Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-11-09
The Tobacco Trust,

process of formation has compe-
titor in the Liggett & Myers Tobac-
co Companp that will not enter the
trust, nor agree to any combination
that will restrict the business or
destroy competition. It's not often
that firm has the courage to defy
an organization as powerful as the
tobacco trust, but the Ligget &
Myers Co. has done it, and it has
issued circular showing the GER
tain and unavoidable harm that
will result from the trust CONTROL
ing the tobacco business of the
country, from which we take the
following extracts:
Commencing with the tobacco
planter, if all manufacturers were
merged into one hugh trust, he
would have but one concern to
which he could sell his product,
and in that case it is fair to assume
that the purchaser and not the
seller would fix the price. The re-
suit would obtain very low price
for his tobacco.
The tobacco ;workers3 1--WE meh
by this those who earn a livelihood
by working in tobacco factories)
would have but one concern to
which they could apply for employ
ment, and of course the company
would fix the price of their labor.
The workers would be compelled
to submit to greatly reduced wages.
Wholesale grocers and jobbers of
tobacco would have but one con-
Germ from which to obtain their
supplies of this article. There
would be no question as to price, as
the trust would fix that, there
would be no appeal from its deci-
sion,
The retail dealer in tobacco
would have to purchase the prod
uct of one concern only, or go out
of business; and the great army of
tobacco consumers would be COM
PEELED, if they continue to use to-
bacco, to purchase from the dealer
tobacco made by trust, The price
at which the consumer purchased
the tobacco would be virtually fixed
by the trust or combine, and the
chewer would be compelled to use
it regardless of whether it suited
his taste or not.
Again, there are thousands of
tobacco statesmen now in the en-
ploy of the various factories who
would be thrown out of employ
ment, and thus be compelled to go
into competition for situations with
statesmen or workmen in other Inns,
which of course would have a ten
dency to reduce the salaries of the
men who earn a livelihood in the
different occupations.
Thousands of book-keepel S,
clerks, porters, and men in various
other capacities, would likewise be
thrown out of employment and be
forced to compete with those in
other lines, thus bringing down the
wages of all.
Some of the largest interests in
the country have now been COM
bined, and others are in process of
pooling or going into a trust. Let
us suppose that all manufactures in
the different lines were pooled. 1t
does not require great stretch of
the imagination to see these differ
ent combines getting together TN
der one management, and in fact
becoming one huge trust; CONTROL
ing all commodities and fixing the
price of everything in common use.
Such a combination would be
stronger than any state government;
it nigh. be stronger than the gen
eral government itself and without
doubt would make stupendous eff
forts to control legislation in its
own interest. 1t would take away
the independence of the people and