Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-08
FACT AND GOSSIP
IN MONEY MARTS
Country Is Less Under the Heel
Of Capital Than at Any
Previous Time.
Nv 9. c. FORBES.


nearer real Independence Day
Nan the United States has known for
~ decades. And July 4, 1919 should be
I'm rearer-if it isn't the fault will be
our own Is not the country throwing off
.ts sbackles? Are not the people-the
.Ioin everyday workers and voters
waking successful effort to come into
t.eir own Ii is less true today than it
ms formerly tina the country is under
he heel of ca pital." None knows this so
nsu as capital And happily. the better
clements are willing that it should be so,
10 greater extent than yet experienced.
The leaven Of democracy has spread to
he more enlightened of our ca pitalists.
strife mongers will vehemently deny
his They will point to glazing viola
inns NJ the Golden Rule by certain pluto
rats They will direct attention to The
revelations made by recent Investigations.
rhev will triuf1phantly show that more
man one capltalistic group has schemed
m divide the country into zones. each zone
IN he exploited by one group. The daily
discoveries concerning the shipping POOLS
sbsrn practices, the uncoverlng of un-
scrupuous tactics by the old sugar trust,
The iniauites of the oil trust. the merci-
less tactics of the tobacco trust-al these
and score Of other condemnatory de-
yelopnents will be enumerated to prove
that Big Business is as black as it can
possibly be painted
That was in the past Has there been
no reform since? The incurable pessi-
mist. The hypochondriac, may reply
"Oh. yes Look how beathc the oil
trust has been since it ceased to control
the Industry Look how it racefully re-
linquished its hold on the Waters Pierce
Company Look how prices of oil have
declined And the poor. bounded tobacco
trust Look how It has suffered through
the savage attacks of the government Its
securities have only gone up in value
score or more millions just as The sub
salaries of the oil trust recently sold al
the highest quotation on record. Then
look how the coal trust has been sancti
fed When its employees were granted
small increase in pay, did the coal
bsrons accept this as their share Of the
general increased cost of existence? or
dil they seize upon the incident as an
excuse TO give the screw fresh turn upon
the thumb Of the defenseless household
ey not the large corporate consumers
who might have transferred their custom
to soft coal producers
There would be as much ruth as cyn-
cisn in these charges And yet-weu,
We are marching toward independence,
toward independence not only of CAPT
al that seeks to ne unjust, but of in
friguing political bosses
The action Of the coal trust is to be
regretted by all who would strive for
more amicable relations between capital
and the people There can be little aues-
ION that il was an abuse of monopoistic
power for no attempt was made to raise
fAs price # that part of the output in
which no monopoly exists Is it not plain.
therefore, that il was the monopoistic
power which made the indiscriminate pos
sibe? Every champion Of fair dealing all
round every advocate of moderation on
ne part of entrenched power. every well
Of both capital and labor can but grieve
the establishment Of harmonious feel
ng has been retarded by the short sighted
psHcy pursued The sooner the govern
ment removes this source Of rancor the
nener alike for producers and consumers,
Tor If the present statutes are impotent
70 prohibit such highhanded conduct. the
-oal Trust may be assured that effective
lne last state Of the Trust may be worse
th2n It's first
No unpreiudiced observer Of the evolu-
non no" going on politically. financially
ana lnduslrially will claim that there has
hAen nation wide regeneration But
something has been accomplished Regu-
auon If railroads is complete Regu-
auon Of industrial combinations has not
~ been made effective. but will be be-
I're many sessions of congress pass. The
EYE u Big Business owe, elections
as receNed a body blow. The political
n oSs has been torn from his pedestal in
Fst s s}ales The voice Of the people is
- slened 10 as never before And the will
me people is destined to be made TIE
FL. me land more often hereafter
~ mas been heretofore
we are steadily attaining gen
lne Independence. Let it not he forgot
nr noWNeyer. that eternal vigilance is the
snp Hoerty In throwing off the tyr
~ 5'. ~ canital. care must he exercised
h. s1@,a asainst cres ting a tyranny of la
sy., must strive 70 hold the balance