The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-11-27
p,ornous Growth OF Trusts.

EnOfmOUS QrOWIm VI AEM9k9s
In spite of the fact that there 10 a
,ederal law prohibiting trusts, new
ones, are being formed every day
and those now in existence have an
aggregate capitalization of s2,7O2,-
7ss 900. The tendency to concen-
trate special Industries and bring
item under the domination of mo-
nopolistic corporations gathers force
steadily. Almost every branch of
the manufacturing business now has
;ts combination or trust. which con-
trolls both output and prices. Com
netition is crushed out by the big
aegregations of capital. The small
manufacturer finds that he must
either join the combination or go to
the wall, and in many cases he does
not even have n chance to join the
combination. Within the last six
months articles of incorporation
have been taken out by more than
one hundred companies of abnormal
Capitalization, which are designed to
take over' and concentrate tho
busiuess of scattered companies in
the various fields of industry. And
this in the face of the fact that the
United States supreme court has
now pronounced even the railroad
combination known as the Joint
Traffic association to be violation
of the federal antitrust law.
Trusts are multiplying much faster
than suits to dissolve them can be
brought in the conrts. 1t is only
few weeks ago that the great Feder-
al Steel company, with a capitaliza-
ton of 200 million dollars, was Incor-
porated in New Jersey. Recent
meetings have been held in this city
by the leading manufacturers of
acids and chemicals with a view of
forming so million dollar acid trust.
The silverplate interests have
lust combined under the name
of the international Silver
ware company, with capital
of $50, ,O0O, 900. An American Mailing
company has been organized with
$50, 900 900 of capital. Then there is
the American Thread company, cap
italized at 5000, 900, and the Knit
Goods company, with &c, 900 .O00, both
recent organizations. The tobacco
trust is now engaged in floating a
new corporation-the Continental
to control the factories making plug
tobacco, capitalizing it at S75, 900, 900.
One of the largest of all is in process
of formation by owners of the great
flour mills in this country. A capi-
talizatlon of $50, ,oO0. 900 is proposed
for it.
The Standard Oil company, being
the most conspicous, far-reaching
and powerful of the trade combina-
tons, naturally commands first at
tention in the enumeration of trusts.
1t is the typical trust, although spe-
cifcally and peremptorily forbidden
by law from being a trust. This
combination controls petroleum oil
redneries in all the principal North
ern cities of the United States, and
itproduces about 65 per cent of this
country's output of refined oil. The
big oil combinations represent a total
capitalization of s153 200 900.
The biggest trust of also far as
stock capitalization stands for big
ness-has just been formed in the
state of New Jersey. 1t is called the
Federal steel company, and it's au-
thorized capital stock is $500 900, 600,
which makes the total capitalization
OF the great steel corporations $3.50,
OOO,OOO
One of the most notable railroad
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