The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-01-20
Louis Brandeis' Scheme.

A little group of New England financiers
have Uncle Sam tied up in sack and are gouglng
the "innards" out of the old gentleman. Their
sack is monopoly and their prod is the control OF
credit. And what the limit of their extortlon IS
going to be no can tell.
This is the substance of number of very ex-
cellent articles written by Louis Brandeis and
published in Harpers Weekly during the past
two months Seldom have the powers of analysis
been more ably used than in this study.
But now in the current number Mr. Brandeis
offers his remedy for the whole matter and that
remedy consists in "Opposng to the great trusts
a worldwide cooperative alliance which shall
become so powerful as to crush the trusts"
This comes to us as an anti-climaX after the
magnificent analysis of the situation made in the
preceding articles. Surely, it seems preposter-
Gus to suppose that cooperation Of consumers,
however many may be persuaded to join the
movement, would be adequate to overthrow the
money oligarchy, as described by him which now
rules two-thirds of the credit of the nation.
Suppose one hundred unarmed men to be i'm
prisoned on an island Except for a small plot
the island is bleak and sterile. This small plot
is controlled by one man. monopohst, and he
has ten armed men to hold at bay the hundred
unarmed men. He has control Of all the sources
of existence and doles out to the unfortunate
hundred such food clothing and fuel as he deems
fit. They have to accept whether or no because
they have no other recourse.
Now it is manifest that the real root of their
difficulty lies in this, that they slaves and
cut off from the sources Of existence.
But it happens that the supposed monopolist
throws out their food to them in irregular chunks
and at uncertain times. Because of this the
men fight and scramble like dogs and oftentimes
some get more than they need and others get
nothing Observing this situation Mr. Brandeis
in their midst rises up and says, Come, let us
terminate this inequality. Let us unite, organ
ze ourselves. and receive our supplies in unity
and in order
That would be an Improvement over the old
conditions but--and here is the crucial considera-
ton which must be firmly grasped-the increas-
ed convenience brought about by this co-opera-
ton does not give to the hundred men the control
Of the sources Of their existence In other words
it leaves them in precisely the same situation
before and merely relieves them of some of
the minor Inconvenience of their condition.
We are on that same island, according to Mr..
Brandeis arguments. The sources Of our exist
ence lie in the hands of very small group. They
are the masters of life and dole us out our sup
plies according to their own interests rather than
our needs. If Mr.. Brandeis is right, the root of
al present economic troubles lies in that that
they control the supplies on which our existence
depends.
Now what will it avail us according to this
situation described by him, to have Brandeis
come along and ask us to cooperate to ease up
the conditions under which are permitted to
receive our supplies? 1t will merely leave Us
where we were before. so far as the fundamental
conditions are concerned. Monopolists would
still be monopolists. And whether we have hard
times or good times, plenty of food a lack of
food sufficient clothing or insufficient clothing
matters not so long as the small group of monopo-
lists have control.
The Brandeis plan will make minor condi-
lions easier but it won't disturb the root out of
which social injustice springs according to his
own Interpretation.