The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-10-22
THE AGE. OF TRUSTS.
How Tboy Rob Lseorcrs and squeezs
Cong1mers.
THE GLASS rRIfaT-


THE GLASS TRUST.
FINDLAy, o., Sept. Q, 1s91.--It Is re.
ported that fifty Belglans reached Foe.
toria last night over the Baltimore 81
Ohio road, coming direct from Belgium,
TO work In the different window glass
houses In this section, and there is
much indignation among native work.
men concerning the manner in which
the Belgians succeeded in getting here
-(Press Dispatch)
COMPETITION AND THE M'K1NLEY BILL
THE BASIS
CLEVELAND, o., April Is, 9I.-Tho
Mckinley bill is working out Its legit-
innate resulta The duty on window
glass plus the heavy duties on packages
has given manufacturers so wide a
margin that combination and eKtor-
tionate prices are possible.
Several months ago the window glass
factories of Pittsburgh, Findlay and
other natural gas centers undertook
the formation of a trust under the name
of the American Window Glass Co., and
Oil Trust. The object was TO maintain
prices at a point whoro large profits
would be assured. Several large fac
tories refused to join at that time, and
since then the screws of competition
have been put on harder than ever, and
| prices have been cut until the obstinate
factories are glad to secure peace.
A meeting of all window glass manu-
facturers has accordingly been called,
TO convene ut Chicago April 10, when,
| it Is understood, there will be no OBJ
| jections from any factories to the
| formation of an iron-clad com bination,
| as contemplated before. The meeting
| will have a very important effect on
| prices, and, II the trust is formed as Is
| confidently expected now, material ad-
vances are certain. - press Dispatch J
| Under tho protection of an ad valorem
rate of duty of 8s per cent, imposed
on foreign window glass imported,
homo competition in the manufacture
and sale of glass is easily throttled
Tho average duty on all other glass
than window plate, was 5O.2s per cent
| On plate glass, such as is used in store
| windows, the rate rose to 1894 per
| cent.
There are eight plate glass factories
| In the United States In 1880 they en-
| ployed $50 men, women and children,
and in 1880 these work people each
earned the princely sum of about S305,
| less than dollar a day. These people
received work and nothing more and
their wages were no greater than labor
| commands elsewhere. They received
mono of the benefits of the high tariff
| lttfv hanottoA fhnu cnlI thair 1oh hN,. In
| absolute free market under the open
| competition of the world On the
other hand their employers sold their
glass in highly restricted market with
the competition of the world cut off by
| the high tariff duty, and domestic COM
| petition was killed by the combination.
N. G. Depauw, of New Albany Ind,
rolled up SIS, O0O0 600 in less than
twenty years. The 100 per cent and
moro of protective tariff on imported
glass gave him monopoly of the home
market and he used that power not 20
elevate and dignity labor, but to make
himself rich.
1t Is said that the profits of the Pitts
burgh Plate Glass Co. are $1,000 900 q
year. In lawsuit last year the fact
was brought out that this concern
cleared S42l per cent on its capital in
| 1889.
In tho face of these facts the plate
glass men were given higher protection
than they had under the old law. Be-
sides the increase of duty from cents
| foot to cents on the smaller sizes,
| the Mckinley customs administrative
| law, which went into effect August 1,
| $780, allows nothing for breakage, and
compels the payment of duty on the
boxes and all costs on the other side
for packing, transportation, etc. These
| additional charges amount to from 10
| to 90 per cent. of the extra protection
| for the domestic manufacturers It
| seems to DO the purpose of the tariff
| makers, not only to give our glass men
a living chance, but to insure them
| profits which will make them willing
and liberal contributors to the cam
| paign funds of the party.
The Philadelphia Telegraph, repub-
lican and protection paper, arraigns
the Window Glass trust and the Nc.
Kinley bill as follows:
"Now, with the aid of enlarged du-
ties, they (the trust are free from for
eign competition; they can make the
| prices pretty much what they please,
and the buyers must pay them; and to
keep them up on this article Of univer-
sal consumption, they have only to re-
strict production-which they do. We
can see, under the circumstances, that
this Is an excellent encouragement for
the manufacturers; but we can
not SO clearly perceive how it helps the
public all of whom must buy window
glass at largely increased price; or
how it benefits the glass workers, Of
whom there are now a larger number
idle than at any time since 1885, We
have not heard that those who are still
permitted by the trust to work get
higher wages than formerly; and Sec
retary Cake says that, owing to the
closing of their factories, great many
get no wages at all The truth Ia that
as measure of benehcence to either
consumers or workmen, the Mckinley
bill is one of those mysteries which no.
body can find out; as benefcent meas
ure to trusts and monopolies that il has
created CT fostered, there is no mys.
terry about it. For them it is a mighty
fine bill, and they know it."
AS the republican Telegraph truth.
fully admits, it is a fine bill for the
trusts. 1t is class legislation in the
most offensive form The operations
of this one trust would justify popu-