The Goodland republic., 1898-11-18
STILL TIE TRUSTS GROW.


In spite Of the fact that there is
federal Law prohibiting trusts, new
ones are being formed every day and
those now in existence have an aRgre-
gate capitalization Of s27O2, ,T68s 800.
The tendency to concentrate special
industries and bring them under the
domination Of mOnopolistic cOrpOr-
ations gathers force steadily.
/ Almost every branch Of the man
ufacturing business now has its com
binatiOu, or trust, which controls both
output and prices. Competition is
crushed out by the big aggregatiOns Of
capital The small manufacturer finds
that he must either join the combin-
alton or go to she wall, and in many
cases he does not even have a chance
to join the combination
Within the last six months articles
OfincOrpOratiOn have been taken out
by more than 100 companies Of abnor-
NAL capitalization, which are designed
to stake over" and concentrate the.
business Of scattered companies in the
various fields Of industry. And this
/ in the face Of the fact that the United
State supreme court has now pronoUnc-
/ ed even the railroad combination
known as the Joint Traffic association
to be a violation Of the federal anti
/ trust law.
Trusts are multiplying much faster
than suits TO dissolve them can be
brought in the courts. It is only a
few weeks ago that the great Federal
Steel company, with a capitalization of
200 million dollars, was incorporated
! in New jersey. Recent meetings have
been held in this city by the leading
manufacturers Of acids and chemicals
with a view Of forming a 80 million
dollar acid trust.
The silver plate interests have just
confined under the name Of the Inter
national Silverware company, with a
capital Of 80 million dollars. An
American Mating company has been
organized with 80 million dollars Of
capital Then there Is the American
Thread company, capitalized at Is
million dollars, and the Knit Goods
company, with 30 million dollars, both
recent organizations.
The Tobacco trust is now assisting
in floating q new cOrpOratiOn-the
Continental-to control the factories
making plug tobacco, capitalizing it at
% million dollars. One Of the largest
of all is IN process Of formation by
owners Of the great -four mills Of the
country A capitalization Of 15O mil
lion dollars is proposed for it.
New Jersey aud West Virginia are
| conspicuous among the seates that in
vite great combinations Of capital by
liberal Incorporation laws. More large
I industrial companies, commonly de-
nominated trusts, have been incorpor-
ated in New Jersey within the last few
years than IN all Of the other states
combined Irrespective OF their pOliti-
cal affiliations the legislators Of New
Jersey have stood together in enacting
laws favorable to corporations. Every
thing possible has been done to make
legal combinations Of financial inter
ests easy, convenient and comparative
/ ly inexpensive in the state Of New
| jersey. The scheme Of organization as
contained in a certificate Of incorpOra-
ton obtained in that state is largely
left to the incOrporators. Within GER
tain limits parties by their certificates
Of incorporation obtain what is prac-
tically equivalent to a special act Of
| the legislature comforting the most
liberal powers for business purposes.
The Standard Oil company, being the
most conspicuous, far reaching and
powerful Of the trade com binations
naturally commands first attention in
the enumerstiOns Of trusts. It is the
| typical trust, although specifically and
peremptOrily forbidden by law from
being a trust. This combination con-
trolls petroleum oil refineries in all the
principal northern cities Of the United
States, and it produces about 65 per
cent Of this cOuntry's total output Of
refined oil It embraces 40 or 50 small
Ter companies and controls the pipe
| lines laid for the transmitting Of oil to
tidewater- 1t has for years absolutely
controlled the market price OF petro-
leum- In accordance with the mandate
Of the federal courts the Standard Oil
trust started to "liquidate," but this
has now been Ostensibly in progress
for years. The trust certificates are
being formally cancelled and the trus
i tees are assigning tn the ownars fba
legal little to the stocks which were
/ fOrmerally held in trust.-N. Y. Herald
TIE REPUBLIC one year one dollar.