The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1888-10-09

ture that stamps the whole proceeding as
an outrage deserving the attention of the
whole country is the fact that the price
OF sugar has been rising for some weeks.
The sugar trust has crammed its vast
store-houscs throughout the country full
of sugar-something like eighty seven
thousand tons being stored-and has or
dered retineries closed in Boston and Will
liamsburg simply to keep the supply so
small that high prices may be maintained.
No one at either of the factories would
talk to the Heruld reporter who called
there yesterday, for all the officials carry
out Mr.. Blaine's idea that it is rank and I'M
parlonable impudence for any one to be
interfering with or asking questions about
trusts.
The reporter walked across the street
and stood IN a group Of the discharged
workmen.
" | wish you would tell the people of
America" said one man, "that the sugar
trust has closed these two factories and
thrown us out of work, while it is put
ting up the price of sugar we have to
use in our homes. We work like dogs in
these refnerles, and all we get is fifteen
cents All hour The tOremen get Is
cents an hour An ordinary man can
make $40 a week Most of us are men with
large families. Last winter we almost
starved. | have seen several of the poor
fellows begging. 1t would make you cry, if
you have heart, to know what black
day this is to us. have worked in De Cas-
tro Il Donner's refinery for eighteen years
and we always had pretty steady work
all the year around till about four or five
years ago. Then these sugar companies
began to work together. They were not
regularly organized and known as a trust,
but they were doing what the present
trust he ps them to do SO much better
now. 1t was really a trust, though, at
that time. But if you want to know the
real state Of things 90 to the nearest gro
Gerry store"
1t was u good suggestion, and bv fol-
lowing it the UeruM reporter obtained
glimpse Of the oikIng Of the sugar
trust that made the whole question stan:
out as clear as sunlight.
STARTLING LESSON OF TRUSTS.
Just one block away from the refinery
of DcCastro Il Bonner is the grocery
store of II. A. Meyer, at the corner Of
Wythe avenue and North Third street.
Its customers are largely the men vino
were thrown out Of work by the sugar
trust. Mrs. Meyer, the wife of the gro
Ger, was in the rear of the store.
What do YOU sell sugar for bv the
pound 2" asked the reporter
We sell graduated for nine cents a
pound"
Isn't that pretty high ?"
Il should say so. 1t was only seven
cents two months ago"
nd how about brown sugar ,"
We sell it. tM eight cents a pound.
Two months ago We sold it tor six"
Why is sugar getting dcarer ?''
" Because the trust is putting up the
price"
" But sugar is not scarce. The trust
has Just closed two refnpries with a ca
pacity of three thousand barrels a day
and thrown seven hundred men out of
work How can the price be getting
higher when the supply is so grea, :
When the supply is greater than the de-
mand the price falls"
"Well, tie sugar trust throws these
men out Of work SO that the supply won't
be greater than the demand and so the
price won't fall"
"These men deal here, don't they?"
6 es, sir"
DO they buy much sugar %
"Thev buy good deal. Poor people
use a great deal of sugar"
"And while the trust is throwing them
out of work in order to limit the produc-
ton it IS making them pay two cents a
pound more for the sugar they use on
their tables 2"
"That's the truth"
While the reporter stood in the store a
Wholesale cracker salesman entered and
the following instructive dialogue en-
sued:
"Any crackers to-day 2"
" How are they seling?''
"The price was put up half cent
pound by the cracker trust to-day"
"But the price was advanced a cent a
pound last week"
"That's true, but | can't help it,"
AS the man left the store Mrs. Never
continued =
Gwen the lard trust is pushing prices
up terribly. There are three things
sugar, crackers and lard-that these men
turned out of the refineries use on their
tables and the trusts fix the prices to suit
themselves"
TWILL BE DRIVEN TO BEGGARY"
"Mrs. Meyer, you know these dis
charged workingmen and how they live
Will they not suffer greatly"
cit will be dreadful. don't know
how they will manage to get food and
clothes Last winter when the trust |