New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-25
TPTSTc ABANDONED.

TRUSTS ABANDONED.
The public will in regard to como,''''ionS
against the public interest begins 10 10 ici''
| Trusts were popular year or TWO ago Nv"
| the very name is so odouS that II Is a'oi"cu'
| not only when the purpose ana form Oh organ
zation make it appropriate, but when no COM
| bnation against the public Is intended of-
| cori1otions which were but recently completed
With biob bopcs of extraordinary profits are
loin, abandoned. and others which have long
srccoodcd in imposing burdens on the pubic
have bcen Obliged to dissolve. or to seek shelter
undcr a change of name and form
The abandonment OF the American Harvester
organization is perhaps tho most sIgnlhclhV
ovont Of the time Bat the dissolution OF the
Michigan salt Trust. the appeal to the courts
| 70 p,cyent a dissolution of the Rubber trust
| and the reorganization of the Sugar Trust aS
| = comnany. are each instructive. The sugar
T,ust has ceased to exist because the mode ol
| organization. chosen expressly on account oil
| its mower to antag0nzc public interests, WIS
successfully asSailed in the courts, but 1t re-
mains 70 be seen whether the same combna-
| ton. attempting to alter its name anu iori'
without a modification OF essential haoutc vi
| purpose. is still open to the same attack. hc
Michigan salt Trust has been IN operation I"r
wears. and so effectively that it was SERIOUSLY
| nropoScd not long ago 10 unite bfltlSh III"
| American interests in one gigantic monopoly
| Rut IN all appcaranccS the Michigan producers
| themselves are now thrust back by lncXofiblc
| ovonts into an attitudc of free and open COM
pcttion. Precisely why one of the parties re-
sisted the dissolution Of the Rubber Trust does
| not appear but the application to the courts
calls attention to the fact that those Interested
| were about to abandon that combination also
| without any perceptibc effort to substitute i
now organization for the old.
The great Harvester Company was formed
only two months ago. The reasons given Tor
IFS formation were Singularly strong, ard 1t
was shown that millions could be saved every
wear. which have now to he paid by purchasers
Of machines, in the removal OF waNtciul
agencies and other incidents of competition.
Instead Of several armies of agents each Try
inc to cut under others, it was said that a
single company could sell at prices equally low
with a handsome profit Instead OF millions
lost Nv bad debts which over-zcalouN agents
were constantly tempting farmers TO make. one
great company could afford 10 sell all us prod
ucts at fixed and very moderate prices Tor
cash. or 10 those able 10 give satisfactory Sc
CURLY Enormous waste in purchases OF ma
toriaS for many different makers could he
saved. il WIS claimed and the proposed com
pany would thus realize great profits from these
various economies alone. without advancing the
prices of products. But now Mr.. Mccormick,
who WIS only recently elected president of the
new company announces TO the public that in
smcrable legal obstacles have caused It's aban-
donmcnt.
suggestive fact is that thousands OF
agents and hands employed by the various man
ufacturcrs will thus escape being turned out OF
emplovmcnt The combination would have OK
tinguished the market for the labor of thou
sands OF Americans and when one thinks about
il that is the precise nature Of the great econ
omics contemplated This might doubtless have
been a good thing for the capital invested But
il is not clear that any part Of the benefit would
have reached consumers. while the loss 10 thou
sands of workers would have been great. in
volving a change from occupations to which
they had been trained Competition casts
some out of employment il is tue, through
survival of the ittcst, but only few Al time
and the natural growth Of business cpmpcnsatcs
for such loss by opening new places Tor those
| closed.
The hostility Of the public is supposed to
have forced the abandonment Of this comblna-
ton. Western farmers rcfuscd-to believe that
it was going to impose no additional burdens
on them, calculated that it was designed to
make more money for capitalists, and there
fore 10 take moro from farmers, and began 10
make war against the combination in Legs
laturcs and courts. II was plain that no com
binaton could proltably resist such widespread
antagonism if compelled to rely upon voluntary
purchases of farmers for all It's revenue. To
the owners this hostility seems exceedingly fool
ISL. no doubt. But the farmers are quite well
aware that their power to combine their pur-
chaSes gives them an enormous advantage IN
cutting down profits Of manufacturers. and that
advantage they do not mean to eIinquish.
An obvious lesson of these events is that
combinations for the benefit OF individual cap
italists. whether manufacturers or tranSpOrtcrS,
against the interests Of the public stand on 4
most insecure footing. The millions rule and
make the laws. and control their admniStra-
ton. They appreciate the advantages which
competition gives them, forcing the profits of
manufacturers, tranSporcrs and traders down
10 a minimum and they mean to keep that adj
vantage. Until the public can be brought to
different frame of mind business combina-
tions for the purpose OF SupprcSsing competi-
ton will continue to be treated aS hostile 10
the general welfare.
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SOME LETTERS FRON THE SOUTH.
We print this morning the first Of a series OF