Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-10-03
TWO Big ISSUES,
SAYS GOLFERS
The Tariff and the Proper Treat
ment Of Monopolies.
WON'T TIE TO ROOSEVELT
ACTIVELY DIsaorees" With His Views
About Trusts and Wastes Of Com
petition" and Supports the Candl-
dacy Of Wilson and Marshall.

Golfers Is out for Wilson and Mar
shall. 1t refuses to support Theodore
Roosevelt, plus George w. Perkins,
Elbridge II. Gary and the rest OF the
steel trust-harvester trust magnates.
Its open opposition to the third term
ticket was indicated in the issue OF
Sept. II. In the issue of Sept. 81 its
reasons for espousing the Democratic
cause are clear and forceful.
The leading editorial, The Wastes
OF Competition" says:
More and more the campaign Is
coming down to two pressing Issues,
the tariff and the proper treatment OF
monopolies. Golfers actively dis
agrees with the view OF monopoly be-
ing urged by Messrs. Roosevelt, Per
kins and Gary.
"They talk great deal about the
wastes OF competition. The necessary
wastes OF competition are relatively
insignificant, and the wastes Of unfair
and destructive competition are wholly
unnecessary. They will be largely
eliminated when competition Is regu-
lated.
THE La Toilette Lenroot and the
| Stanley bills to perfect the Sherman
law and the Newlands Cummins pro
posals for an Interstate trade commits.
sion are all directed in part to that
end. The remaining wastes of compe-
tition may be likened to the wastes OF
democracy. These are obvious, but we
know also that democracy has COM
pensations which render 1t more eff
Gent than absolutism. SO It Is in in
dustry The margin between what
men naturally do and what they can
do Is 30 great that the system which
urges men on to effort Is the best sys-
TEN.
THE necessary wastes OF monopoly,
on the other hand are enormous. Some
OF these can. of course, be eliminated
by regulation An efficient Interstate
trade commission acting under appro-
1 pirate legislation, could put an end to
much of the oppression OF which trusts
have been guilty, 1t could prevent I'M
/ Just discrimination. 1t could prevent
ruthless and unfair use of power; but
q government commission would be
powerless to secure for the people the
low prices commonly attendant upon
competition.
AS no means exist for determining
whether greater net earnings are due
to greater efficacy in management or
to excessive profits, large net earnings
would be followed by compulsory re-
duction OF prices, which in turn would
| paralyze individual enterprise and pro-
duce unprogressive slipshod manage
ment. The attempt to secure lolo
prices through price firing toouId
prone as impotent as the statutes
a0hich hare sought to protect the pub
lie in railroad rates By limiting the
dipidcndS.
THE interstate commerce commits
sion has been invoked as an argument
IN favor of licensing monopoly. That
commission has stopped many abuses
1t has practically put an end to cor
rupt and corrupting discrimination in
rates; II has protected the shipper
from oppression and arrogance and in
justice; 1t has prevented unreasonable
ddDanceS in rates; but 1t has secured
comparatively few notable reductions
In rates, except those involved in
stopping discrimination between per
sons, places or articles. II has been
poWeFleSS to reduce operating costs,
and greater reductions in rates can
come only With reductions in the cost
OF producing transportation, The in
justice and corruption attending the
earlier railroad period we're extremely
serious, But we must not forget that
the StecCpiHG reductions In American
operating costs and rates belong to the
earlier period OF competition among
railroads. In the ten years from 1889
to 1899, while competition among the
railroads was active the freight rate
per ton per mile was gradually re
duced from .9il to .724 The years
1899 1900 marked the great movement
for combination or community of in.
terest" In tho railroad world rs we'll
ms in the industrial world. The freight
rate per ton per male began 10 rise In
each of the eleven succeeding years It
was higher than in 1899, and In 1910
II was 1858
"rhe deadening effect of monopoly
Is Illustrated by its arrest OF inven-
ton. The shoe machinery trust. form
ed in 1899, resulted in combining, di-
rectly and indirectly, more than 100
shoe machinery concerns. 1t acquired
substantially a monopoly of all the es.
scntial machinery used in bottoming
boots and shoes. as we'll as many 9th.
er machines. 1t believed itself unas-
sailanle and shoe manufacturers had
come to regard their subsection to the
trust as unavoidable. Nevertheless. In
1910 the trust found its prestige sud
denly threatened and its huge profits
impeiil He'd, 1t was confronted with a
competitor so formidable that the