Daily Republican., 1882-08-17
THURSDAY, AUGUsT IL, 1889.
Tho Match Monopoly and las
Organ.


nection with the relations of Senate
Bayard, the defender of the match me
nopoiy, and William II. Swift, th
President of the same monopoly, wit
that paper. The manner in which ou
unamiable neighbor replies will nc
convince the public that it has salts
factoriIy answered our questions. Th
Every Evening says Senator Bayar'
and President Swift have no more in
terest in the e. E. than they have il
the REPUBLICAN. This is half true
for we know that they have no interes
in the REPUBLICAN,. We have Away
maintained such an opposition to aris
tocracy and grinding monopolies thai
neither of them could naturally have
any interest in the REPUBLICAN, othe!
than the E. Z. manifests. AS for them
having an interest in the latter, the
proof has been pretty well established,
and that paper instead of owning the
truth prevaricates, and by inuendoes
tries to create a different impression.
We simply asked the Every Evening if
it would deny that William H. Swift,
President of the Diamond Match Com
pany, was not now nor never had been
a Stockholder in the E. e. Company,
nor had never come to its relief in fnan-
cial straits. We as ked the same in re-
gard to Senator Bayard, and we quail.
fed Cur inquiries by saying that it was
no discrediO for those distinguished gen.
tlemen to be financially interested in
that paper. The E. E. could have very
easily answered yes or no, without such
m ebullition of bad humor, hut it pre-.
fers to prevaricate and proposes to an.
swer no more such questions except as
it says, when we utter falsehoods, to
brand them as such. AS our questions
have Lot been answered either to our
own or the satisfaction of the public,
we shall become little bolder, and we
shall defy the Every Evening to say
that William II. Swift, President of
the Diamond Match Company, is not
now DOR never has been a stakeholder
in the i. E. corporation, and that he
never financially relieved that paper.
We shall defy that paper to say that
Senator Bayard, if not a stockholder
did not more than once assist it by
financial contributions and in other
ways rendered it valuable assistance.
By way of adding little fresh matter
to hackneyed but interesting subject,
We may as well say that two years ago
some 1900 copies OF the Every Evening
were subscribed for and paid for by
Senator Bayard or the Bayard Presi-
dental Bureau, to be scattered broad
cast over the country, mostly to South.
Brn exchanges, to boost up Mr.. Bay.
ards chances for the Presidency. The
E. K will not deny this much at least.
Now then having fully established the
connection Of Messrs. Bayard and Swift |
with the Every Evening, the silence of
that paper on the match monopoly i'm
position, or at least the weakness with
which it opposed it twice, is readily &C.
counted for. The situation then is
this: There is great match monopoly
in this country. 1t is called the Dta.
mond Match Company. The head
quarters and main mandatory are in
Wilmington, the home of Senator Bay
ard, and William II. Swift is Presi.
dent of the monopoly. This monopoly
pays to the United States Government
%, 200, 900 for government stamps. The
becomes stamp broker and
the government allows it ten per cent.
commission Oh all the stamps 1t buys.
This puts 1920, 900 a year iuto the pock
cts of the monopoly. On account of
lis high tax boxes of matches which
should sell for three cents have been
selling for FIVE cents, and boxes that
have been selling for three cents should
sell for one cent.
The people grew tired of supporting
this great monopoly and petitioned
Congress to repeal the tax oD matches.
The committee to which it was referred
in favor of the repeal. The
hill passed the House by a large ma.
rity. 1t went to the Senate and there
1t met the violent opposition of Senator
Bayard. The friends of the repeal
were in majority, but those who op-
posed it, led by Senator BaSard, were
able TO block legislation by Hllibuster
ing, when ever the bill was called for.
This was done frequently. Mr. Bayard {
as If willing TO compromise every thing
Else, madea motion to exempt matches
from the repeal bill, but his motion did
not pass. The bill fell by the adjourn
nent of Congress and the match tax
was continued. The worst part of it is
that the very next day after the ad.
jOnrnment of Congress, circular rails. {
ing the prices of matches, signed by
Fl. Swift, the President of the
was sent to all wholesale
dealers in matches. How could Mr..
Swift get his circulars out so soon after
Congress adjourned unless having been
assured from Washington beforehand K
that the tar would not be repealed /?
Who was in better position at WASH
iugton to know that the tax would not