Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-06-15

course would bring refined sugar down
to cents a pound.
Speaking of the coffee business, Mr..
Havemeyer said he was in the BUSH
ness, and in it to stay.
Mr.. Havemeyer's statement aroused
great interest and the next three hours
were devoted to answering questions
asked him in rapid succession by MEM
bers OF the commission. He at first
declined to state whether the company
was making money at present, saying
that was the business of the company
alone, but he afterwards made an in
cidental statement, which the commits
that the business was not profitable
now. The witness confessed that his
company had very little regard for the
welfare of rivals in business, saying
that prestige, experience and wealth
would win in the long run in the strug-
gle, and that trusts were an example
of the survival of the fittest in bust
ness.
THAT is trade" he said, "and the
sooner you realize it and quit trying
to control it by federal legislation, the
better for all. A man can not expect
to have himself continually wet
nNrsed by the government If men
do not want to buy our stocks they
need not They do not need govern
ment protection. If they wade In and
get stuck, let them get out, and il
they wish, wade in again. The fate
of rival concerns is their affair, not
ours"
Speaking of the ethics of life. sug-
gested by member of the commission,
Mr.. Havemeyer said:
Il don't care two cents for your eth
les | know nothing about them.
am talking about business
He declared that the tariff enabled
the steel rail trust to mulct the people
to the extent of SO per ton and said
incidentally that Mr. Cargenie had not
yet stated what he was going to do with
his money.
On the question of labor, Mr. Have
meyer said the laboring element We're
forced to form organizations, but that
in doing so they sacrificed much indie
pendence and the unions had the effect
of bringing men down to a low level"
labor and said that good men in the
employ of the trust were paid 10 per
cent. more than they could get else
where. He declared that his company
had not gone into combination with
any OF the independent refineries. Re
ports that such consolidation had
been effected were untrue.
Replying to a question as to how he
could conduct business at a loss and still
declare dividends, Mr.. Havemeyer de-
clared laughingly:
''one is an executive act and the other
a matter of business"
The witness expressed the opinion that
it would be good plan to expose the
business books to a government inspect
or. He closed with a protest against what
he called the tariff discriminations
against sugar reiterating that it was due
entirely to the feeling gainst combina-
tons in business The sugar refiners
have never had a fair hearing at the
hands of the ways and means committee"
he said. When | came here as an indi-
v.dul they were willing to give me any
thing, but when l came as the represent
ative Of the American Refining Company,
of five times the Importance, asking for
an adequate tariff, | was told to get out
and received no consideration. Yet the
day of the individual is past. If the mass
of the people profit at the expense of the
individual he must co.