Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-03-24
THE ENVELOPE TRUST AND
The GOVERNMENT.

manufacturing companies which united
in making the Envelope Trust or com
bination circular notice or warning, of
which the following is a copy:
DO NOT USE Government Stamped Envelopes
as ii encourages that Monopoly, and Is lNJURrNG
the Trade of every StatiOner, Printer, and Deal
en- in Envelopes in the Country; ON the other
hand, exert all your influence to discourage
their use and thus assist the effort that Is now
being made to have them entirely abolished,
with the compliments of
SAMUEL RAYNOR Il CO.
Envelope Manufacturers. New York"
The stationers who send this interest
ing circular to The Times say: "If our
citizens have half the spirit of our ances-
tors, they will hereafter use nothing but
the Government stamped envelopes"
The so-called Envelope Trust is one of
the combinations concerning which tes-
timony was recently taken by the Senate
Committee on General Laws The COM
bnation includes nine firms or compa-
Mes and the agreement which was pro-
duced by Mr.. }. .. Preble shows that one
of these firms is samuel Raynor q Co.
The nine firms or companies have under
taken to monopolize the industry of
manufacturing envelopes in this country
by means of kind of Trust which is
called the Standard Envelope Company,
and is Incorporated under Massachusetts
laws. The united manufacturers repre-
sent product of 100000, 600 envelopes a
month, and it is their purpose to drive
every other manufacturer out of the
business or bring him into the ring.
Each of them pays into common pool
IA tax of twenty cents per thousand on en-
velopes, or about one-fifth of the selling
price AS their total product is about
100000, 900, the revenue yielded by this
tax is sos, 600 month, or $360,000 u
year, and this money is used in buying
out manufacturers not in the ring. in
subsidizing makers of envelope machn-
cry, and otherwise in furthering the aims
of tie combine"
We are taking these statements from
the testimony of prominent member of
the company or Trust. 1t was the rings
side of the story that was told to the
committee. 1t was admitted that the
combination had a contract with one
Ermald, by which he was bound neither
to manufacture nor to repair any envel-
Ope machine except for the combination,
which agreed to take from him one ma
chine each month and pay $15 for it.
This was a contract made in order that
outsiders should not he able to procure
machinery. The combination agreement
shows that the ring has subsidized for
five years the firm of Lester q Wesley,
of Norwich, Conn. The company or
Trust agrees to take all of the machines
made by the firm at stated price, while
the firm agrees not to make more than
twenty four machines in year, These
bargains are part of the scheme devised
to restrict production and raise prices.
Since the formation of the pool prices
have risen fifteen or twenty per cent.
1t was admitted that the combination
proposed to gain control of the entire in
dustry and to put an end to competitor
in it. The circular quoted above indi-
Gates that the ring is no longer yeXed by
outsiders, and is free to turn its attention
to the United States Government. So
much has been accomplished by judi
cious use of its fund and its power in the
trade that now it has undertaken to drive
the Government out of the business of
selling stamped envelopes which it buys
from private manufacturers. StatiOners
are urged to assist the effort that is now
being made to have them stamped en-
velopes entirely abolished" These men,
who have labored to create such mon
opoly as the courts have denounced as
unlawful, would deprive the people Of
the use of stamped envelopes in order
that their profits may be increased. TO
them the sale of these envelopes is a
monopoly" because it prevents them
controlling the entire consumption of
envelopes. IL is curious that while these
misled manufacturers are trying to ex-
cite prejudice against the postal depart
ment sale of envelopes by calling it
monopoly, the Socialists declare that the
multiplication of Trusts and of such
combinations as this which these very
men have made must hasten the triumph
of their doctrines and compel the opera
ton of all great industries by the Gov
eminent.
If there shall be any movement in
Washington or elsewhere against the
sale of stamped envelopes the people will
know who should be held responsible
for it. The contract under which the
Governments supply is obtained covers
period of four years ending September
80, 1890, and it was made with the Nor
gan Envelope Company, Of Springfield,
Mass, and the Plimpton Manufacturing
Company, of Hartford, Conn. two of the
nine companies or firms of which the
ring is COMPOSED ~. u Times,