Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-07-11
A WHIP TRUST.

The Whip Makers Combine and Put Up
Prices-TaISing Advantage of McKinley's
Higher Duties-Trusts and Protection
Hand in Glove, and Labor Is "Not In It."
Still another trust has been added to
the already long list The latest is a
whip trust. The managers of this trust
got control OF the rattan supply, shut
out all the small concerns, formed a
combination and whips are higher now
than ever before, with chance Of a
rise in price as the stock grows scarce"
one of the monopolists tells us. 'These
fellows" says the Rural New Yorker,
shave the whip-hand of the consumers
at present; what satisfaction 1t would
be, however, to use the lash on their
own Backs" and, it may well be added,
on the backs of the McKinleyites who
voted the high protection which makes
the whip trust possible
Nearly all whips are made of rattan,
covered with fax or leather. II they
are covered with flax they are dutiable
as manufactures of fax. The duty on
such articles in the old tariff was 40
leyites raised this to 80 per cent
| Whips covered with leather were duti-
able at 80 per cent; but this gave place
to a duty of So per cent. under the
touch of the Mckinley hand. These
duties were, of course, imposed under
the pretense of better protection to do
mestic industry and as guarantee OF
better wages to American labor.
The benefits of protection" can only
be realized by raising prices, and the
whip trust thoroughly understands
this. 1t is therefore perfectly idle for
the McKinleyite to pretend to be the
| foe of trusts and com binations to con-
troll prices. The trust merely appro-
PIRATES what the tariff makers give,
and the trust is the surest means OF
carrying into effect their patriotic
purposes.
That the trusts themselves take this
view of the matter is evident from the
famous remark made last year by
President Havemeyer of the sugar
trust Speaking of the hostile criti-
cism of the sugar trust in the columns
of protectionist organs, the great sugar
king said: "The great cry of one of the
great parties is for protection; that Is,
they cry for tloudly during campaigns,
but when we proceed to give ourselves
some protection howl is raised. They
demand protection for the industries.
When an industry protects itself it is
said that it is illegal" A more logical
statement of the kinship of protection
and trusts was never made than in these
words: "We proceed to give ourselves
some protection"
This is what the whip trust has done
merely this and nothing more. The
Increased protection granted by the
McKinleyites was taken as an invitation
to raise prices. But the small concerns
were in the way. The trust, however,
found out way to apply their protec-
ton. They got control OF all the rat
tan and shut out the offending small
concerns completely.
OF course, the closing upof these con-
Germs means that the laborers employed
in them are thrown out of work; but
there is no guarantee in the tariff law
that labor shall find steadier employ
ment or any better wages, Has any
body yet heard of case where the em-
ployes of a whip factory have received
an advance of wages since the higher
duties of the Mckinley law took effect?
In this case labor once more gets left;
for protection has never yet protected