The Louisiana Democrat., 1889-04-17
BAGGINa AND TWlNE.
Trust Which Proposes to Grow Rich at
the Farmers Expense.

A Trust Which Proposes to Grow Rich at
the Farmers Expense.
Jute bagging and iron ties are
essential to the proper and economical
marketing of cotton, the staple crop of
the South.
Twine is just as essential to the
proper harvesting Of wheat, the staple
crop of the Northwest
The protective tariff on hagging is
81 per cent; on twine it is 40 per
cent.
By the Mills bill bagging was placed
on the free list, and the duty on twine
was reduced to 25 per cent.
When this question came before the
people the cotton-p!anters voted to
sustain the Mills bill, but the wheat
farmers of the Northwest were so
afraid of the Southern brigadiers'
that they could not trust them even to
reduce tAxcs, and so the Mills bill
failed, and the farmers North and
South were handed over, body and
breeches, enc to the twine trust and
one to the bagging trust.
Last autumn the bagging trust
robbed under the forms of law the
Southern cotton planters of about
$1,000, 900, and they are preparing to
repeat the game when the cotton-pick-
ing begins.
The "twine trust" is now getting
ready for its harvest. 1t has not only
secured control of the twine product,
but also of the raw materials from
WHICH it is made. This raw material
-hemp-is now taxed $25 a ton; the
"rebel b"igadiers' proposed to put it
on the free list, but the plutocrats de-
feated this proposition, and now NO
relief is possible.
We do not think tho trust will be
able to put the price up to % cents, for
such an advance would lead to heavy
impOrtations, and, as with copper, de-
feat the purpose of the combine Still
the fact remains that under the protec-
tion of the tariff monopoly has been
established and the Western farmers
must pay the piper. This following dis
patch from. Minneapolis is worth re-
producing:
"Slowiy but surely the binding tw ne trust s
tightening its coils about the farmer Already
tie effect of it is seen here IN Minneapolis,
" nj ttyine stock has been
bought up for the trust, and now lies in Min
neapolis warehouse and where the price has
already advanced materially. An agent OF the
Dakota Farmers Alliance which last year
bought its twine direct from the factories, was
sent East to contract for this years supply. He
discovered that the whole output had been
bought up by the trust. Further, he discov
cred that the tw nc which last year could be
bought for nine cents pound would cos,
twenty five cents this year. The only remain
ing plan left the farmers IS to boycott the trust
and this they seem inclined to do. Mnneap
oils twine dealers are in the same fix as arc
the farmers. About two months ago young
man, dressed as frontier farmer, came here
and bought up all the twine in the hands Of the
dealers. 1t was discovered too late that he
was an agent of the trust, but the twine hIC
been sold. The local dealers are now kicking
while the twine, five hundred thousand balls
of it, is packed away. II the farmers get nc
twne it is likely to have o bad effect upon the
wheat crop. rs that can not be harvested in 6
good co.d ton without the use of twine.'
This is one result of the defeat Of the
Mills bill and of the election of Mr..
Harrison; the strike at Fall River is
nuother; the Reading failure is an
other. For four years longer the peo-
pie must bear the burdens of which
he Mills bill proposed to relieve them
Louisville COurier-Journal.