The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-10-11
TWU Biz ISSUtS,
SAYS GOLFERS
The Tariff and the Proper Treat
ment of MonopolieS.
WON'T TIE TO ROOSEVELT
ACTIVELY Dlsagrees" With His Views
About Trusts and AWsstes Of Com
petition" and supports the candg-
daey Of Wilson and Marshall.

Golfers Is ont for Wilson and Maj
shall II refuses to support Theodor,
Roosevelt plus George W. Perkins
ElnHdgs H. Gary and the rest OF th,
steel trust-hzryester trust magnates.
Its open opposition 10 the third teru
ticket Was Indicated In the Issue q
Sept IA In the Issue OF Sept 2i 1t,
reasons for eap0u&ing the Democratic
eARse are clear and GorOafuI.
The leading editorial, 'rns Wastes
OF Composition. sayH:
More and more the campaign h
coming down to two pressing Isgzea
the tariff and the proper treatment oi
monopolies- CoIlier'B actively dis
agrees with the Visw OF monopoly bo
ing urged By Messrs- Roosevelt, Per
hns and Gary.
They talk q great deal about the
wastes OF competition. The necessary
wastes Of competition are relatively
insignificant, and the waates OF unfair
and destructive competition are wholly
unnecessary. They win be- largely
eliminated when competition ia regu-
lated.
The La Follette-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. Tho remaining wastes OF compe-
titton may be ikened to the wastes Of
democracy. These are obvious. but we
know also that democracy has COM
pensations which render Il more en-
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-
tenn
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 un-
just determination 1t could prevent
ruthless and unfair use of power: but
a 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-
daetion of prices. which in turn would
create sense of injustice suffered,
paralyze individual enterprise and pro-
duce unprogressive. slipshod manage
ment. The attempt to secure Ioto
prices through price friag tcould
prove as impoteat as the statutes
tchich haze sought to protect the pub
Tic in railroad rates By limiting the
diU.dends
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; It has protected the shipper
from oppression and arrogance and in
Justice; it has prevented unreasonable
ddpanceS in rates but It has secured
comparatively few notable reductions
in rates. except those involved in
stopping discrimination between per.
sons. places or articles II has been
p0tcerleSs 10 reduce operating costs
and greater reductions in rates can
come only 10Th redaErtions in 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 sioeepinO 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 ,s41 to .724. The years
1S99ls00 marked the great movement
for combination or community OF In.
terest" in the railroad world as we'll
as in the industrial world The freight
rae per ton per mile began to rise. In
each of the eleven succeeding years it
vas higher than in 1899, and In 1910 |
It was 1853
The deadening effect of monopoly
IS illustrated by IT'S arrest of inven-
ton The shoe machinery trust, form
ed in 1899, resulted in combining. d.
rectly and indirectly, more than 100
shoe machinery concerns. 1t acquired
monopoly of ell the es. !
sential machinery used in bottoming
boots and shoes. as well as many 9TH
er machines 1t believed itself unas-
and shoe manufacturers had /
come to regard their subjection to the
trust as unavoidable. Nevertheless. In
1910 the trust found its prestige sud.
denly threatened and its huge profits