Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-03-01
HISTORY OF THE CONCERN.
Its Crooked Methods VIII Drive II Ont
of business In Massachusetts.

Its Crooked Methods VIII Drive 1t Ont
of business In Massachusetts.
BosToN March Says the Transcript.
The Dstilling and Cattle Feeding COM
pany, or whisky trust, is combination
which has probably done more bribing of
state officials in Illinois than the public
has any idea of. IL is the concern which
has so far spent over s2,O0O0OO in pur-
chasing distilleries and in other ways to
prevent the case of Secretary Gibson
charged with m attempt to blow up a dis
tillery not in the trust, coming TO trial
His case has not vet been heard, and prob
ably never will be. The accomplices of
Gibson in the trust will see to that IL Is
stated on very good authority that 5000
900 has actually been spent so far to
smother that case.
The blow that will be dealt the trust will
be n most forcible one from the Massachu-
setts arm of the federal courts. The re-
suit will be that the trust will be driven
out of the state. Then the treasury de-
partment proposes To follow up its advan-
tage and indict the trust in every state in
which it is operating.
1t will te found that the Distilhng and
Cattle Feeding company, capitalized at
t35, 900 900. has n plant that can be repro
iuced for between $1,000, coo and a, 900 900,
aud that Consequently shows a watering
Of its capital stock of go, 900 000 just rs
soon a. The district court here knocks the
prop out from under the trust the Distil-
ling and tHttle Feeding company will
come down T. a minimum of profits.
That prop Is the rebate business. There
are certain firms in this state which act as
the agcnts Of the trust in selling its
goods Thee firms have books containing
Printed Vouchers.
Whenever purchaser desires q number of
gallons OF rhisky he secures the quantity
through tic dealing firms, pays cents
more a prCCf gallon than the trusts price,
and is given voucher for the amount in
excess OF the real cost OF the article This
is che rebate voucher. At the end of six
months he sends his voucher to Peoria and
gets his rebate money. II he has mean.
while bought whisky of any other firms
than those which are agents of the trust
he loses his entire rebate. The trust
makes IL its business to ascertain just ex-
actly from whom whisky is purchased by
firms which have bought of the trusts
dealers and thereby hangs a tale.
This rebate business Is just where the
treasury will try to get its
Clutches on the Trusts Throat
IL is apparent that the effect Of such a
TRANSACTION must be to throttle the smaller
dealers. II they 90 outside OF the trust
for their whisky, after once buying OF it
and subscribing to its conditions, they lose
their rebates, which amount to consider
able.
They are held 10y wise 40 hong ~ they
remain In the trrst paying three or four
profits on each ~ on, besides having :
cents on each gallon locked up in the
trusts strong pox. On this the trust
makes n pretty penny in interest. The
amount Of its rebate money will run up
into tbe millions when the total amount
Of sales per year in this country is taken
into consideration. The hold II has on the
dealers is n strong one.