White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-03
GOOD TRUSTS
AND BAD ONES
GEO. W. PERKINS TO MAKE
STUDY OF CONDITIONS WITH
VIEW TO GETTING ADEQUATE
LAWS FOR CORPORATIONS.

The announcement by George W.
Perkins, that he is to give up more
of his business connections so as to
have more time 20 devote to the
movement to secure much needed
reform in our laws governing the
larger combinations or trusts, is a
sign of the times and also indicates
a direction in which men of his train
Ing and Independent means can per-
form a great public service. The
average man has been lead to believe
through the speeches of political
leaders seeking personal popularity
and the undertaking magazines and
sensational newspapers, that the
trusts are the enemies of the public
welfare, although bad and conducted
by malefactors of great wealth. 1t
is just beginning to dawn on the
minds of many that there may be
another side on to the question and
that possibly the trusts are a devel-
opment of modern times best suited
to the conduct of business on a large
scale.
If such men as Mr.. Perkins can get
the attention of the public and state
the case clearly and truthfully there
will soon be a change in the attitude
of reasonable men such as is neces-
sary 10 restore conditions of business
prosperity. There is no use in at
tempting to claim that the trusts
have not abused their power in the
past, at least some of them. and it
will be admitted that some of them
will continue TO do so If given the
opportunity. 1t is possible, however,
to prevent such abuse of power and
for that reason we must have close
government supervision and regula-
ton such as now exists in the case of
the national banks and the railways.
Such regulation is not opposed by
men of Perkins stamp but is advoct-
ed as part of the legislation needed
to solve the problem, but given
protection for the rights of the peo-
pie through government supervision
and regulation, we should secure the
benefits of the economies and efici-
ency pissible through combination or
cooperation.
There is no element in the popula-
ton more interested in the question
than labor and 1t is one of the direc-
tions for investigation to find if labor
Is better or worse off when engaged
by trusts. 1t will also be we'll to de-
termine If prices have been advanced
or reduced through the operation If
combinations. Another point is
whether or not export trade has
been increased. We should then
know something of the real workings
OF the trust system and the irres-
ponsibile statements of demagogues
would count for very little. 1t
would seem from recent develop
ments that our law makers. as a rule,
have hnan abgn1nfn1.v tuttHA.t lx..-I
edge of the workings of the trusts or
the effects OF their attacks on our
business structure and it is high
time they inform themselves.
The statement by Judge Gary
that he is in favor of government reg
ulation, even to the extent of the
assuming of power to substitute a
reasonable price where an %reaso
able price was found to exist, took
the country by surprise and gave
much food for thought. There are
many who believe in allowing the
trusts to exist who do o go so far
but Judge Gary has back of him our
experience with the interstate COM
merce commission and the railways
which shows that regulation, with
out the power to fix prices, was a
farce G. W. Perkins is out to secure
a system under which the country
shall retain the benefits of combina-
tion and at the same time eliminate
the evils that have attended them in
the past. There are signs that the
times are ripe for the movement
which Mr.. Perkins is to inaugurate.