The Socialist and labor star. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1911-1915, 1914-05-08
GYODfh OF
The Trust
Bv Thomas J. Doian.

During the past so years the world
has solved many great problems.
To cnnumcrate the wonderful and
various forms Of machinery that now
docs a great part Of the work Of the
world would bc a waste of space and
time.
1t probably appears to most OF
those who have an abundance Of this
worlds COOL things that the burden
Of AL has pcen iightened as a result,
but the fac: of the matter is that it
has had the contrary effect on many,
and the grca: standing problem of the
centuries is not yet solved.
In this age Of printers ink the ave-
rage person Is as well educated and
better posted on the affairs Of the
world than we're one person in mil
lion century ago, yet are We, the
masses who produce all wealth and
who really 90 the useful work any
better off than were the hewers Of
wood and drawers of water than the
Bible tells about.
Mr.. Waga Worker, just a few mo-
ments Of yoGr time. Just forget all
about base ball and this Mexican
bunk ard listen:
Senator La Toilette. of Wisconsin,
probably tn best posted man in the
United States on the methods of the
big finarciers. in his Journal Of April
p, says:
MARK tn result Of this two-faced
policy: When Roosevelt became pres
ilent there were combinations and
trusts, including railways, all togeth-
CT having 4 total stock and bond is
sue Of only $&,74S, 100000. When he
left the White House there were ten
thousand and twenty criminal conspl-
racies in combination, including with
the unlawfully combined railroads Il
total confederation amounting to the
enormous sunr>of 81 ,G72 100000, and
more than e per cent. Of this was,
and still is. water. The power Of the
combinations was unrestricted. The
increased he price Of the product of
the mines &hd the factories at will.
They paid big dividents on fictitious
and fraudulent millions upon millions
Of surplus, wrongfully taken from the
people; they built rev railroads, cx
travagant terminals, and new manu-
featuring Di&nts. And these, in t1rn,
they again cvcrcapitalizcd, cXactinC
evcr-incrca&ing tribute from a help
less and unprotected public.
'Ecach succeeding year Of Roosc-
welt administration the cost Of liv-
ing increased enormously.
"In many of his public addresses,
and some o: his latter messages he
violently a.;sailed the trusts with
most extra*agant dcnunciations, but
his policy as president steadily siren
gthened AMI encouraged the growth Of
monopoly.
The Sherman antitrust law was
upon the statute books. a perfect
weapon with which any executive
could easily have destroyed every
criminal conspiracy against COMPETE
ton.
In plain terms the law provided:
Every contract, combination in the
form Of a trust or otherwise, or con-
spiracy in restraint of trade or COM
mere among the states or with for
eign nations, is hereby declared to be
illegal
The law provides that every per-
son making any such contract or en-
gazing in "ny such combination or
conspiracy and every person that
shall monopollze any part Of the trade
or commerce among the several states
shall be deemed guilty Of a n1isde-
and subject on conviction to
be punished by a fine not exceeding
s., 900, or by imprisonment not ex-
ceeding one Year.
AS said " Judge Stewart OF Yer
mont, on closing the debate in the
House when the law was enacted: