River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-02-25

being investigated. 1t is claimed
that trusts curtail production, in
crease prices to consumers, cut down
wages and throw thousands out of
employment. Acting upon this as
sumption the legislatures having
jurisdiction are urged to smash the
trusts, to abolish combinations of
capital by legal enactment, and for
bid by dire penalties the association
of people IN partnership arrange
ments.
Is it unqualifiedly true that trusts
are conspiracies to defraud? Is the
trust the determination of desola-
ton" spoken of by these prophets of
evil? Is it a huge devil-fsh with in
terminable tentacles reaching out to
appropriate to its own greed the sub
stance of the country, returning
nothing to the impoverished people
to warrant it an excuse for existence?
AS result of investigations into
the workings of these corporations,
certain things have been definitely
established, things that demonstrate
that the trust instead of being an un-
mixed evil entailing disastrous re-
suits to the industrial interests of
the country, has greatly enhanced
the general interests. The trust
claims to be device for industrial
economy, design TO reduce the cost
of production, increase the amount
of the commodity by reducing the
cost to the consumer, so encouraging
consumption, enlarging the demand
for labor and enhancing wages of
employees.
The iron trust reduces the cost of
steel rails from S22 to SIS a ton,
creating an enormously increased
demand for rails, fact which en-
larges the area of the iron trade to
dimensions which will insure IN
precedented activity in all lines OF
this varied industry, and give an
impetus to all other activities. The
Standard Oil Company reduced the
cost of kerosene to the consumer
from 30c to Coo a gallon. But
Texas Populist political divine says
that Rockefeller, of the trust, is an
enemy to the human race. The
American Sugar Refining Co. has
for several years been the butt of Sc
we're criticism as the worst of all
grasping monopolies. 1t appears,
however, that the sugar trust, COM
pany with capital stock estimated
at s70,000,0O0, and with sharehold-
ers representing 10000 persons, has
largely reduced the cost of sugar to
consumers and doubled the demand
for refined sugar. The people ofthe
United States now consume 100000
tons of sugar year, an average OF
&c lbs. to each individual. In 1867
the annual consumption was "a lbs.
to each individual. The price of
granulated sugar for the ten years
previous to 1890 was &c a pound. 1t
is now DC pound. The sugar trust
controls to great degree the price
of sugar. Its capital is so large it
goes into the sugar producing coun-
tries and buys at the lowest figure,
thus preventing a speculative mar
ket. The price of raw sugar seems
now to be as low as it can be and
return anything like fair profit to
the producer. The price of raw
sugar in New York is now &c to &c
a pound. There is duty of lie a
pound on sugar. While the sugar
trust has reduced the price of sugar
and increased the demand it has
raised the wages of its employees 10
per cent. and made a good profit for
its 10000 stockholders. This has
been done by the combination of
capital, securing what in the consol-
idation could not have been accom-
plished by divided capital.