The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-12
Foolinr the PnhIic.


We have not yet been able TO discover
the purpose o. the investigation OF the
trusts which committee OF the New York
legislature is conducting. The intention
of the committee, judging from the ques-
tons which are asked the witnesses. is to
find out whether or not the trusts are
making big profits, and whether or not
those who organized the trusts did not
make great fortunes During the last few
days the sugar trust has been the subject
OF the committees inquiry. Several facts
have been brought out, among them the
following: Those VINO organized the trust
made a great deal of money and those who
hold the trusts shares receive large divi-
dends.
The people, however. are not so much
Interested in the amount of dividends
which the sugar trust pays as they are in
knowing whether or not the price Of redn-
ed sugar is higher now than before the
trust was formed, or whether there is
probability that it will be higher than it
was then. It is pretty plain that the con-
sumers of sugar are not going to complain,
even if the trust does make big profits, if
they get sugar at a less price than they
would If there were many competitors in
the sugar refining business.
Why doesn't the committee endeavor to
find out whether the public is injured or
benefited by the trust? 1t is simply fool
ing the people by trying TO show that the
profits of the trust are very great.
If what was stated by the trusts wit
nesses is true, the price of refined sugar
is considerably less now than 1t was be-
fore the trust was formed, and refined su-
gar will continue to be furnished to the
public at a lower price than it would if the
trust was destroyed and there were a doz-
en- or more companies in the sugar refining
business, competing for the sugar bust
ness of the country.
Before the trust was formed about one
hundred persons owned all the stock in
the different sugar refining companies. In
the sugar trust there are about nine
thousand stockholders The wages Of the
men employed in refining sugar are about
10 per cent higher now than they were be-
AOit Aip II u0L was 4pililcus II appears
therefore. that as far as the sugar con-
sumers and the sugar wage carriers are
concerned the sugar trust is not bad
thing.
We are not defending the sugar trust or
any other trust. But what we would like
to know is, why don't those who are in
vestigating the sugar trust endeavor to
show that the public and wage earners in
sugar factories would be benefited if that
trust was destroyed. Let them show that
the people would get their sugar cheaper
and wage earners employed in the sugar
refining business would be better paid if
the sugar trust were broken up, and then
there would be a howl OF indignation
against the trust from one end of the
country to the other. The people are not
going to demand the destruction of mo-
nopoly that is a benefit to them simply be-
cause il makes enormous profits.
1t IS fact that a monopoly can refine
! all the sugar needed to supply the demand
of this country at a considerably less cost
than a large number of refining companies
could do it. Why not then let a monopoly
do it. and fix by law the profit which the
monopoly shall have? What is sought is
cheap sugar for the consumer and that
appears to be a sure way to get it.