The head of a toad, like the head of a trust, is superficially a
hideous thing to look at.
Sometimes it is alleged that valuable jewels are found in a
toad's head, and on this account the hideousness even of the
far-famed horned toad of the West becomes less repulsive.
The trust toad, as you will find by examining it closely and
studying events, has a head equipped with jewels of a very fine
quality. Many years from now men will be very glad that the
trust toad was born, because of the good that will come from it.
----
Already we see that the trusts are inevitably strengthening labor
unions. They are bringing the men into closer relationship and
forming them into greater and more closely united bodies of
workmen.
The trusts organize admirably the great industries and prepare
the day when all of these industries will be owned by the
Government--that is to say, by the people themselves.
The trusts eliminate competition, which is a stupid, out-of-date
form of barbarism, leading to cheating, thievery and
adulteration.
The trusts do away with the vast armies of middlemen, and, by
diminishing every day the number of those who live on the work of
others, they compel an ever-growing number to enter the fields of
useful production. ----
Just at present the jewel that stands out most prominently in the
ugly trust toad's head is "FREE TRADE."
Men have argued and fought and voted and made speeches and
paraded for Free Trade--and all in vain. The more they talked
and paraded, the heavier were the duties.
But when the TRUSTS want Free Trade, they will have it, for the
trusts control legislation.
And we SHALL have Free Trade, for the trusts WILL want it very
soon.
A trust engaged in manufacturing wants to buy as cheaply as it
can the raw materials used.
The trusts will soon own all the industries, all the
manufactures, and they will want freedom from the duties which
are now paid on the material.
Already there is in process of formation a great Clothing Trust.
The small man who makes clothing now must pay a duty on wool to
protect the American farmer who raises sheep.
How long do you think the Clothing Trust will tolerate this duty
on wool?
How long do you think the Trust engaged in making cloths in
America will tolerate a duty on wool that makes the industry so
expensive?
Some of the duties will be retained, of course--at least until
the trusts shall be powerful enough even to despise foreign
competition.
But one thing after another the trusts will want free from duty,
and these things will be freed as fast as the trusts' order is
given. ----
The trusts are going to do a great deal of good to the masses of
the people in time. They will end by forcing universal
Government ownership of monopolies upon the people.