Nevada County picayune., 1888-09-12
Blaine on Trusts.

the subject of trusts:
 At Portland, MT. Blaine gave ut terance to some views on trusts which are at least worthy of atten- ton.
 In their platform. after demand ing higher tariff to check imports and lessen competition, the Republi- cans thought it well to denoance trusts. Now. Mir. Blaine says:
 Trusts are largely private affairs with which neither President Clcvc- land nor any private citizen has a ] right to interfere"
 Trusts are not private affairs, in any sense of the word. They are nourished by laws of one kind and protected by laws of another.
 American trusts shielded by the iniquitous tariff from foreign com petitors. find it easy 10 corner the 
 market and levy toll on American commerce.
 Take, for instance. the iute bag ging trust. The tariff practically excludes foreign competition in iute bagging. A trust is formed to con trol the entire American product, and just as the people of the South begin to pick cotton, the price is ad- vanced 50 per cent, that means the American cotton raiser Is forced by this trust" which MT. Blaine says is private affair, to pay millions of blood money to a syndicate of capi- talists in Boston.
 But for this tariff this robbery would be impossible.
 No one contends that trusts do not exist in free-trade England no one supposes they would not exist if our tariff were reduced.
 All that is contended for is that foreign competition is natural check, an important check on do- nestle trusts, and that if bagging were on the free list foreign compe- tition would keep down trust prices.
  the course of commerce will for mo- ment deny this.
 Under a duty of 30 per cent. qui- nine in this country was effectually controlled by a trust, and our peo- pie got no benefit from foreign com petition, no benefit from improved facilities of manufacture, no benefit from new sources of supply.
 We were hemmed in; competition was put under the ban, anu the man. ufactuIers. established little pro- tective tariff of their own.
 The trust is protective tariff ap- piled to interstate commerce.
 The tariff on bagging prevents any competition between England and America the bagging trusts prevent any competition between St. Louis and Louisville.
 The philosophy back of the trust is the philosophy back of the tariff.
 The tariff is imposed to advance prices; the trust is established to ad- vance prices.
 Both prey on the consumer.
 According to Mir. Blaine the pres ident has no more right to interfere with trusts than with the tariff.
 But the constitution gives him the right to "interfere" just as he has done. It imposes on him the duty of calling the attention of congress, and through congress of the people, to just such monsters as the tariff, and the trusts?
 Whence does Mir. Blaine derive his peculiar views concerning trusts /; From Carneagie, the head of the Steel Rail Trust, which is lcvying a tax of at least S20, ,O00, ,000 on the people of this country in excess of a far price for steel rails. The steel product of America is in effect trust.
 By the tariff it is authorized to levy tribute to the extent of Sl7 a ton, or sS4, ,000, ,00O.
 Some years they demand the full amount. Sometimes the call for rails is light, and they have to con cede something to the purchaser. Last year the average advance over fair price was sl0 q ton, or S20, GOO ,00O.
 Under this trust the Vulcan Works of St. Louis, was paid a million dol lars not to operate. Under the op- eration of this doubt, tariff protec- tion and trusts, Andrew Carnegie $ personal income was, for one year Sl, ,500, 900 or s5OO0 a day. i w Ork iupmen remember that |