millions
AZ fo 70 Mt h.
credit system, encouraging the farm
er-buyer TO give his notes for machin-
cry, the notes running frequently for
four years, and bearing from TO
10 per cent interest. The trust could
get all the money it wanted at 4 per
cent interest, and thus made, less the
cost of collection. from 2 to per
cent on the notes.
This practice of the trust forced
competitors to do likewise. That was
what the trust wanted. Perkins
banking connections enabled him to
induce" western banks TO throw out
the discounted notes of the competi- T.
tors OF the trust The Bureau of .
Corporations has evidence showing /
that the company manufacturing the |
Buckeye" harvester failed through .
the sudden cutting off of its bank .
accommodations and from inability I.
TO make collections through the /
banks that had previously performed |
the service promptly for them.
The Aultman Miller company. fore
ed into bankruptcy, was sold at re-
ceiver's sale for 100000 TO Chi
cago lawyer. who turned it over to
the trust for 100000 and on the
notes held by the defunct concern,
on which it couldn't realize, Perkins
collected 100000 through his bank
ing connections.
The Osborn Harvester company,
which borrowed heavily to carry
farmers paper, suddenly had it's
loans called. Imagine its surprise to
find that its paper was in the trusts
hands and that its alternative to fail
ure and heavy loss was to sell to the
trust. 1t sold and for two years was
run ostensibly as a competitor of the
trust.
The government failed in its duty
to protect these concerns from COM
mercial free booting by rival back
ed by the tremendous power of the
against the harvester trust in a gov
eminent instituted to secure equal
chance to every citizen. If the men
who had money in them-rich men
in their way-are embittered against
II they look with kindly
eye upon socialism, If they are able
TO say eympathetically, Il know" 81
know" when they read OF the das-
lard crime of a man hardpressed, il
g not the socialists who have Undue
I'd their frame of mind, nor the an
archiss, nor the demagogues. nor
he proselyters OF discomfort speak
ng from dry goods boxes on street I
ar corners, nor parlor agitators. 1t
s the trust which has made them
hat way.
Gradually the light is breaking on
he American mind that If this re-
'ublic is going TO endure. every trust
n the country will have to be dis
iolved and every criminal trust head
tut in the penttentiary.