Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-10-23

ways straight In speech and manners.
the dnancier small and weak In body.
his movements sinuous, flexible, with
eyes that never looked at the man he
was talking to-, yet always seemed to
be taking in everything in the room.
well. Bivens. what can l do for
you? understand from your note
that the matter Is important"
"Of the gravest Importance to us
both. doctor,' he answered, with a
smile. For peculiar personal reason
I want US to get together and settle our
differences .s.s -.
Are there any differences between
US? You go your way, and 60 mine.
You run your business to suit yourself,
and I'll do the same. The worlds big
enough for US BOTH
THAT'S just the trouble" Bivens in
terrupted. 1T isn't. We are entering
new era of combination, merger. CO.
operation"
compulsory co-operation!" the doc
tor laughed.
ut may be so at last" the little man
said soberly Certainly the old idea
Of competition is played out. We no
longer believe that business men
should try to cut each others throats."
"Oh. see!' sneered the doctor.
"They should get together, corral their
customers and cut their throats.'
"You must recognize the fact that the
drug trade is a business enterprise. not
charity organization"
Even so. still happen to know that
within a stones throw of my store
swarms a population Of a quarter of a
million human beings so poor that only
BOO of them ever have access to bath
room. You ask me to enter with you
into criminal conspiracy to suppress
freedom of trade and use fraud and
violence if necessary to VIM
Fraud and violenceT' Bivens inter-
rupted, smilingly.
"Certainly. What sort Of merchandise
does the organizer of modern in
dustry bring to market? Tricks and
subterfuges in the form of printed pa
per called stocks, which represent no
value. From the moment financier
once tastes this blood he becomes a
beast.''
"Come, come, doctor, you must real
ize the fact that in the drug business
we are bringing order out Of chaos
and at last putting the trade on a pay
ing basis.''
But at what a price! You have
closed mills instead of opening them.
thrown out of work thousands, lower
ed the price paid for raw material
bringing ruin to its producers, increas
ed the price charged for your products
to the ruin Of the consumer, and sad
died millions Of fictitious debts on the
backs of their children yet unborn
The price of living has been increas
ing steadily with the organization Of
each industry into trust. Where viii
it end?"
! Bivens' eyes narrowed to the meres1
points Of concentrated light, while ar
amused smile played about them.
"The trust is here to stay, doctor
Legislation against it is as absurd and
futile as movement to stop the tides
You cannot make economy crime
progress a misdemeanor, or efficiency
a felony! If so, you can destroy the
| trusts
I'm not clear yet how it is to be
done," was the passionate answer
'but as sure as God lives we are going
to do something. At present we are
putting wreckers in charge of organ
ization and famine producers in charge
of production. 1t can't last. believe
! In this republic. For the moment the
people are asleep. But time is slowly
shaping the issue that will move the
last laggard. We are beginning dimly