Show Trusts And Big Business By L. L A. A Hollenbeck I IA I A few years ago the trusts had hada a free tree field They would undersell undersell undersell under under- sell a small competitor that is the trust would make malce big profits all over the country and if a I small retailer in a local town was doing good business the trust would sell good in his territory for tor less than cost and crush out the local dealer That was destroying de de- competition which is a natural law of trade And then the trust would jump the price up and make the people pay an unreasonable price for Cor their goods If a local dealer had grown to such a size by efficiency that the trust could not well crush him then the trust would buy him out at a big price and again advance the price of goods to the people Well WeIl congress passed the interstate interstate interstate inter inter- state commerce law so to curb the trusts Also the several states passed their public utilities laws to curb the trusts and to protect competition The trusts fought these laws but after they ey I found that were passed passed- they these laws Instead of helping the people helped the trusts and so when you try to repeal a public utilities law you will find the whole power of the trusts to block you Why Because the public utilities law Is a law against the natural law of competition The big corporations and trusts have watered their stocks and also are paying enormous salaries to their officials and hence they can show a public utilities commission that the rates must be so-and-so so or else they cannot exist So the public utilities commission prohibits prohibits prohibits pro pro- hibits a competitor from entering the field and boosts the rates so that these corporations can pay the big salaries and also dividends on fictitious or watered stock and thus allow them to get enormous enormous I ous oua profits from the people That legislation is against the natural I laws ws of trade and fixing prices by bya a board and no board is smart enough or brave brav enough if smart enough to fix the prices of rates or of commodities Woodrow WilBon Wilson Wilson Wil Wil- son Bon had this to say on this subject subject subject sub sub- A trust is an arrangement to get rid of competition and big business Is a business that has survived competition by conquering conquering conquering conquer conquer- ing in the field of intelligence and economy A trust does not bring efficiency to the aid of business it buys efficiency out of business I am for big business and I am against trusts Any man who can survive by his brains any man who can put the others out of business by making malting the thing cheaper to the consumer at the same time that he is increasing its intrinsic value and quality I take off oft my hat to and I say m j i I You are the man who can buildup build buildup I t up the United States and I wish there were more of you And then he says There will not be more unless we find Cind a n way to prevent prevent prevent pre pre- vent monopoly Alas our public utilities commissions commissions commissions com com- missions foster monopoly instead of preventing it They abuse competition competition competition com com- petition instead of fostering and pi protecting electing it Our legislatures have endeavored to repeal a ana ana- natural na- na tural law la instead of it sacred That is all the abuse of capitalism and amI not capitalism it it- it self We Ve are suffering from abuses abuses abuses a- a buses of right and not from the right itself H H |