The labor world., 1899-12-02
n r. WILLIAM III. GRIFFITH,

wi tn-pi;1te manufacturer toio
the industrial commission some
Interesting things as to how
the tin plate trust is making
it impossible for him to manu-
facture tin plate as a private concern.
He said since the tin plate trust had
been organized the price Of tin plate
had advanced from $3.50 to to $465 per
hundred; that at $3.50 hundred there
had been 20 per cent profit in the busi-
ness. Under present conditions 1884
would be a profitable price. The Bal
timore fruit Gamers complain that
the coating of tin is so thin that they
cannot use the cans. Out of 272 mills
originally in the combination, 80 have
been closed, and the Workmen are out
of employment.
Now Abner Mckinley, the little
brother of the president, may be a
much maligned Individual, but a great
many people cannot help connecting
him with nice little profitable deals
in which he presumably got the right
tip from his big brother. 1t is just
one of those odd condolences that Alb
ner was in Washington when the
spectators of Wall street got advance
information and were able to make
many millions because they knew that
Secretary Gage was going to purchase
that $25,0O0,000 worth of governmenut
bonds. Besides the millions made by
the few on the inside, the net result
seems to be that stocks have gone up
again and London flnanciers are elated
that this country has so generously
saved it's money market from the dis
turbance threatened by the Transvaal
war; If the farmers and small mer-
chants find the money market any
easier on account of this recent pur-
chase bonds, they had better speak
up. Wall street is convinced that the
purchase was made for it's sole bene-
fit, and Wall street is usually right
where its own pocket is concerned.
The United States is not big enough
for the trusts. They are becoming in
ternational. Mr.. john w. Gates, man
aging director Of the American Steel
and Wire trust, frankly testified be-
fore the Industrial commission that he
had negotiated with Great Britain.
France, Germany, Belgium and other
countries to- bring about a consolida-
ton Of all wire-producing interests.
His statement about an international
wire trust merely illustrates what is
going on among other concerns. The
trust proposes to monopolize the earth
and the fulness thereof forts private
profit. The trusts jauntily admit that
protection is some value to Them but
it is evident that there are other things
of much more Importance: in the at;
tempt to corner the earth. They real
ize that by their scheme of closing
factories, keeping wages down and
putting prices up, they are seriously
limiting the consuming capacity Of this
country. In a comparatively short
time they will have supplied all the
consumers in the United States who
can afford to pay their prices. The
trusts are looking to the European
market for their products. Mr.. Gates
frankly admitted that the steel and
wire trust is selling it's goods cheaper
in England and on the continent, than
here. That kind of a trust doesn't
need much protection. Incidentally,
it may be presumed that the trusts
having completed, International ar
rangements will have no prejudices
against manufacturing their goods in
Europe if that happens to be more
economical than importing the cheap
labor to this country. The trust has
no sentimental desire to employ or
protect American labor if it can manu-
facture to better advantage elsewhere
and force us to buy it's products or go
without. This same agent of the Steel
and Wire trust sounded the keynote
of the new demands which the trusts
are about to maka upon congress.
Here are the things Mr.. Gates says
the trusts wants: Subsidies to en-
courage manufacturers; bounties for
national corporations of s5,0O0,00O and
over capital; liberal subsidies ito
steamship lines. Franchise taxes on
national corporation government su-
pervision and protective tariff were the
sugar plums he threw in. The trusts
know perfectly we'll that if they are
subsidized and paid bounties and fur
nished vessels with which to reach the
markets of the world, they will be so
strong that they can defy the govern
ment to exercise supervision over them
or collect taxes.