The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-09-06
RELIEF, NO CURE.

1t is but few years ago that an
anti-automobile meeting was held in
Denison. Resolutions were passed re-
questing owners to keep their ma
chimes off the highways ard there
was strong talk of boycotting those
who owned OF operated machines. A
Denison paper grayely proposed that
machines should be restricted to Ger.
tain highways. 1t all seems funny
now, but 1t was not funny then, nor
were the DIRECTORS objects of ridi-
Guile. In fact they should not be OBJ
jects of ridicule now. They were en-
deavoring to adjust themselves to new
conditions of traffic. The auto was
a real menace to the peace, comfort
and convenience of the community.
But the automobile vas bound to
come. Just as steam machinery was
bound to come. just as labor saving
devices OF all kinds were bound to
come. The objections were futile and
now they appear ridiculous.
The corporation is the automobile
of commerce 1t is bound to come.
Big corporations are bound to sue
coed little ones, just as the big auto
mobiles Of today have succeeded those
that could not climb hill. The ulti-
mate aim of the big corporations is
to secure monopoly. That to GER
tain extent, is the object OF every man
in every walk of life. A man wants
a monopoly of his wife's affection, he
wants monopoly Of the esteem of his
friends and is very apt to be jealous
if he does not get it. Is there store
in Crawford county that does not want
all the trade it can get, or that stops
for an instant to reflect that it is get
ting more than its share and ought to
cease it's efforts to secure more trade?
The truth is that while the big cor
poration may be legally wrong, it is
intrinsically and morally right. 1t
has the secret backing of every nan
in the community. He may not want
others to have monopoly, but he
would like to have it for himself. You
case If it is a desirable thing for
you, it is desirable for the other man
DO not be hypocritical about it.
For many years railroads We're con
sidered as private property. Railroad
managers charged all the traffic would
bear Latterly it became recog.
nized part Of our public polity that
railroads and public utility CORPORA.
tons generally, were not solely the
property of the owners, but that the
public had rights superior even to
those of the owners. This idea is be-
ing generally extended. We now have
laws to prevent the 'cornering" OF
necessities of life. We have come
to recognize that the owner of coal
mine has obligations towards the pub
lie which he must perform, whether
he likes it or not. We have come to
realize that the labor union has obli-
cations to the public as we'll as to its
members.
The birth of such an idea requires
many years and much disturbance OF
the social and industrial balance. But
the entire globe is drifting to the only
ultimate solution of the problem and
that is the sinking of individual
rights and the uplifting of the rights
of the people as whole.
Perhaps it is well enough to try
to place limit on individual greed
until we can all get in the game. Per-
haps it is well to fine the managers of
big corporations if they go too far,
perhaps it is well to put them in Jail
as Senator Kenyon suggests, but you
can no more stop the growth Of cor
porations and the efforts to secure
monopoly than the farmers and CHI
zens of Crawford county and the
newspaper of Denison could stop the
oncoming of the automobile.
The automobile problem was solved
when people adjusted themselves,
when the farmers began buying ma
chimes, when the people as whole
got into the game" That is the way
it will be with the corporation and
with monopoly. They will cease to
be menaces when they become more
common and when everybody gets into
the game. That spells socialism
What of it?