The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1912-01-04

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of ore and railroad properties, and
in this consolidation Merritt put NJ
about 5000, 900 worth OF securities
on call loan of $I20, 900 from John
ID. Rockefeller.
Leonidas Merritt swears he was
urged by Mr.. Rockefeller electrical
counselor to trust In John ID. Rock
efeller. He had conference with
Mr.. Rockefeller, who opposed Il re-
ceiyership for the road on the ground
that it would have IA little tinge of
violating the law On Merritt s
refusal to throw his Minnesota
friends and relatives overheard and
join with Rockefeller in gobbling
the great property, the Si20,0OO loan
was called In twenty-four hours and
5000, 900 to SIC, 600, 900 worth OF Sc
CURES swallowed by Rockefeller,
leaving Merritt to walk the rail-
road ties back to Duluth"
And when Meritt was asked why
he could not obtain money accom-
mediation elsewhere on properties
then valued at $4,000, 600 and now
estimated as being worth 500, 000, 600
to the steel trust, this was his sworn
testimony;
! "He spread the report in Cleve-
land and elsewhere that he had paid
$40 per share for stock not worth
more than 50, and | could not raise
the money. Rockefeller was the
money power In 1893. He said,
Hands off! Them fellows are my
meat and the money would not
loan.
"What reason was given for the
call?n asked Mr.. McGillicuddy, Of
the committee
"None. They wanted my proper
ty, suppose. and that was all there
was to it, replied Merritt.
Now, the Significance Of this one
of many instances that there are
male as well as female vampires,
who strip the fool who trusts them
''tO his foolish hide, " does not seem
to MS to lie In the already known
callUus hypocrisy of n Rockefeller
and his hired underlings. The real
lesson of the fleeing OF the Merritts
is the faultiness of this nations fin
ancial system. For the story Of the
Mesabe men Is but repetition Of
the tale of tens of thousands Of other
men who, by the timely cutting of
of their credit, have been sucked in
to the NAV Of the money masters.
The moral of II all is a singing
rebuke to the lazy folly Of II people
who submit to n system which re-
stricts legitimate business men 10
seeking credit from more powerful
fs,n all .I
pels the possessor Of valuable as
sets to develop them only by obtain
ing the needed money accOlnmoda-
ton from the controllers OF banks,
who, at the same time, control the
rival means of transportion, manu-
facture and supply OF raw staple
products.
That system has meant nothing
but bank tolerance until the entice-
ment into dependence OF the bust
ness man of the Merritt type, with
convicted possessions, Is complete.
Then the instant humiliation OF the
liquid value of his assets and then
surrender or bankruptcy or both.
1t lis the ripenicg knowledge OF
this power and its abuse by the
money masters that has created the
sentiment which is forcing the arch
parasites of our civilization and
their political servants 10 make pre-
tense of giving To the American peO-
pie different system.
But they are meeting national
demand, that has put little fear
into their minds, in thoroughly
characteristic way. They have
chosen as their champion the chief
exponent of all their cherished spe-
cial privileges. They have made
their spokesman Aldrich, of Rhode
/ Island, whose whole life has been
devoted to the enactment of cheat
: ing legislation, designed to foster
munopolies and exploit and despoil
the honest producer, merchant and
manufacturer.
AS Is always the case with the
most vicious proposals of legisla-
ton, there is Il seeming yielding to
an intelligent, imperative public de-
mand In the Aldrich financial
scheme. Many wise and useful
betterments are included in its pro-
visions. But IL is so framed that
underlying all that is good is the
real intent, the insurance of con-
troll by the little group of the money
masters over the credit OF every
legitimate business man more nearly
absolute than ever yet has existed.
Shonld the Aldrich scheme ever
become law, there would be no fu-
ture parallels of this Merritt case.
1t would no longer be necessary for
n Rockefeller 10 ingratiate him
self with the intended victim through
the agency of n sanity secretary
and "brotherly" manner In personal
intercourse. With the Aldrich
scheme legalized, all that would be
needed would be "thumbs down!n
upon push button on a Wall street
desk, and the victims credit would
be automatically shut off in the
smallest and the biggest bank In the
land Dbtla AatDhfa