The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-09-28
a Few Questions.


In an editorial on ''The Tribune or
Trusts, - the Sentinel quotes the follow
ing from an editorial in the New York
Tribune and comments on it in an un
favorable way: eff travelling statesmen
are no longer wanted for hundreds OF
companies formerly competing, but
now nnbined, the cost of that conpe-
tition will be added to the savings of
CONSUMERS or to the profits of producers
and either may well be spent to satisfy
other wants." The Sentinel points
errut that the three classes offered con-
ISOLATION in the above sentence are
''the travelling statesmen whom COM
bination has thrown out of employ
>anent, consumers of articles made by
the trusts, and producers of these same
articles" and argues that the first
class, namely, the travelling statesmen,
receive mighty little consolation there
from, AND that the statement that the
a. CONSUMERS profit by their loss is an.
open question. In fine, the Sentinel
% LlIdl lIlS Jill S1cLoo w AAO NSAA1 II LIN
any comfort in the words of the Til
buneiis the producers.
WE would not undertake to argue the
matter with the Sentinel, for the Tri-
Tbune is amply able to fight its own
battles, but for our own satisfaction
we will venture a few questions, on
which probably the Sentinel will be
rleased to en1ighten lis.
WV the first place, is it not true that
the combinations of capital which
have. characterized the present decade
- mark an epoch in the evolution Of the
5udustria1 world? And, furthermore,
~, it not true that all such epoch max
ing developments, whether political,
social or industrial, with the innova-
ftions that they introduce, generally
cause temporary disturbances, though
in the end they prove blessing to the
community? The introduction into
the Industrial system OF mechanical
contrivances, whereby one man was
enabled to do the work formerly re-
guuiring half d dozen, threw labor out
of employment temporarily. But in
time the new methods materially
z;heapened the cost of production,
thereby reducing the price to consum-
eers to ssnct a degree that the market
was greatly enlarged and the labor at
first made idle was again given EN-
p1ovmert at advanced profit to itself.
Is it not probable that the trusts will
eventually, in the same manner, by
widening the market, provide new
fields for the employment of the labor
they may temporarily depose?
1t would seem that one could antici-
pate the answer of the Sentinel to the
last query since, in the editorial in
question, it argues that the trusts,
through the necessity of paying divi-
1dends on over capitalization, will raise
rather than lower prices. But this
argument brings up our last question.
Does not the figure at which an article
can be produced with reasonable profit
nnder existing conditions determine
whether or not the price at which ii is
sold is high or low; and if so, how can
"a combination, unless natural mon
Op1y, maintain itself when selling it's
produce at relatively high prices; that
rs, beyond what it can be produced and
sold at with reasonable profit? Will
not competition spring up when this
point is reached? At any given time
at1ere is a certain figure, around which
there may be some fuctuation, at
which a given article may be produced
and sold at fair profit. That we call
reasonable price. Competition keeps
prices close to this point until a
great combination, with it's increased
facilities for eheapeninG production,
drives competition out of the field by
anderse11ing it. So far the consumer
IS benefited by the change. Is it not,
then, inevitable, the moment the COM
bination raises prices to the point at
which they we're prior TO The combina-
ation, that competition will set in to
reduce matters to their normal condi-
tio1l unless it is kept out by protecting