The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1890-01-31

are on Il par with Eighteenth cerLur,
highway robbery. Yet III sugar, pct1o.
!cum, cotton seed oil, white lead, COZ.
per and many other substances, prices
arc artifcially maintained by trust mo.
nopolics. For example, the United States
nave by far tho richest copper mines IN
the world. With improved appliances
used here, the output Of ore by each man
makes the cost of wages very low. 1t
q 81 shown some years ago, in q report
pany, that copper orc could DO brought
to the surface Of the mine ut less than
four cents. 1t was further shown in tho
Same report that, after paying Tic en-
pcnscs of smelling, refining, freight and
commission, copper could Eo laid down
in Now York city for less than six cents.
Yet tho present price Of Lake Superior
copper in the New York Metal Exchange
is eleven cents ~ pound, or just enough
to prevent the importation of foreign
copper, with u protective duty Of four
cents q pound. What this means hardly
needs to be told. The copper mining
companies in tho Lake Superior district
l,avo paid enormous dividends, moro
than their capital stock many times
over, to their owners. Every brass lock,
every pair Of laced shoes, ovcry piece CT
copper wire, every copper cent has paid
tribute to these robbers.
Similarly with sugar. Tho Sugar trust
practically controls all tho rciincrics in
the United States, except that Of Claus
~Sprcckcls, in California. Tho cost Of
refining raw sugar., including u modcr.
atc profit, is flvc-cigllths Of u cent. The
Sugar trust charges exactly double this
amount, or ono and a quarter cents. The
Sugar trust owners boast that tho United
States rclineries can turn out refined
sugar cheaper han any other rcfinerics
in the world. Why should they not be
taken ut their word and bc allowed to
beat tho world in an unprotected market,
to tho great advantage Of tho consumer?
III like manner tho White Lead trust
keeps up the price of white lead, and con-
scqucntly Of all kinds Of paints; the
Steel Rail trust keeps up the price Of
steel rails, md increases tho expense Of
building railways; tho Cotton Seed Oil
trust keeps up the price of cotton seed
oil, and incidentally has that article sub
stitutcd rs n counterfeit Of table salad
oil.
everywhere that q protected nduStry
Is small enough to be monopolizcd by a
fc" rich capitalists Il trust is formed, not
to reduce expenses and cheaper prices,
but to curtail production and lcvy cX
orbitant profits of the
But somo persons may say, "NVly
don't tho farmers form Il trust to raise
tho price Of wheat and c%attlci' The
answer to this is, that tho unfortunate
farmer cannot afford to do so. AS long
as tho price Of wheat depends on its OK.
port value, the foreigner who now buys
American wheat would. if the price Of
American wheat sensibly raised, buy
Indian or Russian wheat. So with cattle.
There are broad spreading pastures in
Australia and the Argentine Republic on
which cattle can be reared to compete
against American cattle i'll tho open
markets Of the world.
Fortrusts thcro is only ono prompt and
~cflicacious remedy. Whenever a trust
is formed to raise prices in n protected
industry, tho tariff on that protected in.
dustry should be lowered until prices are
forced back again to their natural Lowell.
This is the only specific for trusts.