St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-24
THE TRUST.


SOhtkhueu EFOh ElrSU fuSSs
ers in the United States organized
national association in Chicago Jan. Is.
Inc call declared that the objects sought
were "curtailment of production and
the fixing of system of uniform
prices" but members afterward said
that the association was formed for
social ends only" The conference
continued for three days. The farmers
will find out why it was held. But the
manufacturers of agricultural imple-
mentS must raise prices if the cost of
the steel which they use is advanced
arbitrarily by a ring of steelmakers.
Nails.
There are twenty-five manufacturers
of nails in New England, New York,
New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania,
Maryland and Virginia. A majority of
these have very recently formed close
combination to restrict production and
fix prices. On the 10th inst. thirteen of
them agreed to cut down production
about 40 per cent. Each manufacturer
pays several thousand dollars into
pool, to be forfeited if he breaks the
agreemSu. Tenpenny nails are now
81. 10 per keg, and it is expected that the
price Will soon advance to 81 so. The
manufacturers referred to are members
OF the Atlantic States Nail association.
The Western manufacturers have an as
Soclatlon OF their own, and Oh Dec. %
they met and fixed the card rate at 50.
1t is believed that now they will follow
the Eastern manufacturers in restrict
ing production. The rate of duty on
nails ranges from 43 to so per cent. The
wire nail makers have an association,
and Its last meeting was held two or
three weeks ago in Cleveland.
Stoves.
At the recent meeting of the Stove
Manufacturers association in Cincin-
natl steps were taken for the formation
OF stove trust. There are in the cOun-
try about 315 makers of stoves. The
president of the association advocated
the trust mainly on the ground of econ
omy. Large sums would be saved, he
said, III the cost of patterns, statesmen,
catalogues and branch houses. The
saving to be made by the adoption of
monopoly methods is always pointed
ont to the people by trustmakers as the
lmpelling reason for putting an end to
competition. 1t is the favorite plea of
the makers of gas trusts. But as soon
as the power to mOnOpOliZe the supply
OF product and to fix the price of it is
obtained the desire to economic is
overcome by desire to find out chow
much the traffic will bear" The sales
OF stoves last year were S33, 100000. The
project has been intruSted to a commit
tee, and a report will soon be made.
The president of the association de-
clareS that 1.-The fundamental law of
commerce and the dictates of reason''
require the adoption of the trust plan.
Unlike some other truStmakerS, he has
not concealed his opinions or withheld
from the public the arguments by which
he urged the formation of the monopoly.
Castor Oil.
The duty on imported castor oil is one
of the curiOSities of the tariff. Last
year upon the small quantity imported
1t was l94.T per cent. The foreign oil
is worth a little more than 40 cents
a gallon, and the duty on every gallon
is so cents.
School States.
The manufacture and sale of school
states in the United States are con-
trolled by combine"
The Standard Oil Labyrinth.
To the fertile brain of John d. Rookie
Teller, head and front of the Standard
Oil company's offending, is ascribed the
conception of the trust idea. The ill
Omened creature was Matched in the lat
ter part of 1888.
The Standard oil company had done
most of its mischief before it became a
trust. 1t had beSmirched the reputation
of Cassatt and King and Commodore
Vanderbilt and other railroad men who
sold themselves into its greedy hands.
1t had grabbed all the pipe lines and
mOn0poliZed the oil-carrying traffic. 1t
had bought out weak-hearted COMPETE
tors in the refining business and we'll
nigh crushed out the bold ones by the
Infamous means which it did not scru-
pie to employ, and had fastened its col
lar upon the unwilling necks of the pro-
ducerS. 1t was master of the situation
and TRANQUILITY sitting in the receipt of
custom it was permitting the public to
pay the piper, for you may be sure that
all the enormous expenses of its war
fare have ultimately come from the
pockets of the latter. In short, the
Standard was monarch of all it SUI
veyed, and all would be salubrious for
its owners but for one thing: there was
danger that the public, that sleeping
lion, would awake and play the awful
game of retribution. Already there
were premonitory symptoms of danger.
A new force in journalism was arising
in New York. and trumpet notes of
truth were sounding as they had never
sounded before since organized monop-
oily had become such a menace to the
welfare of the people.
Astute Dodging.
Was John Rockefeller frightened? 1t
is very likely. 1t may be he saw the
pauper graves he has helped to fill.
Perhaps, visions of the good men he
has ruined and started OIL the road to
drink and rags came before him. If
ever man had cause to fear repriSal it
was he. And then, besides. about this
time there seemed to be fashion aris-
ing in the land of putting rich men into
striped clothes as we'll as poor ones. On
the whole, therefore, John Rockefeller
determined to rear up another wall be-
tWiXt himself and the Judgment. So
he invented the Standard Oil Trust. 1t
is, first and foremost, sort of legal
labyrinth, in the mazeS of which the
Standard oil crew can dodge and hide
from legal process, civil or criminal.
All other purposes are subsidiary to
this.
The plan of organization was very
simple. although it has never before
been made public. An inventory was
made of the refining properties of the
Standard Oil company all over the coun-
try-in Hunters Point, New Jersey,
Pittsburg, Buffalo, Cleveland and else
where-and q total valuation of $780,
100000 was put upon them. The figures
of course were arbitrary. John D. had
the say. Some properties were figured
close. Others, belonging to favorities,
literally. The whole were organized
into a single unity. the whole stock
listed at so per cent. and the dear public
was invited to come in and share the
profits, and never say monopoly again.
There was not really any very great
amount of stock offered to the public,
nor did the latter call for much, for 1T
very soon TRANSFERRED that the pretensa