Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-09-21
A GREAT BLESSING.
HON THE GREEDY SUGAR TRUST
PROTECTS THE PUBLIC.


ing price Of articles by practicing the
economies of production" which can
only come from the concentration Of
capital; how they can make better and
purer articles by gaining control Of pat
ents, etc.; how they can regulate supply
80 as to prevent the terrible evils Ito the
constituents of the trust Of "overpro-
duction," and how they can accomplish
many other marvellous and benehcent
things. But upon close investigation all
Of these theoretical blessings vanish, and
the trust Is seen tobe q selfish, greedy
aggregation of capital bent on running
competitors by fair or foul means and
on fleeing producers of raw materials
at one end of the line and consumers Of
finished products at the other end.
1t checks or prevents the natural de-
cline in prices if it does not advance
them, often considerably; it becomes
the chief buyer of raw materials and
can dictate prices for them; it can, by
means Of rebates and other forms of
bribes and penalties, compel its Gus
toners to purchase only Of it; 1t is the
only employer Of labor in its line and
can arbitrarily fix the rates of wages
and the hours of labor; it can close up
half of its mills and throw labor out of
employment in order to regulate" pro-
duction and "sustain" prices; it can ap-
propriate percentage of its millions of
capital to Influence" municipal, state
and national legislation; it can evade
state corporation taxes and at the same
time secure federal (tarif OF excise) tax
alton worth millions to it; it can water
its stock to many times its actual value
to make it more attractive to Wall
street spectators; it can sell cheaper to
unprotected and untaxed foreigners than
to protected and taxed citizens.
All of these things and many others
Just as crooked can the trust do, and it
usually does them to the full extent OF
its power. The old fashioned corpora
ton was heartless. The modern trust
is both heartless and corscienceless.
When it cannot make its own laws,
it breaks the laws of the people. 1t is at
once a tyrant, robber, traitor and an
anarchist of the most dangerous type.
But now we hear of a really good trust
-one that is performing a most useful
function during these hard times. We
quote from Willett & Gray's Sugar Trade
journal of Aug. II:
"From what we have said about raws
it will be noted that the production is
being adjusted to demand. Europe goes
up and down in prices as speculators
make the moves; but as refined was moi
advanced on the last European up move
ment from los. Cd. to 16s. 3d., so there il
no occasion for reducing prices on Eu
) ropes decline again to 10 shillings. Un
der the present nervous strain in al
commercial business it is indeed bless
ing to find one article that does not maxi
. violent fluctuations. Grocers can orde
: with confidence such an amount of re
fined as they can readily dispose of witt
out fear of suffering loss while in proc
ess of distribution"
What blessing to be under the pro
tecting wings of powerful trust whicl
, is able to overcome uncertain fiuctua
tions, and which, assisted by a duty o
> half cent per pound on refined sugar
J can guarantee not to reduce prices of re
fined, no matter what may happen t.
raw sugars at home or to prices of re
, fined sugars abroad. Observe the beau
ties of steady prices!
The price of granulated sugar on thi
, date-Aug. 30-is 800 cents. 1t has nc
changed since July ~. For raw suga
q (96 degrees centrifugaD $50 is asked
3 but "the offering seems Indifferent,
9 says The Journal of Commerce and Con
: mercial Bulletin, "the buyer making
standoff with apparent intention {
weakening the value line if possible.
: The same journal says:
Refined, it is believed, would find
very full and even an interesting d.
|. mand if worked down to somewhel
e near parity of raws. Even as it i
:, and while paying an immense tribui
. into the Golfers of the combine, buyel
IL are taking hold with some freedom
meeting their absolute wants."
y On June 90 the price of raw was As
n of granulated, 5.27. Willett g. Gray
Journal, asemiofficial organ of the trus
s then said warningly: Production of T
n fined will continue on smaller sea
than heretofore, independent of the que
a ton of supplies. ANY further dificul
y y with worimen might even induce
y, temporary closing of some refnerie
Il although this is probably not confer
plated now."
d. At the time of this threat strike W
r, on in the Havemeyer refinery, in Broo
i'd lyn, where the men refused to work
Y hours day during summer In rooI
y heated to 150 degrees. The previo
40 summer 500 men had been carried fro
these rooms, several dozen of who
died. This year, when the same stewil
" process began, the men objected to bel
, offered up as sacrifice to the greed
\ the trust and petitioned the great Hay
1T meyer to grant them shorter hours. 81
1T be damned if we will do itp said t
he sugar king. Since then the trust l
". had closed for part of the time neal
ny all of its refneries.
; On Aug. 30 the New York Press sa
n Several thousand hands in the sue
lr- refneries in Williamsburg have be
laid off since Tuesday. Excitement p
M walls among them, and they say star
Ely ton stares them in the face. 1t is s.
ow that before the coming week has pas
W. all the rehneries will be shut down. I
az wages earned by the men, who are me
or. ly Poles, vary from $1.25 to $3.50 d
o. On this small income many keep la
families. Each weeks earnings are
tirely consumed, and as result the s