The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-15
SIX-DAY MONSTER HUNT.
Ruben, TOBACCO, AND VAIL Pa
PER me NEXT Ga ME ~ STgHT.

Committee very weary so fnr,but htope'
TO Find Opt Something About Tobacco
This 10 TO be the big week in monster hunting
Chairman Lexow's pack OF hunters. rs the anti
trust investigation ommitte Is called. got back
to town last night most Of them 10 and pu; up al
the Metropole. The hunt will be resumed at 10
o'clock this morning in the Aldermen's cham
Der. and the American Sugar Refining Company
will stnl be the dragon fired at. MIR. John L.
Searles will be on hand. and will have with him
most OF the data that the committee wants, but
whether or not he will have any Of the books OF
the concern Is a question. Chairman Lcxow
said yesterday that he thought It certain that
tho sugar business would DO concluded to-day.
Tho rubber monster would como next, he said.
In all probability Mr.. Charles X. Flint will be
the FIRST man on the stand. Tho rubber mon
strr goes by tho name OF the United States
Rubber Company. and Mr.. Flint is the Secre-
tary and Treasurer and the leading spirit In IL.
The rubber monster has II capital Of $50. 0o0.-
900. which is S23. 600. 900 less than the capital
Of the sugar monster. The committee wants
to bring this monster down In q single day and
start In on Wednesday after the tobacco mon
ster. Individual members Of the committee
have Informed THE Sun reporter that they
consider the tobacco monster tho worst of all
the monsters and that they expect to show that
this monster actually does try to restrict trade
and to control the price OF Its product and the
output. some OF the MEMBER OF the
have been making private hunts for facts about
the tobacco monster, aud they think they have
the monster In one sitting. Tho thing that
worries them Is that this monster. like all the
product to the consumers. This chespening OF
tho price OF things Ia n popularity OF all the
monsters that the hunters are after. and IL Ia
the chief cause that tho hunters have for I'M
happiness. and that tired feeling that pervsdes
them ut the end Of each chase.
The tobacco monster Is known rs the Ameri-
can Tobacco Company, and has a capital of
1876. 900. 900. James Is. Duke Is the President
AND AND Mo- Rr,w srsS sas, ' bo,b s.rn .nS,a Mr. 9uf IL
the committee gets through with the tobacco
monster on Wednesday the wall paper monster
the wall paper monster did after Its birth was
TO reduce the price of wall paper, What will
been made public. The committeeman say that
the other monsters that they are after have not
yet been suopgnaed, and until they are nobody,
Will know which viii be hunted after the wall
paper monster.
< man who is interested In monsters. and who
has attended most OF the hunts 30 far, said to
THE Sun reporter ut one OF them:
The thing that strikes me most forcibly 10
forRets the fact that the corporations that 1t
IL abusing are the direct result OF trade con-
ditions., They were brought about by dcpres-
sion and competition that was ruinous. They
take the din ference in the margin Of profit on n
single pound OF a commodity. and u the margin
10 greater now than II was before the consolida-
tioD % the companies. they argue that the con-
sumer has been cheated. and that the price has
entirely tho fact that is unquestioned. that the
actnal price per pound to the consumer has boon
e ceaaSsai F9 Or. ,n p1,S, .; r ! hsST 10 IL ,h mind san, n1S q
has been reduced Ia cents a pound. But Mt
the sams time the margin of profit to the man
things we're brought about by the consolidation
OF interests that led to economies In production.
IL the Interests had not been consolidated the
economies could never have been effected. and
the consumers would have continued to pay IN
cent. q pound more for the commodity. and tho
MANUFACTURES would have continued TO 20 bank
rupt. Now. take sugar. Nobody denies that
the retail price OF sugar-thati is. the price that
you and pay at the grocer's-has been reduced
trust. which has since been succeeded
pany. Now at. the higher prices that the
consumer paid before the trust was formed the
individual manufactures lost money. They
were threatened with bankruptcy. The inter-
eats were consolidated and economies were
brought about that made possible the sale of
merly been charged. and nj the same time the
margin OF profit, to the manufactured was
in the margin OF profits is the sole basis for the
assertion OF this committee that the consumer
Th.y u Milfai,y ~ ignore moe eV ahs faea ,h %, ' me son.
sumner has benefited by An actual reduction in
the price per pouna which he has 70 pay: In
tho consumer is not the sole beneficiary OF
the combination OF interests. II goes on the
principle that the brains and the Intelligence
and business ability required to bring about tho
combination and successfully conduct the great
interests are not deserving OF any Of the rewards
sumner must have 1t all. IL does not consider
tho fact that II the combination had not been
brought about; II the brains, the Intelligence,
and the business ability had not been used at
all. the consumer would have had to pay the
Old price. for the commodity. and perhaps a
higher price. for tho ru,nous prices then exist
ing could not have continued always.
There Is one other thing that Ia particularly
noticeable about the investigation; That Is tho
general trend OF tho Questions. They are not
asked. apparently, with the idea OF ~oliciting in
formation, but with the idea OF making n case:
OF helping u few newspapers TO draw differences
that are not true. In two-thirds OF all the Ques-
tons asked there Is nm Implication that the cor
under Investigation Is necessarily
with the idea OF doing" the public.
assumes that each witness in any way inter-
ested IN the corporation Is trying 90 conceal
DO admitted TO he false by any fair-minded per-
son who has listened to the evidence or who has
read tho reports that have been printed In the
authority for this assumption in the bio
of the resolution that gave IL life. ldon't recall
any other public document that assumes so
much with not one iotA OF evidence to sustain |
IT. Listen to IL:
"'Whereds. Combinations OF capital In tho |
form Of trusts or otherwise appear TO exist ana
in this commonwealth. resulting In concen-
trating in the hands. OF q few various i'm
lies. shutting out competition. displacing labor. |
and driving the citizen OF moderate means out
OF business. with the effect that production and
supply and demand. or the rules OF normal and
competition, but by tho arbitrary de- |
cision OF combinations operating together to do
from the people: and. Il
"'Nherrds. II Is charged that combinations Of
capita, enjoy .P1s1:l .rd 20 ps SSbi,o Pp,s,isss' and and
furnish relief"