The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-06-25

HOW TRUSTS sQUEEsE OUT THE
LIFE.

The Trust-be he known as the sugar
Or the tobacco or the oil or as any other
man of any other color-is a dangerous
fellow to deal with. We recently men
toned that a North CarOlinian We have
known personally for twenty-seven
years, was in to see us a few weeks
since. He old US that the Duke cigar
cite trust had broken him up in the
manufacture Of cigarettes in three
North Carolina towns. Tt crushed him
oy its power. There are other exam
pies Of how a mighty trust can throt-
tie opposition and crush others trying
10 max on it's lines. Mr.. A. A. BOggs,
Of Athens, Ca, gave the New York
Times the history of a transaction in
that state. A planter ten years ago
sold his farm, and with some of his
neighbors invested in a small compress.
II worked we'll for a while, clearing 10
10 II per cent, with stock worth 1877.
Two big congresses elsewhere, and
eighty miles away, determined to crush
out the little affair at a town shipping
25,OO0 bales, and it was done quickly.
Mr.. B1ggs writes:
"The rich congresses at A. and
b made q deal with the railroad,
which suddenly raised it's rates on
pressed cotton to equal those on un-
pressed. Our whole business fell away.
We had to close down and now our
cotton goes to the congresses in A.
and B. The 'dea' broke the back
of the fourishing local enterprise, and
the fatal blow was inflicted by a sim
pie change of a railroad rate"
The broken company next tried a
small cotton seed oil mill. They made
money. Presently the oil Trust was
heard from. The owners of the thirty
ing little mill "were ordered to limit
their local purchases of seed to a point
which killed their profits" All the rest
of the seed in the district "must be
shipped away The planter continues:
with the fate of other mills in the
state before our eyes, We had to sur
render. The mill is running, but has
not declared a dividend in five years,
and it's stock would not bring 10 cents
on the dollar. AS the result of these
two affairs'-the suppression of the
and the Oil MILL and some
Of my neighbOrs have been stripped
to the skin. And yet both were invest
ments which were naturally entitled Ito
success, and they were succeeding
until they were throttied by the
trusts"
These are object lessons and teach
how rascally conspiracies can squeeZe
out the very life Of all small industries
hat dare in a free country to do bust
ness that in any way interferes with
their giant, grinding monopoIies. The
congress-, the legislatures. the courts,
the people appear to be pOwerless
when the trust asserts its power and
dominion. Mr.. Boggs asks: rs it a
good thing for the country that local
enterprises filling genuine local wants
should be stamped put like vermin?"
II the people are so much wronged
and oppressed they are entitled to re-
dress. But where can 1T be found?
How can it be obtained?
In the trial Of the tobacco conspira-
tors there has been evidence showing
The intolerance and power of the trust
20 ruin others. Mr.. Robert c.. Brown
testified that the American TObaccO
Company Cthe Dukes, etc.) would not
fill any order of his for tobacco. He
called at the office of the American
Tobacco Company and had an inter-
view with a representative OF the CON-
pany, who assured Hrs customers that
there would be no further trouble; that
his orders would be promptly filled
thereafter. All that was necessary for
him to do was to remain loyal to the
American Tobacco Company" Mr..
Daniel Dressler, a tobacco jObber,
swore that he could handle no goods
of the American Tobacco trust if he
handled other goods. Dressler asked
Butler what he would do with his
stock and Butler told him: Throw it
IN the river if you like" And this is
the Internal thing that robs the farm
ars of from one-fourth to one-third of
their tobacco, that rhrottles all oppo-
sition, that destroys private capital in
vested. and that is in such high favor
and flavor with some folks in this bless
"a old state where the farmers have
been feeced and wronged.