76 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



The men whose foresight made possible the vast extension now see 

 their property placed in jeopardy by means of their own processes, dis- 

 covered at great cost, and they struggle to retain their own. Under 

 such circumstances the importance of the golden rule is made very 

 prominent, each side charging the other with neglect; yet, whatever 

 may be the shortcomings of the older manufacturer, one must concede 

 that the newcomer usually regards himself as the neighbor and there- 

 fore unfettered. 



On the other hand, combinations have invaded areas regarded by 

 others as their preserves ; and here is involved the question of a man's 

 natural right to secure a living easily at the expense of his fellows — 

 that which is involved in the department-store problem. A corpora- 

 tion, under heavy jfire recently, was charged with the crime of owning 

 its retail shops, while selling its goods to retailers. Yet any self- 

 respecting man would resent an effort to prevent him from selling his 

 own goods according to any one of the approved methods. If a manu- 

 facturer, on large or small scale, choose to establish his own retail 

 store or stores, no one has any right to complain — it matters not what 

 the goods may be, cigars, shoes, oil or meats. In any event, such a 

 method would be advantageous to the greater number by leading to 

 division of middlemen's profits between maker and consumer. 



The cry in many quarters is for unrestricted competition in trade, 

 but recent events prove the cry to be utter hypocrisy. In one state 

 a suit for ouster was brought against a corporation because, owing to 

 competition, it sold its products more cheaply in some localities than 

 in others. A similar suit was brought in another state because the 

 company had set its prices so low for some years that no competitor 

 could do anything in the region. Evidently the only free competi- 

 tion desired is that which would remain after binding the one on the 

 ground — an open market for the newcomer. The opponent of that 

 company is anxious to have the government enter into conspiracy with 

 him to increase the cost of necessaries of life. 



That conditions in commercial circles are not ideal is beyond ques- 

 tion — they are far from ideal in any circles and they will never be 

 otherwise until man has passed away and has been succeeded by a 

 superior race of beings. But one must recognize that very much of 

 the wickedness upon which writers descant so vehemently consists 

 merely in so-called evasion of law. It is certain that serious dan- 

 gers to the commonwealth are inherent to vast combinations of capital; 

 and it is equally certain that imperfect legislation in the past opened 

 the way to abuse, of which selfish men have not been slow to avail 

 themselves. Some form of governmental control is necessary to pre- 

 vent excess. All recognize that a corporation, being a creature of the 

 law, does not possess natural rights as does an individual; but once 



