The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-04-16

a. There is a continuing compete
ton in costs of production between
the parties to the arrangement result
ing In economy Of manufacture and
distribution and Of general manage
ment, since ach party secures the
sole benefit of such economies.
IS. There is not the in5ucement or
opportunity for the acts OF oppression
that are practiced by the trusts In
order to maintain their supremacy.
The interests Of the latter are per
manently n indestructibly merged
whilst under these temporary ar
are dangerous and unlikely. The
friendly co-operators of today may
be the bitter competitors Of tomor-
row.
"6. They offer a means of escape
from destructive competition without
driving competitors to combination
with all it's attendant evils.
These arrangements should be
not, however, longer tolerated in their
present furtive unlawful form, wheth-
er they apply to the product of the
farmer! the manufacturer or the mid
dleman. They are a standing invita-
ton to extortion and exploitation OF
the public and a menace to industrial.
freedom. There is only. one way OF
eXterminating them and that is BY
substituting in their place tpermissive
public agreements that shall be sub
1ect to federal approval and super
vision.
agreements between competitors
that have for their sole purpose the
prevention Of ruinous competition and
the securing of a reasonable prof.
should be made possible and lawful ir
| a II 1D11I1frSnc cIIh1nat -. ~
n regulation Of the new trade com.
mission for which provision is made
in the pending legislation. No one
need become a party to such an agree
ment unless he sees fit to do SO, but
competitors should no longer be COM
PEELED to ruin themselves and one In
other under penalty Of being branded
and punished as criminals. They will
not do it, law or no law. The instinct
OF self-preservation will prevent it
This 'perverse policy will simply result
IN making of us a nation Of ]hypocrites
and ~lawbreakers. Every crossroads
will have its Gary dinners at which
the state of the weather will be the
subject Of discussion and which the
law Will never be able to reach.
unrestricted ruinous competition
should be superseded by regulated
competition. The former inevitably
leads to monopoly. The latter does
away with the oppression of weak
competitors and with every vestige
or pretext for combination. The dis
JUNCTION beteen cooperation and com
olnation Is fundamental. The former
Is economically unsound and oppres-
slVe. The other Is distinctly benef1-
cent If so supervised and restricted
that the levying of tribute upon the
public Is prevented.
instead of the innumerabIe secret
and unlawful arrangements that are
now tolerated. under cover of which
there Is now taken from the people
all that the traffic will bear it will
be the duty of the parties to submit
tnelr agreement to the trade commits
sion. The latter, with the aid of its
expert accountants, will determine
whether the conditions are reasonable
and fair to the public, In the same
ways that the interstate
commission now determines the far
more complicated questions of rates
With such relief at hand public
sentiment will support the rigid en-
torcement Of the criminal laws
against all trust and secret,
ments. ..
Il offern as I have for the past five
years repeatedly offered this pro-
gram as an answer to your question
Of what should be the relation Of the
farmer to the trust question. It en-
ables the farmer to retire with honor
from his now indefensible position Of