The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-07-05

subscription agent. Under some form
the magazines are said to have en-
tered an agreement as to commissions.
1t is alleged that they went further
and declined to nave their magazines
handled by agents who handled the
unfair" publications.
1t seems to us that these publishers
should have the right to do all these
things. They have no monopoly and
can have none. The subscription is
such trifle that men take the maya
zine of their choice. The competition
is in excellence, not in price. Compe-
tition in excellence and price both
cannot long continue. The price is al
w:ys reduced at the expense of the
excellence. The only business man
who would not combine" if he had
the opportunity is the silly, incompe-
tent ass, not worth combining with.
The trouble is not with business, but
with the law The best business men
have learned that irresponsible COM
petition is a silly waste. That lesson
having been learned, one might as we'll
try to stop the tides by law, as to try
to stop the working out of this great
economic principle. We allow the
labor unions to establish monopolies,
because we are afraid of the labor
vote, but we whack it to the capital
list whenever we get chance.
Be honest, Mr.. Farmer, would you
not eagerly join society to maintain
the price of corn or hogs or wheat?
Would you not jump at the chance?
The farmers of the south have done
lit to a certain extent with cotton. The
tobacco raisers have tried it with more
or less success. Would you not think
it good business if all the farmers
would agree upon living price and
stick to it? The whole difference is
not one OF intention, or of criminality,
but OF ability to combine. 1t is cas-
Ter to combine few large concerns
than many small ones, but every man
would do it if he could. You would,
you know you would, so what is the
use of being hypocrite about it?
The whole drift of today is to-
wards socialism. Trusts and combina-
tons are but evidences of socialism
as applied to individual interests. 1t
is the effort to wipe out commercial
competition and to substitute the com.
petition of excellence, of good man
agement, of internal economy.
These combinations of common in
terest are bound to come. They are
good sense, and good sense is better
than good law any day.
II the farmers fixed the price of
corn at fifty cents, the man who could
raise fifty bushels to the acre while
his neighbor raised but forty would
be the winner. That is the kind of
competition that ought to be encous-
aged, much more than the competition
in price.
We believe in fair days pay for
fair days work whether that work
is done in the field or the factory, in
the store or in the bank. You can
not get fair days pay for a fair days
work under the competitive system
Some one, either through the pressure
OF necessity or through lack of COM
potency to understand the cost is
bound to undersell you.
1t is a big question. A question
that reaches to the foundations of our
social system. The present batting of
corporations is spreading such uncer-
tainty throughout all the business of
the land, the little as we'll as the big,
that unless we get saner view, dis
aster is inevitable.