The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-06-16
Some Modern Trusts.
COAL AND SUGAR COMBINES
AND THE PEOPLE,.


Which the Producers OF Wealth Are
Filched by Their Monopolistic Mas
ters-starving Out Miners.
Everyone knows that trusts are not
organized for benevolent purposes
They are not conducted as elymosyn-
airy institutions, but are intended to
benefit the capitalists who form and
operate them. But it is doubtful if
anyone not directly concerned was
prepared for the revelations recentlv
made by the recent trial of the case of
the United States against that gigan-
tic swindle, the sugar trust.
Mr.. Searles, the Secretary and Treas
urer of the concern, was the witness
whose testimony was the most valu-
able. He said that the capital stock
of the trust was originally placed at
$50. 600, 600, although the property in
volved was worth but about S12, OOo.-
600. The Philadelphia refineries were
absorbed afterwards, and the capital
stock of the trust was increased $93,-
$50. 600, about five times the value OF
the refineries that had been taken in.
This made the capital stock reach the
great sum Of $73, 56G, ZOO.
On this immense stock, four-fifths OF
which was wind, the trust recently
declared dividend of per cent and
left 90. GOO, 900 in undivided profits in
its treasury.
The sugar trust makes fully 80 per
cent of the total output of refined
sugar in this country, and thus has a
practical monopoly and can manipu-
late prices at will. This accounts for
the gradual increase in the price OF
sugar that has been noticed for montha
To make matters worse, fourteen OF
the refneries controlled by the trust
have been kept idle. thus lessening the
supply and causing an advance in
price
Mr.. Soarles admitted that there were
no written agreements or accounts
kept of the enormous business done by
the trust. The gigantic transactions
were carried on without formalities Of
that sort. This is AN acknowledg.
'nent that the trust carefully refrained
from putting anything on paper that
might be used as evidence in court.
This is a confession that the managers
of the sugar trust knew that they
were engaged in unlawful acts and
proposed to protect themselves as fully
as possible.
repeal of the duty on refined sugar
would quickly result in the death OF
the sugar trust That repeal should
not be delayed. Money taken from
the people without an equivalent is de-
clared to be robbery by the Omaha
platform. The immense dividends
paid by the sugar trust on watered
stock is robbery pure and simple, and
there is no excuse for its continuance.
The sugar trust needs no protection, -
1t is the victims of the merciless swim
die who should be protected. Repeal
the tariff on refined sugar.
1t is given out that a flour trust has
been formed. 1t IS said to have oripi-
rated with Hubbard, the ownes of the
big mills at Mankato. Mimi, and to
include all of the large mills in the
Northwest. The organization will
have headquarters in Chicago, and pro-
poses to adopt new schedule of prices
after the next harvest With stock.
jobbing in grain and millers' trust
the producers of cereals will be in a
bad way. Should the anti-option bill
become law it will aid the millers,
as they will be the largest buyers Oh
grain. The only bright ray to be seen
in the formation of SO many trusts is
in the fact that they will finally arouse
public sentiment to their iniquity, and
then will come legislation that will
forever stop trusts. syndicates and
com bines.
According to reports the condition
of the miners in the Schuylkill coal
region of Pennsylvania is something
terrible. Many colleries have not
worked more than two weeks the past
three months and the families of the
miners are starving.
In speaking of the situation, Thos.
Conlin, a member of the Relief Com
mittee at Centralia, said: "The most
abject want and suffering prevails
throughout this district. You can
form no idea of how bad it is unless
you visit them. In one house we
found a woman preparing supper for
herself and four small children. She
divided piece of black bread among
them, and in pot on the fire she had
brewed black coffee from a burnt
bread crust. The children's faces
were pinched, and their clothes were
patched and hung in rags The
mothers face was pale and haggard.
Her husband had left home that morn
ing to again try to secure work. She