The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-06-06
CHAPTER XIII.

- Inns into the library, where KEEL
vim was already seated The
old man was almost childish in
his admiration of his two lieutenants,
as he chose to call them.
81 have been waiting for years for
this" said he. rubbing his clawlike
hands together as he looked from the
one to the other of them. I'm all my
years of money making my only worry
was that when the time came l might
not find capable men through which to
WELD the ultimate power l craved.
Like most worry, it was wasted. You
two young men have done wonderful
work. but it has only just begun"
Precisely my Grand" said Rollins,
with n rather wan smile. THE work
is only just begun, and at the outset
/ have found so much opposition that
ran down here for moral support"
you've come TO the right place."
laughed Kelvin. AT Forest Lakes we
are dealing almost exclusively in moral
support"
Backed by the dead weight of more
cash than was ever in one mans con-
troll since time began" chuckled Breed.
"What are your difficulties, Mr.. Rol-
lins?"
well" said Rollins. 81 have practi-
cally put the Unified steel corporation
out OF business as n monopoly. Here
Is n communication | had from Mac
Dougal If ever a big man made n
whine In n letter MacDougal is the
man, and here Is this whine" And
with huge contempt he tossed down
three page missive which Kelvin
read, with n smile.
"The answer" went on Rollins, as
open hearth steel and the control of
transportation. l have put them in di.
rect competition with our own plants,
and they are undertaking US. ! in
tend TO let them have some large con.
tracts at price we cannot touch. Now
] begin to have dreams"
81 don't see any difficulty in that"
dream many dreams in the face of
failures. It's success that brings
dreams. / have dreams of my own.
! have done little thinking about
these dreams of late"
IL know you have" interposed Rol-
Inns. Somebody has been doing a
great deal of thinking around here. At
first thought it was Mr.. Breed, but now
1 know that he hires his thinking"
Breed himself was the first to ac-
knowledge by n chuckle the truth of
this remark.
IL used to have TO do IL myself when
I was poor" he admitted. but that
is not the way 70 success. You can't
get rich that way any more than you
can by performing all your own man.
ual labor. My success is built on an un-
usual ability to discover men who can
think for me. But you two go ahead
and exchange your dreams; ! am in
terested."
II have no objection to telling mine"
said Kelvin. IL want to do little
trust busting"
"I've tried it. and that's why I'm
here" laughed Rollins. Trust bust
ing. with absolute control of every
mile of railroad in the United States,
is the easiest thing in the world. Ray
mer. Speed. Melton Sears & Co and
all the others have been making life
n burden to me. Strangely enough.
they don't want to be drawn and guar
tered"
IL hate them, every one" suddenly
snapped Breed. "A dozen times they
tried to gobble me up in the early
days. l have their photographs. too.
waiting to be checked Off"
"Well let you check them off by and
by" replied Rollins. '"rhey are Grip
pied now, but it was a task. Even
with all my experience i didn't appre-
ciate the full extent Of the private
car graft II was colossal trick.
serving merely as n disguise for ex-
cessive and absurd rebates"
"Well. you stopped It," Kelvin con-
soled him.
"Yes. stopped It," admitted Rollins,
with n sigh. land the next thing that
happened had all the big packers on
my neck"
1.-The only way to forget the attacks
of the packers" suggested Kelvin, lis
to attack the other monopolies. Ham
string them the first stroke"
"Goodv' said Rollins. with relief.
ats n pleasure to find that we want
the same thing without argument. It's
simple enough. I've merely TO estab-
lish my fiat freight rate without undue
reduction for quantity and without re
bate. thus giving the small shipper an
equal chance with the big one. The
interstate commerce law may then go
out of commission, for we will do the
same work which 1t was designed to
do. but in which IL failed"
Kelvin and Breed exchanged glances.
Don't misunderstood me-" went on
Rollins. II consider the trusts as much
product of natural law as the attrac
ton of gravitation. but where they at
tain to stupendous fairness merely on
abuses they cease to fulfill the need
which brought them into existence.
The greatest abuse of which the mo
nopoies have been guilty is In trans
portation. Probably more than half OF
the freight carried Is shipped by large
corporations. nearly every ton of IL be
ing subject TO rebate or n drawback
of some sort. and this drain on the