THE STAR OF EMPIRE
“You would doubtless prefer to hear how the great changes which have
taken place were brought about and learn of the events which led up
to them,” continued the Colonel. “For this we must go back to the
beginning of the century and the days when the various great Trusts
began to grow into maturity and strength. Just prior to the beginning
of the century had come the formation of the gigantic financial
organizations known as the Trusts. That is to say, they were regarded
as gigantic in that day, though as a matter of fact they had not yet
assumed the really colossal proportions they later attained. They were
then in their infancy, so to speak.”
“I can recall,” remarked Kearns, “a little billion-dollar concern.
Surely that was a pretty solid, bouncing infant!”
“A beggarly, puny infant?” retorted the Colonel, “as compared to
those born later. The Trusts grew until business upon anything but a
colossal scale was an impossibility and the smaller manufacturer and
the middleman were wiped out. In the course of time, by a brilliant
series of consolidations, seven great Trusts were formed which
practically absorbed the business of the country. The fields covered
by these Trusts were respectively: Alimentation, Transportation,
Manufacturing, Land, Ores and Minerals, Retailing, and finally, the
great Miscellaneous Trust which took in pretty well everything not
embraced by the others. These main Trusts subdivided their respective
fields between numerous subsidiary Trusts; but these subsidiary Trusts
all operated subject to the direction of the general head of that
particular Trust. The methods adopted by these organizations involved
the ruthless crushing out of all outside competition. For instance,
the Retailing Trust would start in by founding baker shops all over
a given city, and would sell bread at the actual cost of production.
With the enormous resources at the disposal of the Trust, this plan
of operations could be kept up indefinitely. What was the result? All
rivals were forced either to sell out to the Trust, or go to the wall.
Similar methods of procedure were adopted in other branches of retail
industry, one after the other, until the cream of the retail trade in
all the great cities was practically in the hands of the Trust. It was
a case of steady absorption. To oppose the Trust meant ruin and this
speedily came to be very thoroughly understood. Another example is the
Alimentation Trust, which deals with the foodstuffs, both solid and
liquid, of the country. With its enormous resources, it was enabled
to corner the raw material in one product after another until all
competition was forced out of existence.”
“And what did the People say to all this?” inquired Dean.
“They fussed and fumed a good deal,” answered the Colonel, “but they
submitted--just as they submitted in your day to the cornering Chief
Magistrate, the corrupt judges, the official rascality, and the
oppressions of the transportation companies. At first, inspired by
the fulminations of certain newspapers, organs of the populace, they
assumed a rather threatening attitude; but this soon died out. The
great Miscellaneous Trust founded newspapers, covering immense fields
of news. The highest talent in the land was employed. The papers were
delivered free of charge throughout the city and surrounding country.
Money was no object. The dry-goods business, the soap industry and
the patent-medicine output being all controlled by the Trusts, the
field of general advertising was well in their hands. Consequently the
independent newspapers were either sold out to and absorbed by the
Trust organs, or perished from lack of advertising patronage.”
“I’ll bet they said some tart things before they expired,” exclaimed
Kearns.
“Frantic were their death shrieks!” replied the Colonel. “However, as
these disturbing factors gradually disappeared, the people became more
calm and more accustomed to the existing state of things. They began
to perceive that the Trusts were, after all, not an unmixed evil.
While the Trusts made enormous profits, yet the cost to the consumer,
owing to the reduction in the expenses of handling and production, was
materially reduced. The merchants and manufacturers, the middlemen and
retailers who had been crowded out of business found positions with
the different Trusts, where they worked less hard and had more freedom
from financial cares than they had known when they were in business
for themselves. And the Trusts were very shrewd. While the bulk of
their enormous capital stock was controlled by certain individuals, yet
a quantity of the stock was put out among the masses of the people,
whose interest in this way became bound up with the Trusts. Besides
this, each of the Trusts, of course, employed vast armies of people.
These employes, after attaining a certain age, were pensioned and
their lives insured, in consideration of payments deducted from the
weekly, or monthly, wage. This created a vast host of people throughout
the land whose financial interests, or whose entire future prospects,
were identified with the Trusts. Now, self-interest is a very powerful
incentive and these very people were among the firmest supporters of
the Trusts. In the meantime, the United States was rapidly taking
its position as the foremost commercial, manufacturing and exporting
country in the world, and this expansion of trade kept times good and
things prosperous generally. Do you follow me?”
“To quite an extent,” answered Kearns.
“There are many questions I wish to ask,” said the Professor, “but I
prefer to reserve them until later and not interrupt your narrative.”
“Very well,” continued the Colonel. “We now come to the year 1963--the
time of the outbreak of the great battle of the Trusts. At that period,
William Rockingham, the richest man in the world and the head of the
great Miscellaneous Trust, was President of the United States. He was
the last to fill that office. For a number of years there had been
discord between the Directorates of certain of the seven great Trusts,
growing out of charges and counter charges of one infringing upon the
fields of the other. The discord developed into war. It was a war of
billions. For a long time the strife raged, but at last it became plain
with whom victory would rest. The defeated ones, men of resources and
of influence, in the bitterness of defeat, brought charges against
the President and sought to impeach him. It was charged that he had
used his official position as President to secure the victory to the
Miscellaneous Trust, of which he was the head, and its allies. A
bitter political fight ensued, followed by an armed uprising.”
