The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-07
WITS OUT
Pioneer nvel-
ope Men
ARE NOT IN TRUST
They Desired Their Com
pany to Run Independently

The envelope trust. better known as
the United States Envelope Company,
retires from business two of the Oldest
and most esteemed envelope manufac-
turers of the city, and thereby hangs
a tale.
d. Wheeler Swift formerly president
of the Logan, Swift & Brigham Enve-
lope Company, and Henry D. Swift,
vice president of the same concern, be-
fore it was merged INTO the Envelope
company, are no longer identified with
the envelope interests of the CITY, The
United States Envelope Company has
stepped in, and these two envelope
makers, who have grown gray in en-
velope manufacture, step our.
The members of the trust say that
these two gentlemen simply retired
from business; that they had accumu-
lated sufficient wealth to support the
idea of retirement, and that they had
gone out of the business in conse-
quence. But, as Rudyard Kipling
would say. there is another story, as
the two former members of the firm
of Logan, Swift &c Brigham decline to
give their reasons. The people of this
city will learn with great regret that
the Swifts, who have done much to
build up the envelope industry Of this
city, should be obliged to yield to the
big combination and retire with as
much grace as possible.
Last evening, former Vice President
Henry D. Swift was seen at his pleas
ant home on Claiming street, and
talked briefly of the break between the
trust and the envelope company with
which he was connected. In response
to the question as to the time when the
difference originated, Mr.. Swift said
that the trouble arose far back of Au-
gust 18th, when the United States En-
velope Company was formally organ
lied, and the local companies passed
into the control of the trust.
In further discussion of the matter,
la k'eeA0 hlAe~L ilC tldQ GOOQ IGdSOI1S LOT
not saying anything on the subject, and
with this pregnant and significant
remark, was disclosed the secret of the
situation, why the trust exists today
and the Swifts are not of it.
When the plan of the formation of
the great envelope combination of the
country was first evolved, the scheme
did not meet with the expected sup
port and approval given it by Mr.. Jas.
Logan, general manager Of the firm,
who is now resident manager for the
Worcester representative factories COM
bined. The Swifts had reason to be-
lieve at the time that the company as
an independent concern could make
even more of a success than If it were
merged into a trust, and for this rea-
son the trust promoters met with some
obstacle.
The feeling was then, as it has re-
manned since, that the company of
Logan, Swift & Brigham with it's pres
tige IN the market, could hold its own
against the trust, and that by staying
out, its business would increase at
larger ratio than if it went into the
trust body and soul with the other
companies. And again, the
trust promoters depended upon the firm
Of Logan, Swift & Brigham to bring
the other Worcester companies into
line.
The Swift faction of the firm was OPP
posed to the combination, and even
more so when the action of the COM
pany in large measure dictated the
attitude which the other envelope
of this city were to pur-
sue in regard to entering the combine
or staying out.
The firm of Logan. Swifs & Brigham
went, and the entire envelope industry
of the city followed it into the trust.
Without the presence of the Worcester
concerns the trust would have been
weak, and would have presented but a
poor defence to the strength of the
concerns if they We're run
ming independently.
The backbone of the trust is in Wor-
cester, as is shown by the fact that
the president, Charles H. Hutchins, and
the general manager. James Logan, are
both residents of this city. Hence is
seen the essentially to the trust pro-
moters of having the big firms in Wor-
cester enter the movement
From the conception of the idea in the
early spring months of the present year
up to the time the trust was consum-
mated, the Swifts were opposed to the
scheme and the plan by which it was to
be executed. When the United States
Envelope Company came into being the
Swifts accordingly were on the outside.
and have since been retired.
James Logan of the United States
Envelope Company said yesterday that
he Swifts had the privilege of going
nto the offices of the company here as
they pleased, and the wish was ex-
pressed that they continue as long as
they see fit However, the Swifts
themselves do not feel the same in re-
gard to the matter, but as they are
not actively identified with the trust,
and their interest is only in the stock
Of the trust, which they received in re-
urn for their stock in the independent
company, they do not wish to revive
he old trouble.