The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-04
rHE CHIcA @ "TRUaT" CONFERENCE

the falling leaves OF autumn. Time alone will
enable the public to Judge which OF those
rumors ore entitled to confidence. but. in the
meanwhile. the drift Of the market. except for
the Industrial stocks, IL toward a rise, though
somo nervous bank presidents are approhen-
sive OF troubls. In case the Democratic party
continues to advocate tho free coinage OF silver
at the ratio OF ~ to ! and evince determi-
nation to make II IN issue in next year Q Presi-
dentiai campaign.
A conference to consider the good and the
evil resulting from tho so-called trusts"
summoned at the Instance OF the Civic Fedora
ton OF Chicago, by the Governors Of twenty -one
States, 10 to be held at Chicago next week. be-
ginning on Wednesday. the 18th. and ending
on Saturday. the 18th. The names of the dele
gates invited to attend 1t make an i'm posing
show, com prising, besides Governors and ex-
Governors. large number OF State Attorney
Generals, United States Senators. prominent
politicians, like John Sherman, William j.
Bryan and Russell A, Algsr, representatives OF
various Boards Of Trade. Chambers OF Com
merce. and labor organizations. and some COL
lege professors. II only one-tenth OF the recip-
tents OF the invitation comply with IL the
conference will consist OF a sufficiently largo
number OF intelligent mon to entitle it's pro-
ceedings to respectful consideration, though
whether tho conclusions to which 1t may arrive
will be accented as decisive is doubtful.
Tie promoters OF the conference have wisely
taken measures In advance to supply 1t with
material for it's discussions in the shape of
facts. and thus to prevent 1t from wasting its
tins. as 1t otherwise might easily do in alb
stract theoretical disputes starting from purely
imaginary assumptions. They have addressed
lists OF questions to 10000 manufacturers,
contractors. bankers. lawyers. railroad mon.
and officers OF organizations engaged in in
dustrial enterprises. requesting information
concerning the practical working of tho new
system. and to these questions hundreds OF
answers have already been received. BY the
time the conference assemblies. enough moro
answers will arrive. it Is to be hoped. to
furnish tho conference with safe ground on
which to proceed. excluding random guesses
and pity defamation.
The two mair points to which the attention
OF the conference will DO directed are: First.
whether the so-called trusts tend to increase
or to diminish the cost of producing commodi-
ties: and, second. whether they tend to increase
or to diminish the prices exacted for those
commodities from their consumers. The friends
OF the trusts insist that they tend to cheapon
products both to the producer and to the
consumer. while their enemies assert that
whether they cheapen production or not. they
certainly do not lessen selling prices. but on
the contrary increase them above those which
ducers. which they prevent, were allowed to
work out It's legitimate results. II the confer
ence will bring out the truth on these points
80 that there can no longer be any reasonable
dispute in regard to them, 1t will achieve a
most valuable result.
Among the other bodies to which. on behalf
OF the conference. inquiries have been ad-
dressed in regard to the working OF trusts. are
labor organizations, which have been asked
A. Al Il IL Il
the conditions of dealing with 1t. but. by a
noteworthy oversight, not how the labor or
CARNATIONS themselves. which are confessedly
com binations for the purpose OF controlling
the price Of labor. affect wages and conditions
Of employment As the Acting President OF the
American Bar Association, the Hon. Charles
F. Henderson Of Nebraska recently said to
the association at its meeting at Buffalo. the
cost OF labor 10 the principal element Of the
cost OF everything that is made and sold. and
no investigation Of the good or evil results Of
trusts is complete. which does not embrace
The procedures OF the employed as well as
those OF their employers.
Combinations Of employers OF labor profess
10 seek to increase the profits OF their business
buly By economies which reduce the cost OF
production. Combinations of employees. on the
contrary. frankly proclaim that they seek to
benefit their mem bers by increasing the price
OF laoor-that Is. the amount OF wages paid Tor
work. The charge made against the combna-
tons OF employers Is that they secretly do
what the com bina atoms OF employees do openly
that's. endeavor to monopolize the supply OF
the commodities they produce. and, by pre-
venting competition. fix their own price for 1t.
Hence the cry for legislation to curb their OPP
erations and to maintain free field for rival
producers That no corresponding hostility is
displayed against labor organizations. and no
Effort made to defeat their attempt to monop-
oltze the supply OF labor Is one OF the inconsls-
tencles OF human nature which We must rec
oRntEe. but cannot explain.
Evidently monopoies. whether OF labor or OF
the products OF labor. must. to be successful.
be complete. Like the temporary corners in
stocks. grain. cotton. and other articles Of pur-
chase and sale. they break down as soon as 1t
10 demonstrated that they have failed to get
control OF the entire supply in the market,
Mr. Letter. for instance. could keep up the