412 THE QUESTIONS OF THE DAY. 



labor, desires to be in a Trust. A law which could suppress the 

 Oil Trust would luake effective marketing societies of farmers 

 impossible, as well as associations for the sale of labor. There 

 can be but one law for the rich and poor. 



The proper course to take is not to abolish Trusts, but to 

 control them ; not to run from them, but to defy them; not to 

 permit them to oppress us, but to make of them our useful 

 servants. To allow a few to oppress the many is absurd, and 

 it will not be long permitted. Society is not going to the dogs ; 

 none but the unjust need fear the result. It is not difficult to 

 layout an effective program, although doubtless it may involve 

 some reconstruction of our habits of tliought and methods of 

 procedure. If a Trust is enabled to become oppressive through 

 tlie protection of the tariff, prescribe the conditions under 

 which the tariff shall, without legislation, be removed from 

 the commodity involved; if by means of a patent, prescribe 

 the conditions under which the patent shall lapse; if by 

 reason of legal technicalities, or the force of logical inferences 

 from constitutional provisions, reform the procedure of the 

 courts, or amend the constitution; if by reason of the impossi- 

 bility of prompt remedial administrative measures, strengthen 

 the executive authority. The way will open when the people 

 make up their minds to move. And it will be a proper and 

 just way. The people need not fear the money power. Indeed, 

 they can not fear it half so much as the money power fears the 

 people, whose power it knows. But with power goes responsi- 

 bility. It is the duty of the people liaving the power, to 

 exercise it wisely. They need capital, and should comj^el it to 

 be their servant, paid pro])erly, and protected carefully, but 

 still their servant. This they will do as they come to under- 

 stand the subject. And in this movement the farmers, the 

 conservative class, with something to lose an 1 yet much to 

 gain, should take the lead. 



