Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1917-02-27
OTHERS OPINIONS
Our Distinguished Robbers.

Our Distinguished Robbers.
II was Pope who said: "Man's in
humanity to man makes countless
thousands mourn" Or if ne dldn t
say it, some one did, or something
like it; and he said 1t before man
had perfected that modern gang OIL
highway robbers known as trusts.
The food riots in this country, and II
Its metropolis at that, show the ef-
fects of the system. The pirates oil
former years robbed and plundered a
few ships, and the world waged wal
on and exterminated them. The rob
ber bands of few centuries ago who
held up travellers and made little bet
ter than honest wages In dong so,
have been driven from every civilized
country. In their place we have gangs
of organized robbers who would not
accept as gift the paltry sums their
distinguished forbears, the pirates
and robbers aforesaid, considered rich
plunder The sugar trust with head
quarters i'm New York City can with
the expenditure of few dollars Tor
telegraph tolls raise the price OF sug-
ar over night, dip its spoon into ev-
cry cup of coffee or tea, slip its nm
gers into every cake or sweetmeat'
and along with the small boy lick
its tongue around the candy held IN
his sticky fingers. They can do this
and turn millions of dollars into then
Golfers. without taking any risk OF
personal injury as did the robbers oil
old. Standard Oil can say to gaso'
line, "go up and it goes, while the
millions it learns by its arbitrary
decree. comes in trickling rlvulets
from every nook and corner OF the
country, swelling into vast stream
as it nears the great maelstrom, Ne"
York City, where it is sucked down
and disappears.
The clothing trust can make t~e
suits Of clothes grow from the WOO
that only sufiiced for one before; ant
the leather trust can make us wall
straight and step lightly in shoes To-
which we must pay it whatsoevel
p,ice it demands, while the pavlns
trusts stand in and make even th'
walking cost double what it should
! The hog that is sent to Chicago to d.
d assassinated by his brethren, BRING
eight or ten cents pound and L
t send out to the consumer IN 5u-cen
: bacon or ham.
A So it goes through the whole lis'
= The great American consumer is he'll
n up and robbed scientifically, and sal
/ isfactorily to the robber, at ever
e tu1n. Water and food; warmth an
e light; fuel and ice; everything tina
/ covers and protects us from heat o
d cold: all that satisfies hunger; all tha
It contributes to our pleasure or con
= fort; everything but the AIR "
e breathe is eornered and controlled D
: these gangs of modern pirates OF tn
h business world.
Ia there a remedy7 The answer
y yes. two of them. One is socishsl
% which necessity has forced in iare
Ell desree on the warnng nations
,r Europe, and which necessity OF al
If other kind is forcing on us in Amer
ID ca The other is anarchy. There
ly a third remedy, but so far 1t h
IN seemed powerless, or has not be-
is tried, and that Is vigorous prosec
to ton of the trusts and punishme
h that will fit their crimes-if such G
IT be found. This has been, is stl
er the hope of the common people al
of if it is not applied now when the
an trusts have their hands on the thrOs
he of the whole country, when they ha
,ot placed food beyond the reach of t
eat toilers, then all hope from that soul
must be abandoned and the count
ca can select from the two remedies
his naming that which will most qui'
Oh " bring relief-Salem Capital Jo'
to nal.
or
A44n-,rk .e no.rr-tora