The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-08-12
SOME EFFECTS
Of the Trusts on the Public While in Private
.~.. Hands. ."
Hands.
BY PAUL WILLIAMS.

wv probable effect on the
small retail business of the
country when we asked DR.. Penrose
the reason for the growing hatred
existing among the people against
trusts. @
'sThe reason, Mr.. Williams, for that
feeling is in the fact that the average
business man fears the power of the
great combine. He knows that the
purpose of the trust is to make mon
ey, to accomplish which means the
crushing out of all competition, and
he naturally feels that it is only a
question of time when he too will tind
his business destroyed
s.'What evidence, Doctor, do we have
that the combine will prove hurtful
to the general public? q
ttsIt is a well known fact,'' replied
the Doctor, ''that corporations will
resort to peculiar business conduct
that individuals would shrink from in
their individual capacity. We will
take as an illustration the combine
which rules the meat trade in 5acertain
part of the world. At the stock
yards in one of the great metropol.
itan cities the cattle buyers have hal
law enacted that hay shall cost the
cattle shipper a good round sum every
day the animal shall remain at these
yards unso,d. The price is SO high us
ITO make the shipper very anxious to
sell his cattle when they get to these
yards ..55 *. 4
Now behold what the great meat
packing combine does in their treat
1,ent of the cattle shippers which the
packers would not think Of doing
as single individuals = I. I.
TT is Monday morning, we will sup-
pose, and the stock yards are cleaned
out. Cattle have been low in price but
the yards are now empty. On this
Monday morning the live stock re-
porters appear at the yards TO get
the market news. In reply to in in
#quiry they are informed that general
scarcity has raised the value and ca cat
tie on the hoof are worth a greatly
advanced price this week.
.sWell, that would be all right,
wouldn't it Doctora Scarcity would
raise the price Of course r f.
Eyes, but see the result, Mr. Will
7 liams. Thousands of cattle raisers
have been watching, the markets and
waiting for the price to come up.
The market reports Indicate a good
price and the, cattle raisers conclude
they will ship at once, and forthwith
hundreds of cars Of cattle are on the
way to market. Very soon the cars cars
loaded with thousands Of head Yof
cattle are in readiness to be unloaded
at the stock yards. 1t is clearly evir
dent that the market is glutted as
the packers designed it should he.
Price goes down, of course, and SO tn,
packers buy cattle at their own
figures" 5;.&s ,5s s553 8.s
s'But the owners can hold their cat
tie, can't 5hey, Doctor?' p
Eyes, they can hold them, but the
stock yarG charges fer feeding, are
such that the cost of holding will be
burden too great to bear. They
had better sell. and they must scl
at possibly several cents, per pound
less than:the advertised price of last
week, in order to go home with any
money. Thousands of cattle shippers
have been bankrupted by these false
market reports intended to glut
the market and law ought TO corn
pei the packers to pay this week the
price that was announced last week.
But the law is powerless, and the
packers rule the market to suit them
selyes.''
ssWhat follows, Doctor?'
'sNext week, after the animals at the
yards are sold, the price goes IN again
and in comes another avalanche OF
cattle. Down goes the price again be-
cause you see, the market is ''con-
gested." And SO the price goes down
and up. Up wien the yards are emp
tied of cattle and down when the
packers, through their reported high
prices, have the markets again 'sover-
stocked" And SO these packers jug
gle the market. the people looking on
in amazeme 1T at the great business
capacity of these multi-millionaires. .
''What jother syndicate and com
bines are there to find fault with,
Dcctor?"
..To find misrepresentation you have