The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-10-10
TWO Big ISSUES,
SAYS GOLFERS ] | |: R {!
The Tariff and the Proper Treat
ment of Monopolies. ."~~
WON'T TIE TO ROOSEVELT

"AetlveIy DIsaerees" With His Views
About Trusts and WASTES Of Com.
petition" and Supports the CandI-
dacy Of Wilson and Marshall.
Golfers is out for Wilson and Mar
shall. It refuses to support Theodore
Roosevelt, plus George w. Perkins.
Elbridge Fl. Gary and the rest Of the
steel trust.harvester trust magnates.
It's open opposition to the third term
ticket was indicated in the issue Of
Sept. IA. In the issue of Sept Fl It's
reasons for espouslng 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-
hns and Gary.
"They talk a 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 Follette.Lenroot and . tho
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 Nkened to the wastes of
democracy. These are obvious, but we
know also that democracy has CON-
pensations which render it more eff
cient than absolutism. So it Is in in
dustry. The margin between what
men naturally do and what they can
do is so great that the system which
urges men on to effort is the best sys-
TEN. a.. ..'
1.-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-
pirate legislation, could put an end to
much of the oppression of which trusts
have been guilty. 1t could prevent I'M
Just discrimination. It 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
create a sense of Injustice suffered,
paralyze individual enterprise and pro-
duce unprogressive, slipshod manage
ment. The attempt to secure loo
prices through price frtng 1oou'd
prove as impotent as the statutes
sOhich haze sought to protect the pub
Kc IN railroad rates by limiting the
dividends. ~.
"The interstate commerce commits
sion has been invoked as an argument
In favor OF licensing monopoly. That
commission has stopped many abuses;
It has practically put an end to cor
rupt and corrupting discrimination in
rates; it has protected the shipper
from oppression and arrogance and in
Justice; it has prevented unreasonable
advances in rates; but it has secured
comparatively few notable reductions
in rates, except those involved in
stopping discrimination between per-
sons, places or articles. 1t has been
poUerzeSS to reduce operating costs,
and greater reductions in rates can
come only aOith reductions tn the cost
of producing transportation. The in
Justice and corruption attending the
earlier railroad period were extremely
serious. But we must not forget that
the s,Deeping reductions in American
0Derating costs and rates belong to the
earlier period of competition among
railroads. In the ten years from 1889
10 1888, Willie COl1pcLlSiOu oAAOA6 IAC
railroads was active, the freight rate
per ton per mile was gradually re-
duced from 941 to .724. The years
1S99-19OO marked the great movement
for combination or community Of in.
terest'' in the railroad world as well
as in the industrial world. The freight
rate per ton per mile began to rise. In
each of the eleven succeeding years It
was higher than in 1893. and in 1910
1t was 1853. -.' @ss
'eThe deadening effect of monopoly
is illustrated by it's arrest Of inyen-
ton. The shoe machinery trust, form
ed in 1899, resulted in combining, d.
rectly and indirectly, more than 100
shoe machinery concerns. 1t acquired
substantially a monopoly of all the es.
sential machinery used in bottoming
boots and shoes, as well as many 9th.
er machines It believed itself unas-
gailaDle, and shoe manufacturers had
III ~ a