The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-03-17

|
a hard one. do you think?' asked.
81 am rather inclined to think.
| Mr.. Clark answered, that, in view Of
| the reciprocity agreement with Can
ada, President Taft will, at least, not
fight us very hard when we begin to
| work toward a reduction Of the tar
| iff"
Mr.. Taft and Mr.. Clark are close
| friends. despite their political differ
| ences, and the belief, in many quar-
will be opposed to one another as the
| candidates of the two great parties.
Therefore this remark made me prick
| UP my ears.
HAS he ever told you that he
mo. He has not. He has no,
authorized me to speak for him." was
| the very careful answer.
why are trusts SO purely an Am
erican institution" I asked then.
time" he answered. 81 imagine that
! the reason why monopolies do not
| flourish in Europe as rankly as they
do in this country is because of the
different conditions under which we
live. The opportunities for grabbing
| things in a new country are much
| greater than they are in an old-es-
| tablished country. Another reason
is that in early European days, es-
pecially in England, the kings SO
/
monopolies, creating trouble Of all
kinds, including rebellion and civil
war, that they taught the people there
| their lesson. Finally, the parlia-
ments wrested from the kings their
power to make such grants. Con-
| for some centuries. endeayored con-
stantiy to prevent monopolies and in
a great measure have succeeded. And
in Germany the barons with their
castles and their power over the gen.
eral population became such him
drance to all commercial transactions
that the people there arose and over
threw them by main strength.
+ ''The consequence was that in those
countries the word monopoly be-
er since been difficult to array the
people In their strength against such
combinations.
Let us take, as an example, the
matter of railroad building. We have
for years now been fighting in this
abolish the grade-crossings, but it is
only very recently that any headway
worth considering has been made in
this regard. When the roads were
built there was no manner of restric-
ton, and, once esta blished, an evil IS
hard to get rid Of. In England they
have never had grade-crossings to any
considerable extent. and an effort to
introduce them would be resisted
firmly. You see. in England the pop
ulation was thick when the railroads
were first built, and they were taken
in charge by the Government-thar
Is, they were controlled by the Gov
eminent in the interests of the peo-
pie, at least in such matters-from
the start, and when they became
great and powerful those conditions
were already firmly established and
universally recognized. But In the
United States population was sparse
when the railroads were first built.
almost any conditions, and by. the
time the population, became dense
and woke up to the fact that it was
being managed, and not managing
the railroads were largely in charge
of legislation everywhere throughout
en- a thirty years war to enable the
people to make any Roadway worth
considering in this matter.
1.-THE true principle in public deal
ing with railroads, and any such In
situations, is that, being monopoiistic
to the strictest accountability. No
body who has any sense wants to in
jure any legitimate business enter
prise in America, railroad or any 9TH
err kind. That cannot be stated too
often, or be emphasized too firmly,
but sensible people do not either want
business enterprises to injure them
by charging double prices for neces-
saries, whether 1t be for transporta-
ton or something which is purchas-
people are so busy in this country
making money. that until a few years
ago they let things run at loose ends
and never woke up at all until some |
of the resultant abuses had become |
almose intolerable. / have no doubt |
that we shall sometime regulate such |
enterprises in a just and equitable
manner for the good of society and |
the perpetuity of the republic"
'It is not possible, is it," I asked,
been getting more than scientifically |
was I1is-that the decrease of wages
or the increase of prices is a mere
adjustment Of things to normal lev
els? This has been advanced as an t
theory"
level of human prosperity is low"
said Mr.. Clark, nor that we, here in
Amer lea, have been living on an alb
normal level for some time, although
have claimed this. Wages are high
er in the United States than any
where else, on an average. That has
not grown, as some have claimed, out
of the tariff system. but out of one
or two or three facts which are well
worth considering.
I'm the first place, it is failacious
in making comparisons to count the
per diem received by the wage-earn-
err The real measure of wages is
the cost of the unit Of production,
whatever it is. Blaine said in his
book, that measured by this latter
standard, this cost Of the unit of pro-
duction American mechanics receive
lower wages than European mechan-
les This argument he based upon
their greater skill The output Of
the American laborer is greater than
that of any other. In addition to
that, it mustFbe remem bered that The
labor unions have put up wages.
There cannot be any doubt about
that. And in addition to all that 1t
must be remembered that heretofore
if a man did not like the work which
life in the East compelled him to 10
he could move out West and enter a
good farm of Government land, run
Il to suit himself, be his own employ
or and build himself home. Condi-
lions have changed.
Nearly all the Government land
hat is worth having is now gone, so
N the force which maintained AM
srioan wages at something higher
han the average will be missing. But,
nevertheless my own belief is that the
standard of living in the United
States will be. in some way, raised
instead of lowered in the years TO
come. I should be exceedingly loath
% believe that the time has come in
his country when, because a man
starts poor. or becomes poor, he must
,lwaVs remain poor. Our whole his