“The term of the President,” continued the Colonel, “was drawing
to a close and preparations being made for the usual presidential
nominations. The heads of the great Trusts, flushed by their recent
success, got together and the cry went up that the constantly recurring
elections were a cause of commercial disturbance and that a frequently
changing occupant of the presidential chair was a source of national
insecurity and of weakness in the country’s foreign relations. The
politicians were set to work and a constitutional amendment proposed,
in accordance with which the President was to be elected for life and
Congress was authorized to institute such other changes in the national
form of government as might be deemed necessary for the public welfare
and safety. William Rockingham received the nomination from the party
which advocated these constitutional changes. I will not analyze how
it came to pass. The election which ensued was a complete triumph for
him. The constitutional amendment was sanctioned by the popular vote
and William Rockingham found himself elected President for life, with a
Congress, under the leadership of the great Marquanna, obedient to his
lightest word.”
“The opening wedge!” commented Dean.
“There were charges advanced in connection with this election,” resumed
the Colonel, “and the uprising I have mentioned became more formidable
than ever. Rumors began to be circulated broadcast that certain classes
were paving the way to a monarchy. With a permanent President and a
Congress obedient to his every behest, the country might as well, the
cry went up, have a King at once.”
“I begin to see the trend of events,” murmured Dean.
“A King at once! And why not?” continued the Colonel. “The country was
certainly ripe for it. The successful Trust controllers favored it
and behind them, as I have shown, were armies of people whose entire
interests were bound up in the Trusts and who, consequently, favored
whatever the Trusts desired. The officers of the Army and of the Navy
favored it. Class distinction had ever flourished in their ranks and a
monarchy would mean that crosses and decorations and all the brilliancy
and advantages of a court, as enjoyed by military and naval officers
in Europe, would be theirs. Society, of course, was in favor of it to
a unit and to the great majority of the women throughout the land the
proposition seemed to come as a not displeasing novelty. In a word,
while there was bitter opposition to the idea in many quarters, yet it
did not want for enthusiastic supporters in countless directions. As
for Marquanna, the great political chieftain, he boldly came out with
the declaration that the feature of a constantly changing President
had become intolerable and that the country’s urgent need was greater
stability and permanence in its executive head. He was not prepared
to say whether the mere election of the President for life would
sufficiently satisfy the country’s demands in this respect.”
“A bold leader! He had at least courage, if nothing else!” remarked
Dean.
“Owing to the condition of unrest in various parts of the country,”
continued the Colonel, “martial law was proclaimed and the regular
army was brought into active play. In the midst of the general turmoil
and confusion, Congress, under the leadership of Marquanna, decided to
take advantage of the recent constitutional amendment which provided
that such other and further action might be taken in modifying the
form of national government as for the welfare and safety of the people
might be deemed necessary. Boldly the resolution was sprung providing
that the existing Republic be transformed into a hereditary monarchy,
with the life President as the Sovereign. By a substantial majority
this was carried. A cabinet was quickly formed; the boundaries of
the various states were rearranged and the number of states reduced
by consolidation to thirty, with a Viceroy governing each; New York
state was declared the premier state, with the Ruler of the Empire as
its hereditary King, and the seat of government was transferred from
Washington to New York; Marquanna was created Duke of Marquanna, taking
his title from the beautiful country seat which bears his family name,
and was also made Chancellor of the Empire; crosses and orders were
distributed among the officers of the Army and the Navy, and the great
men of the country were ennobled according to their respective degrees
of prominence and influence. Within sixty days the uprisings were
successfully crushed out by the army and the leaders and instigators
tried on charges of High Treason and executed, or imprisoned. Then
sprang into existence the most brilliant and luxurious Court the world
had yet known. With imposing ceremonies the first American monarch
was crowned, amid the applauding tributes of the Kings and peoples of
monarchical Europe.”
“And this is the--the--King who now rules?” asked Dean.
“Yes,” replied the Colonel. “His Majesty, William the First, has since
then reigned and his reign has been one glorious in war and successful
in peace, as I shall have occasion to explain to you later. The King
is a man of great capabilities--able, sagacious and of strong will,
but of late years he has grown very fond of the gayeties of life, so
much so that, like Charles II. of England, he is often referred to as
‘The Merry Monarch.’ The brilliancy of his Court has grown apace, and
indeed it exceeds that of any other reigning sovereign. But amid all
this glitter and gayety the affairs of State are well looked after. The
officers of the Chancellerie are in the palace itself, and still at the
helm is the stern old Chancellor--the great American Lord Chancellor,
His Grace, the Duke of Marquanna.”