The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-09-23

gagement. The perfdy and cruelty of l such an act was too hideous for belief 1 yet if the thing were possiblet
 One evening he made up his mind to ! go at once and fight for his old place ! beside her on any terms she would grants He seized his hat and opened 1 the door. To his amazement Bivens was leisurely ascending the steps. Stuart stepped into the parlor and sat down with resignation to await his entrance,
 To his amazement he heard the maid | say:
 This way. sir. Dr. Woodman asks you to wait for him in the library" So Bivens was calling on his arch enemy by appointment. Stuart replac- ed his hat on the rack and returned to his room. determined to await the out come of this extraordinary visit
 On pr. Woodman's entrance Biwens rose to greet him with unusual anima- tion and unmistakable good will. When the doctor grasped the out stretched hand more striking con- trast could scarcely be imagined-the one big. bluff. jovial. sunny, powerful and straight of figure as he was al- ways straight in speech and manners. the Gnancier 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 I do for you? I understand from your note that the matter Is important"
 Of the grayest importance to us both. doctor" he answered. with a smile For a peculiar personal reason Iwant us to get together and settle cur differences
 Are there any differences between us? You go your way. and I go 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" Btvens in- corrupted. .It isn't We are entering 8 new era of combination, merger, CO., operation
 Compulsory co-operation!" the doc tor laughed
 'sIt 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, seel" sneered the doctor 'They should get together. corral their customers and cut their throats."
 You must recognize the fact that the drug trade is business enterprise, not a 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 300 of them ever have access to a bath room You ask ne to enter with you into a criminal conspiracy to suppress freedom of trade Sapd use fraud and violence if necessary to win"-
 Fraud and violenceY' Bivens inter- rupted. smiIingly.
 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 a 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 banging order cut of chaos and at last putting the trade on 8 pay ing basis"
 'sBut 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 it's producers, increas- ed the price charged for your products to the ruin of the consumer. and sad dled 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 will it end P
 Bivens' eyes narrowed to the merest points of concentrated light, while an amused smile played about them.
 ''The trust is here to stay. doctor. Legislation against it is as absurd and l futile as movement to stop the tides. | You cannot make economy crime. l progress a misdemeanor, or efficiency 1 a felony! If so, you can destroy the 1 trusts'
 I'm not clear yet how it is to be | cone," was the passionate answer, but as sure as God lives we are going | to do something. At present we are 1 putting wreckers in charge of organ fzation and famine producers in charge 1 of production. It can't last I believe 1 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 dinly to see that there is something more precious in our life than the mere l tonnage of national weaIth-the spirit of freedom and initiative in our peo- pleI Shall they become merely the hired men of a few moneyed kings? Or shall the avenues of industry and in- dividual enterprise remain open to their children? The people will answer these questionsv'
 Bivens gave a cynical little chuckIe.
 .@Then Pm sure we'll get the wrong 1 answer. doctor was the response They will get it right by and by