The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-18
eRoCERs' PROTEST TOO LATE.
THE SENATE DECLINE TO AWAIT
THEIR DELEGATION.

Mayor Myers Says the Passage OF the
Antitrust Law VIII Seriously AZ
feet Savannah-The Wholesalers
Not the Only Ones TO Suffer, But the
Retail Trade and the Property In
terests VIII Feel 1t.
The wholesale merchants here are very
much afraid that the Calvin antitrust bill
will pass the Senate and become law.
The wholesale grocery business will be
most affected, but other lines, they say,
will also be interfered with.
The Wholesale Grocers' Association met
yesterday at noon and discussed the send
ing of a delegation to Atlanta to appear
before the Senate in opposition to the bill.
The matter was not decided upon as the
members had not learned whether the bill
would be held up in the Senate to await
their arrival. kilograms urging that this
be done had been sent to Senator Geiger
and other senators. Later in the day
telegram was received by Mayor Myers
from Senator Geiger. which said; The
chairman of committee declines 10 post
pone action on antitrust bill until to-mor-
row." This makes it appear very Likely
that the bill will become a law. as the
feeling against the trusts is very strong In
the Senate.
Mayor Myers, when interviewed on the
subject of the bill, said: Il am not an adj
vocate of the trusts nor am opposed to
antitrust legislation, provided it is done
in way not to injure innocent parties.
If all the southern states, or all the south
eastern states. would arrange confer
ence through their governors or other rep
resentatives for the purpose of discussing
this question and deciding upon uniform
laws to be put in effect in all the states in
terested at about the same time, the de-
sired result might be accomplished The
passage Of a law by one state will not
disorganize the trusts and will only H.
jure the merchants of that state by driy-
ing their trade to other states. Richmond,
Norfolk, Wilmington, Charleston, Jack
sonvllle and New Orleans are all Compel
itors of ours. We would simply lose the
trade in prohibited lines and our Compel
itors would get the benefit of it. state
law cannot prohibit these articles being
shipped to consumers ia this state be,
cause that would be interfering with in
terstate commerce.
1T is not only the wholesale people who
viii suffer by such a law, continued
Mayor Myers. Property owners gener-
ally will feel its effects. Smaller stocks
will be carried, fewer men Will be en-
ployed and some houses will remove to
adjoining states. The result will be de-
crease in tax returns and less demand for
business houses and residences. l think
the antagonism to the bagging trust is
principally responsible for this legislation.
Notwithstanding the antagonism to trusts
it is a fact that the few large trusts have
decreased prices to consumers. The STAN
dard Oil Company, the American Sugar
Refining Company, the American Tobacco
Company, and other large trusts which /
might name have all brought about heavy
reductions in prices to consumers. AS a
matter OF fact 1t is not the merchant or
the consumer, as a rule who suffer from
trusts. The people who suffer are the
small manufacturers who cannot compete
with the large combines, who can put
their products on the market at so much
less cost. The small manufacturers who
are being driven out of business by the
trusts are the ones who are doing most of
the complaining and are most active in
urging antitrust legislation. We have
lew manufactures ana Such as we nave
have had no reason to complain of trusts
Excepting the bagging trust the people of
Georgia have been greatly benefited by
most of these combinations. 1t is a great
mistake to rush important legislation
through the House, as appears to have
been done with this BILL"
Some of the articles which will be at
fected by the passage of the bill are sugar,
oil cigarettes, snuff, all products of the
American Tobacco Company, nearly all
the leading brands of soap, condensed
milk, and ball and can potash. A number
of hardware manufactures Will be affect
ed, the chief product in this line being
nails, the manufacture of which is con-
troled by trust. Thread is one of the ar
ticles which will come under the ban and
there are other articles handled by the
dry goods men, which the wholesalers and
possibly the retailers, will be prohibited
from handling by the bill, should it be-
come a law.