It may be that certain things will happen, for monopoly in this country is carrying a body of water such as men ought not to be asked to carry.  When by regulated competition,—­that is to say, fair competition, competition that fights fair,—­they are put upon their mettle, they will have to economize, and they cannot economize unless they get rid of that water.  I do not know how to squeeze the water out, but they will get rid of it, if you will put them to the necessity.  They will have to get rid of it, or those of us who don’t carry tanks will outrun them in the race.  Put all the business of America upon the footing of economy and efficiency, and then let the race be to the strongest and the swiftest.

Our program is a program of prosperity; a program of prosperity that is to be a little more pervasive than the present prosperity,—­and pervasive prosperity is more fruitful than that which is narrow and restrictive.  I congratulate the monopolies of the United States that they are not going to have their way, because, quite contrary to their own theory, the fact is that the people are wiser than they are.  The people of the United States understand the United States as these gentlemen do not, and if they will only give us leave, we will not only make them rich, but we will make them happy.  Because, then, their conscience will have less to carry.  I have lived in a state that was owned by a series of corporations.  They handed it about.  It was at one time owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad; then it was owned by the Public Service Corporation.  It was owned by the Public Service Corporation when I was admitted, and that corporation has been resentful ever since that I interfered with its tenancy.  But I really did not see any reason why the people should give up their own residence to so small a body of men to monopolize; and, therefore, when I asked them for their title deeds and they couldn’t produce them, and there was no court except the court of public opinion to resort to, they moved out.  Now they eat out of our hands; and they are not losing flesh either.  They are making just as much money as they made before, only they are making it in a more respectable way.  They are making it without the constant assistance of the legislature of the State of New Jersey.  They are making it in the normal way, by supplying the people of New Jersey with the service in the way of transportation and gas and water that they really need.  I do not believe that there are any thoughtful officials of the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey that now seriously regret the change that has come about.  We liberated government in my state, and it is an interesting fact that we have not suffered one moment in prosperity.

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What we propose, therefore, in this program of freedom, is a program of general advantage.  Almost every monopoly that has resisted dissolution has resisted the real interests of its own stockholders.  Monopoly always checks development, weighs down natural prosperity, pulls against natural advance.