St. Paul daily globe., 1888-03-11
Minneapolis Jobbers Are Not
Disposed to Talk Freely Of
the New Combine.
One Firm Openly Opposes It,
While Another Admits 1t
Is Willing to Join.
Various Views of the Flour
City Jobbers in as Far as
They Can Be Obtained.
The Gigantic Corruption Fund
and How 1t May Be EN-
ployed at Washington.

The proposed organation of wholesale
grocers into combine to raise the price
of sugar ''to secure profit which would
make S2O,000,00O look insignificant" as
given in yesterdays GLOBE, was widely
read throughout Minneapolis. 1t trans
pires that every wholesale grocer in
this city has received the circular and
the proposition has been very generally,
though secretly, discussed. From con-
versations with the jobbers of groceries
1t is made apparent they did not relish
The publication and would have much
preferred to make this pool in secresy
and bull up the price of sugar for the
consumer without any one being the
wiser. 1t was difficult matter to get
any of them to talk on the subject for
publication, just as it has been
difficult to get at the originators
OF the details of any of
the great trusts now receiving
the merited denunciation of our honest
press and an outraged public. But one
firm in Minneapolis had the courage to
come out squarely and denounce the
proposed combination, and that was
Harrison, Harrington & Co. But one
firm admitted that it had agreed to go
into the pool, and that was Anthony
Kelley g Co. As rule. the jobbers
spoke of the trust in dogged kind of
way, as though to say: "If l choose to
go into this trust and squeeze few
more dollars out of the sugar consumer,
I'll do it and it's my business"
1t is now scarcely probable that the
trust will be formed. To its successful
operation, it is necessary that all or
nearly all of the joDberS become MEM
bers, and it is known that a sufficient
number of them will avoid the inequity
to prevent its consummation. eff this
was asked by GLOBE reporter, land
arrangements are made with the sugar
trust to refuse to sell to any outside
firms. how will you get your sugar"'
"There is not particle of danger of
that" was the reply, 'even if the COM
bination is formed. 1t is largely because
any outsider can buy sugar that this
proposed union will never go through"
WHAT DEALERS SAY.
J. L. Harper, of Harrison, Harrington
& Col do not think it would be advis-
nor do / think it would be carried
through, for the reason that it would be
too large an undertaking, too unwieldly,
in fact. There is no telling what the
effect would be. Take the sugar re-
finerieS, for instance. Since their trust
was organized there has been raise of
about half a cent on sugar, and should
this trust now proposed carry, there
would be another raise, which the con-
sumers would be obliged to pay. We
would not go into any such combina-
tion, for the reason that we are opposed
to trusts and combinations of every
kind.
Mr.. johnson, Of Dunham & johnson
Il do not care to go on record in this
matter. But it would seem to me that
there should be some protection given
to sugar men, and that they should be
allowed to make fair profit. OfcourSe,
if such trust were organized 1t might
be abused, the same as other trusts
have been. Mr.. Dunham buys all our
sugar, however, and he would be the
proper man to see. l do not know what
his views are.
John |. Black, of Anthony Kelly &
Co.-Our firm has signed the petition,
thinking that such trust would be
very good thing inaSmuch as it would
do much toward correcting many of the
abuses and evils now existing. We
should, without doubt, be directly bene-
fited by the trust, as would all whole
sale grocery dealers.
Mr.. Emmerson, of George R. Newell
& Co.-Mr. Newell is the only man
around here who has any right to ex-
press the views of this firm, and he is
absent.
Mr. Murray, of Warner, Murray &
Col can say nothing yet, as | have
not yet seen my partner since receiving
the circular. You know we always talk
those things over together.
A iobber who declined the use of his
name-I would go into this combina-
ton if could be made treasurer. Only
S2O,OOO,OO0 in the treasury!
WHERE THE DANGER LIES.
ST read with great interest the rela-
tion of the proposed wholesale grocery
trust in this mornings GLOBE" said
well-known citizen yesterday. "From
news standpoint you gave it all, but
the most important feature of it was
untouched. 1t is proposed to form a
fund by having each member deposit an
amount equal to per cent of his annual
sales, and this total, the GLOBE estl-
mates, will reach $20,000,000. This OF
this vast sum and the results that may
be accomplished by means of its power.
1t is to be nothing more or less than q
corruption fund to use upon congress
and secure favorable Legislation. Do
you suppose congress will legislate
against the great trusts? Each of these
trusts has just such fund and each
fund is used in that way. That is
where the danger lies. Call attention
to that in the GLOBE"
KELLY & co. OPPOSE ALL TRUSTS.
After the above was written John I.
Black, of Anthony Kelly q Co., said he
did not understand the question as put
to him, and desired to go on record in
different way: "What favor" said
he, ''is conference of grocers for mu-
tual protection, and not for any trust or
pool. Our firm, on the contrary, has
bought sugar from refine1ies not in the
trust for the very purpose OF encourag
ing those who do not pool"
The aspect this puts upon the affair,
then, is that not single firm in Mime
apolis is willing to go on record as IA
Voring this new sugar trust.