54 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



engaged in them ; and the increase must either be drawn from 

 the pockets of consumers or extracted from the wages of 

 laborers."— (Page 286.) 



Monstrous ! The idea of a combination being organized to 

 increase its profits ! What an example to the youth of America ! 

 What utter demoralization would ensue did it become the habit 

 of our citizens generally to go into trade to increase their profits ! 

 Let every statesman, every economist, every preacher in the 

 land, impress upon this generation rather the duty of every man 

 to go into trade for the good of somebody else, and to continue 

 therein to lessen, not to increase, his worldly store ! Let him run 

 his business, his warehouse, his factory, his steamships and 

 railroads at a loss, and, the moment he finds his transactions 

 profitable, let him wind up, lest he should " swell the profit of 

 capital " ; and if he will not, let the law, or Mr. Hudson, see to it. 



So long as the tendency of the products of the earth is to find 

 a market, just so long will it be the tendency within that market 

 for the handling of dijQferent classes of products to centralize, 

 until corn and grain are handled in one locality, pork and 

 packed provisions in another, fruits in another, hides and pelts 

 and leather in another. Here is natural law, and here is Mr. 

 Hudson, too, demonstrating the imminent danger to the United 

 States from the normal operation of this natural law. There is, 

 of course, but one remedy for all this (though Mr. Hudson, in- 

 deed, fails to point it out), namely, a strong centralized, paternal 

 government like that of the late Brigham Young, who walked 

 in and out among his people, encouraging them in their efforts 

 to amass fortunes ; and then, when the fortunes were amassed, 

 receiving heavenly visions instructing the "sealing" of those 

 fortunes to himself ! Such a governmental paternity, to be sure, 

 might answer Mr. Hudson's purposes in confiscating the accre- 

 tions of private capital. But it is difficult to see how otherwise 

 than under just such a particular state we could enjoy the 

 reforms he seeks. 



Whenever it shall appear, or come to pass, that the interests 

 of consumers (that is, of the people) are imperiled by the meth- 

 ods which the ramifications of modern civilization impose upon 

 commerce and the operations of trade, it may come within 

 the constitutional jurisdiction of Congress to inquire into and 

 abridge those methods. But until such time shall come is it not, 

 or ought it not to be, a question whether gentlemen who assume 

 to deal with economic questions do not owe some duty to their 

 country — not the old Greek idea of patriotism, perhaps, but still 

 a duty — and whether that duty might not properly consist in 

 declining to supply specious and sophistical propositions to be- 

 come fire-brands in the grasp of poverty and of ignorance ? 



