The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-16
TRUSTS AND Low PRICES.


Indianapolis Ssntinei. Z.
The industrial commission, which q 10
sesaion In Washington, listened last week
to an argument il favor az trusts BY Mr.
+. p. Thurher. president Of the United
states Expert association. For The. most
part Mr.. Thurbers argument is merely
rehash Of the arguments that have been
commonly circulated BY the defenders
OF trusts. and which our readers have
doubtless ell met in discpsaionn with re-
publicans on this subject. For example.
no urged that trusts made commodities
cheaper instead Of dearer, and in illuatra-
ton stated that under the consolidation
effected By the Standard OIL company oil
had appreciated in price from 2s,7 cents
rer gallon In 1871 10 81 cents in 1898, and
a similar condition was shown as tho re-
suit OF the furination OF the sugar trust,
duo to thu purchase OF the raw material
ut a cheaper rate than individual roslncrs
act H. Assuming that Lis figures are
correct, II by no means follows thnt tne
depreciation IN price Is due 70 the trusts.
Everybody knows that there has peel u
General decline in prices Of commodities
in the same period, and no doubt Mr.
] Thurber, II he were arguing TO working
| men, would tell them that they wore bell
ter on because the purchasing power OF
the dollar which they receive tor wages
| had increased. Certainly the purchasing
power OF the dollar on the average is
about twice what II was In 1871. and On
tho mere average change In purchasing
power there would have been fall OF
about 10 cents. gallon ip this period,
without any reference 10 trusts.
~
But further than this. II ought TO bs
apparent to every rational man that the
chief cause OF tho decline OF price OF oil
has been competition. although the stand
ard Oil company has cruahcd competi-
tlon 80 far as It could, 1t has bean able
to freeze out oil dealers and Gamers Of oil
lands and refners, but there ara two forms
of competition Il bad TO meet OIL Is
used chiefly for lighiing aud u had TO
meet ccmpetitlon In other forms OF light
ling, Electricity and gas have largely.
supplanted kerosene wherever they could
he obtained, They cost more, hut trey
are more convenient and less dangerous.
The only point on which the Standard on
company could meet them was chcappess,
There would have been thousands mere
using the other lights but for the fact
; that kerosene was made cheap to them, In
. the second place, while Il suppressed COM
petition at homo, vast oil nelds were dis
covered abroad, and their product. espe-
J cially that OF the Russian nelds, was nut
, in open competition with the standard oil
product. II was reported anme months
ago that the Russian monopoltats and tbs
tAmerican monopollsts had arranged mat
; tiers by dividing the world into exclusive
) territories for operation However that
may be, It Is certain that the Standard
! oil company has absolutely controlled
prices In this country, and that II has
never put prices low enough TO prevent
! it's profits from being gorgeous, 4 is a
notorious fact that the incomes Of its
controllers are beyond anything ever
Z known outside OF fairy books, and that
they have been reaching out in the search
9 for Investments to the control of other In
dustries, II there Is any virtue In the
theory OF diffusion Of wealth there canuot
be any legal henent from this concentra-
ton OF enormous proltB IN the hands OF
few men, and there can be no good rea-
I son for believing that the price OF Gil
would have been lers II a hundred or
even dozen companies had been com
peting for PATRONAGE. In this country.
9 49,
, Another common falIaoy Is repeated by
y Mr., Thurber in this proposition:
4 ~ am not Interested In trusts, except
b as student of their politico -economic
n feature, but ! am satisfied that We must
( have this organization OF industry II we
| would keep up with the procession in The
: march for the worlds trade. There are
t lao, 900, 900 people in the world, OF which
e we have 75,oooooo possessing a larger
r purchasing power than any similar mum
her elsewhere and larger producing
I power, hecRuse we command the great
: forces Of nature and Of brain power em-
. bodied In machinery to greater extent
than any other nation With consuming
M atr.rr
! pawer OF lla 100000. Our problem Is TO
, keep our labor and capital continuously
and remuneratively employed by pregerv-
ing our home market ana reaching out for
place to dump our surplus among the
i other l,3G5 0Qo 600, each OF whom have
Z somy wants"
II This Is the common fallaoy Of taking
a aggregates aud applying them to indivl-
' duals. True, we have as a nation great
" producing power and great brain
d power" and all that sort oil thing; but
!, ~ IS not restricted TO the few men WIN
y appropriate the vast rroats that are ored-
o tied TO the 'nstion" under the trust sys-
~ TEN, suppose that hundred brains werc
70 devoting themselves to advancing our
p foreign trade? II the thousands OF bright
Y, minds OF this country were engaged ia
10 finding means to surpass our foreign con,
y petitors In the production and supply Of
~ goods Instead of being crushed out 81 the
TX contest by an avalanche Of greedy capital
Is AZ home tina. wants the earth. conditions
IN would be very different. We should then
II get the advantage OF the nations brain
"A POWER in fact The central featuy OF tha
If American tnoory has always bern % open
" no doors OF opportunity to all, and trust
NJ that The individual desire for SUCCESS
q, would bring the best recults for the pub
, lie. The idea that the public can he bsne
"a ilted by closing the avenues to Success Ia
~, all hut favored few Is not American and
=. II IL not sensible. That Is what the trust
70 system docs. II Is crushing out American
~ enterprise except as It Is directed TO "get-
ting into tho push"
Az