468 TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



bound to respect; it may not share in the general prosperity; even high 

 officials appear to think it virtuous to over-reach such corporations. 

 And all this because they have received certain privileges from the state, 

 which are of inestimable value, while the services rendered in return 

 are wholly undeserving of consideration. The popular antipathy to 

 " big business " has become almost a mania and a great part of the com- 

 munity trembles at the concentration of the "money power" in the 

 hands of a few score of men — though why there should be such terror 

 on account of concentration of the money power and no terror because 

 of concentration of the labor power in still fewer hands is difficult to 

 understand. Laws against mere bigness have been enacted as readily 

 as though it were a crime like burglary. The case of the Harvester 

 Company is in point. The Missouri judge recognized that the whole 

 course of that company had been commendable and to the advantage of 

 the community, but, under the statute, he was compelled to impose a 

 heavy fine because, by acquiring practical control of the market, it had 

 become able, if so disposed, to inflict injury. That the American Sugar 

 Eefining Company has reduced the cost of sugar by 50 per cent, and 

 that it is satisfied with a gross profit of less than half a cent per pound 

 is nothing; the concern is too big. That for every dollar of gain secured 

 by the Standard Oil Company the community has gained many hun- 

 dreds through the reduction of illuminating oil to one sixth of the price 

 40 years ago is nothing ; that most of the profit gained by that company 

 has come from utilization of what was regarded burdensome waste ma- 

 terial is nothing; the company is too big and makes too much money. 

 The stupendous service rendered to the country by the United States 

 Steel Company by prevention of panics and depressions is nothing; it 

 is too big. Attacks on these organizations by government officials win 

 great applause, in spite of the fact that so-called "trust-made" prod- 

 ucts are almost the only ones which have decreased in price — although 

 the great companies pay high wages and their workmen have steady 

 work, because trade unions can not gain a foothold to impoverish the 

 wage-earner by strikes and compulsory idleness. 



The confusion of ideas respecting the relations of labor and capital 

 is perplexing; the terms are not used in the ordinary sense throughout. 

 Combinations of transportation or manufacturing companies are taken 

 to be, in themselves, evidence of conspiracy in restraint of trade; but 

 positive conspiracy in restraint of trade by organizations, avowedly 

 formed for that purpose, is highly proper on the part of agriculturists 

 and labor men; and the authorities must not interfere. Tobacco raisers 

 in Kentucky may combine to secure higher prices for their products and 

 " night riders " may burn the property of those who refuse to join the 

 conspiracy; labor combinations may struggle to destroy competition 

 with their members, may attack, even murder those who refuse to sub- 



