The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-06-11

nosition to be known as the United
Trusts of America instead of the Uni
ted States of America. A trust, like
other diseases with modern names, is
and old epidemic under a new name.
In Queen Elizabeth's time trusts ragged
in England under the names of mon
opolies. She, according to Macauley
(vol. i. p. 58), had granted monopolies
on iron, coal, oil, vinegar, lead, starch,
yarn, leather, and glass, but the Com
mons threatened revolution and she
repealed the charters; and Charles l.
paid the penalty for his favoritism of
monopolies and his indifference to pop
ular demands, by the loss of his head
as well as his crown. The mo1ern
monopoly differs from the ancient in
that it works quietly, secretly, system
matically, and with an artistic fnesse
that does credit to Yankee ingenuity.
At the recent trust trial before the
New York Supreme Court the trust
lawyers refused to produce the min
utes or records Of the trustees. Many
of trusts burn the records Of their
proceedings, and the trust managers
take no pains to conceal the fact that
neither the newspapers nor the public
can be informed of the true inward
ness of these combinations, for the
reason that the minutes of the trusts
meetings cannot reproduced. In this
manner the law and the people are de-
fed, and secret combinations override
both. What justification is there for
this? "Seek none, conspiracy. Hide
it in smiles and affability." 1t is use
less for these combinations to tell US
they organize to reduce prices.
Trusts are not conducted for the pur-
pose of dispensing charity, except
when charity begins at home with
themselves. The avowed purpose of
these trusts is to curb competition and
to maintain what in the Judgment of
the trusts themselves may be consid-
cred fair standard of profits. Of
all the trusts now organized not one
can point to reduction of prices as a
result of the trusts except the Stand
ard Oil Company. and in it's case the
reduction was due to other causes,
and would be still lower if there were
no trust Since the sugar trust was
founded in October, 1887, the produc-
ton of fine sugar has decreased. By
order of the trust two refneries in
Boston and two in New Yezk have
been closed, two others have been
temporarily shut down, others have
had their production decreased one
fourth, and refined sugar has advan-
ced in price from three fourths to one
cent a pound. The average price of
granulated sugar in 1887 was six cents,
but in January, 1888, was seven and
one-sixteenth cents. Before the Sen
ate investigating committee of New
Y York the object of this trust was sta
ted to be "to limit production, " and
Mr.. Havemeyer stated that refined
sugar costs the consumer about two
cents pound more than in England,
or about ten dollars barrel
Since the organization of the envel-
ope trust in 1887 prices of envelopes
have gone up twenty per cent. The
income of this trust from this advance
alone is about 100000 year.
Since the organizat on of the glass
trust in 1887 glass has advanced ten
per cent in price, and there is a tariff
of one hundred per cent on common
glass and one hundred and fifty per
cent on plate glass. The organiza-
tion of the meat trust in New York
has resulted in lowering the price
paid to the farmer for his meat and
raising the price to the consumer
who wants to eat it. In January,
1888, the warehousemen of New York
and Brooklyn combined, and rates on
sugar storage advanced ten to twenty
per cent hogshead. One of the
combine said before the Senate COM
mittee, Competition is a bad thing;
we want to destroy it all we CAM
and they are doing it with a ven
geance.
From Is, 900 to l6, 900 cans of milk are
consumed in New York City daily.
In 1882 the dealers formed trust.
The farmer receives three cents for
his quart of milk, and the consumer
pays from seven to eight cents. The
farmers of Orange county, New York,
struck short time since, but having
sunk $4,000 in the strike gave it up,
Tor, as the president of the milk trust
says, "They don't like to tackle
trust. They are as afraid of it as
they would be of the devil"
The oil-cloth trust has advanced
prices frem ten to fifteen per cent to |
the consumer. But why continue /? |
The list is as long as Homer's cata.
logue of ships; and the limits of an
magazine article will not suf. |
fee to enter largely into details It