122 AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY AND TRUST QUESTION 



Earnings. A correct table of earnings of this company for 

 its first eight years is found in the Petition of the United States 

 in the federal district court for Minnesota, and is as follows: 



Dividends on Capital Stock 



1903 



1904 



1905 



1906 



1907 



1908 



1909 



1909 stock dividend 



1910 



Average 



Per cent 

 3.00 

 4.00 

 4.00 

 4.00 

 3.50 

 3.50 

 3.50 

 16.66 

 5.29 



5.92 



m 



m 



FIG. 17. Evolution of the reaper. The modern self-binder. 



The Case for and Against the Harvester Company. As these 

 lines are being written a suit is pending before the United States 

 Supreme Court for the dissolution of this Company. The dissolu- 

 tion is sought under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the official title 

 of which is "An act to protect trade and commerce against 

 unlawful restraints and monopolies." Attempted enforcements 

 of the Sherman Act are putting the question squarely up to the 

 voter, which one of four possible economic orders of society does 

 he desire, namely, (1) Competition, (2) Combines, regulated by 

 public authority, (3) Cooperation, (4) State Socialism. Since the 

 aim of the pending suit, just mentioned, is to destroy a combine 

 and restore competition, it is very timely at this point to state 

 both sides of the controversy. 



For the Harvester Company. In its numerous lawsuits, the 

 International Harvester Company has averred that it has caused 

 the following distinct advantages to the public over the conditions 



