6 'Cbc Conservative.
pert in combination. The purpose of
combination is to suspend competition
in favor of a few. In the natural evolution
lution , out of the fierce contest for com
mercial supremacy , a condition hns been
brought about whereby aggregations
operating against the law of supply and
demand are destroying competition , by
combination and unfair methods , in
order to secure control of both product
and market , and the public is being
brought under the thrall of an indus
trial oligarchy.
Distinction Between Public and Private
Employment ? .
In any discussion of governmental
control of industry a fundamental dis
tinction between public and private em
ployments must bo remembered. From
a very early period the state has exer
cised control over common carriers and
inn-keepers because of their quasi-public
employment and because state control
was deemed necessary for public protec
tion. Resort having been had more fre
quently since the discovery of steam to
the law of eminent domain , additional
reasons for state control of common car
riers have appeared. Theoretically they
are public servants , occupying the pub
lic highways , subject to public control.
The case of telegraph , telephone , gas
and electric companies is analogous in
that they use the streets and perform
quasi-public functions.
Then , too , public employment , being
local in its service , comes easily within
municipal and state control.
Monopoly.
Emerson has said , "If a man can
write a better book , preach a better
sermon , or make a mouse trap better
than his neighbor , the whole world will
make a path to his door. "
It is the natural ambition of every in
dustry to control the largest possible
scope of trade. The more successful
the business the more trade it monopo
lizes. Such control , when obtained
either by arbitrary capitalistic might , by
merit of the thing sold , or by both , is a
monopoly. Monopolies are :
First. Natural that is , dependent
upon ownership of some source of sup
ply , like coal or iron.
Second. Quasi-natural that is , de
pendent upon public franchise , like rail
roads and kindred employments per
forming quasi-public functions.
Third. Legal that is , patent and
copyright , designed to ' 'stimulate gen
ius and give due reward to the promoters
meters of human progress. "
Fourth. Capitalistic , which depend
wholly upon the use of capital.
Fifth. A monopoly may be based
upon any or all of these conditions.
The trust is organized for the purpose
of extending and monopolizing trade.
Objection to trusts can not extend to all
forms of commercial combination. II
that were so , partnerships and corpora-
TP
; ions would coine within the scope of
; rust denunciation. Combinations can
not justly be condemned simply because
they ore combinations. When A goes
ute the business of refining sugar , ho is
a legitimate dealer. When A and B
combine as partners in the sugar refin
ing business , they are a legitimate part
nership engaged iii a legitimate business.
When A and B and others organize
themselves into a corporation engaged
in the business of refining sugar , such
corporation is legal and legitimate. But
when the corporation so organized ,
which up to that time has been moving
with the natural law of supply and de
mand , because not strong enough of
itself to control the law of supply and
demand , enters into combination with
other corporations engaged in the same
business , the object of which combina
tion is to eliminate the natural law of
supply and demand in its relation to
prices ; when the combination so organ
ized is able to destroy competition , to
control the price to the producer of the
raw material as it goes into the hopper ,
and to control the price of the finished
product as it comes out of the hopper ;
when the combination so organized is
able to set up its trust mill at the cross
roads of human necessity in the great
thoroughfares of tn de and levy tribute
on all who pass , coming and going ;
when the combination so organized ,
having seduced or destroyed all compe
tition , is able to fix prices for all sellers
of raw material , from which there can
be no appeal , because there is no one
else left to sell to ; and to fix prices to
all consumers of the finished product ,
from which there can be no appeal ,
because there is no one else left to buy
from , then the public which gives the
franchise which enables the mill to
exist , suffers at both ends of the hopper ,
both as producer and consumer , and is
at the mercy of its own creation.
Then , inasmuch as a corporation is an
artificial person , owing its existence and
the manner of its existence to the law ,
the duty devolves upon the law to mod
ify and regulate its own creation in the
interest of the people who make the law
and for whom all law is made.
( CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK. )
DAVID STARR JORDAN WRITES
ABOUT CHINA.
In accordance with your kind sugges
tion , I send a word in regard to the Chi
nese problem as it looks from the stand
point of Japan. I do not try to give
news , for that reaches California as soon
as it does Japan , and Chinese news
mostly reaches Japan before the event
takes place in China. I can now appre
ciate bettor the needs of a news censor.
Every sort of idle rumor current on the
streets of Chefu or Shanghai is tele
graphed to Japan and half of it is con
tradicted the next day. While not a
word can be heard from Peking , long
official edicts , the views of Chinese
viceroys and the thoughts of the em
peror , if there is any emperor , or the
dowager , if there isn't , are freely sent
over the wires , proving only the ingo-
luity of the politicians or journalists
who invent them.
But there are many people in Japan ,
Japanese , American and English , who
mow something of the conditions in
China , although no one pretends to
understand the intricacies of Chinese
official intrigue. I try in this letter to
give a sort of composite of the views of
; hese people , reserving the right to form
opinions of my own later. I have no
right to any yet.
The immediate cause of trouble is the
outbreak of the society called "Boxers. "
This is a secret organization called Ta
Tautze Hui , "the Big Knife Society , "
its original purpose being the subver
sion of the present Tartar dynasty and
the substitution of a native emperor.
It is alleged that the present adminis
tration has entered into an intrigue with
r.hese big knives and has secretly encour
aged them in attacks on Catholic and
other missionaries , on wandering min
ing and railway engineers , and on for
eigners in general , Japanese and Ameri
cans , as well as German , English and
French. The motto of the Boxers is
said to be "Mieh Yan , " "destroy Occi
dentals , " and "Pau tschu , " "protect
dynasty. " The word corrupted as
"Boxer" ( tautze , apparently ) , means
much the same as gladiator , the bearer
of a gladius or sword. These gladiators
are the leaders of the bands , but the
rank and file of the Boxers are described
as being filled with "village bullies" or
rural marauders , a characteristic feature
of Chinese life.
It is alleged that these bauds could
have been dispersed at the will of the
administration , but that they have now
passed beyond such control , for the
movement has now behind it a growing
feeling of nationality as well as the
intensity of religious prejudice.
The causes of the trouble lie , however ,
deeper than this. The present outbreak
is the expression of a dissatisfaction
which has been growing a long time in
the North of China , which has relations
with the outside world very different
from the trading and wandering people
of the southern ports.
The first source of trouble , and per
haps the least , is found in the work of
Christian missionaries. Wisely or un
wisely , some of these put themselves in
direct opposition to time-honored but
doubtless very objectionable Chinese cus
toms. To overthrow these is in the
minds of the country folk to destroy the
worship of ancestors , to sap the founda
tions of Chinese morality and in general
to wreck both church and state. The
national feeling is weak in China , but
the feeling for ancient customs , the feel
ing which we call conscience , bigotry or