The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-28

expenses, greater efficiency, and pro6uc-
ton on a larger scale, and the realization
Of greater profits without advancing
prices. When a number of small indi-
vidual plants are thus united for q COM
mon object under efficient official man
agement the expenses are materially cut
down. With the increased capital which
this method admits OF. better machinery
IS secured, with better results IN meeting
foreign competitions. which adds largely
TO this country's exports. In this way this
country has, during the past ten years,
increased its ability 10 compete success
fully with Great Britain and other Euro
pean countries; thus, in the seven months
ending February I, our exports of manu-
features increased 14.3 per cent, while the
total exports, including manufactures in
creased only 4.3 per cent and the export
OF all articles excepting manufactures but
S.S per cent. That We would never have
arrived at this pitch OF prosperity in man
ufacturing without capital combining for
this very purpose viii be seen more clear
~ if instead OF seven months in one year
we make the comparison for the past ten
years. taking seven months ending Feb
ruary ! for each year of the ten. In the
seven months Of 1858 So the exports OF man
ufactures were SIS, %. 4Ss. In 1872 they had
risen TO Se6 ,0e5, 40 In 1898 "a panic year.
they had fallen to SIS. 27S, 10. but the next
year they had again risen TO $iii, 005 0SS.
In 1895 they were down again. probably the
chief cause being the silver agitation.
which made foreigners distrustfu! of our
stability; consequently they fell about
seven millions. to $40, so7. 1o1. but in 1886
there was again an advance TO S125. Sa2 So,
showing the faith that the country had
begun to exercise in the permanency of
the gold standard When that perma-
nency was assured by the election OF Nc
Kinley there was an immense stride in
these exports of no less than $27 600 600
the aggregate having risen TO 1888, $50 So.
Though the figures Of 1898 did not move
up with such enormous increase as the
previous year. yet IL was more than nine
millions, the total being $3.50 541. 049; but
the record for the seven months ending
last February came up 20 s-S2, 1886. 500, show
ing an advance of more than 81, 600 oDo
breaking all records in increase. except
ing the seven months ending February l,
1897
Now the great and underlying principle
that has put 1t in our power during the
last decade TO make such an unprecedent-
ed advance in a department OF commerce
from which we were generally supposed
to have been almost excluded, is that OF
the much msligned combination of cap
itaL. Without such means as we possess
despite much ignorant hostility of ag-
gregating capital, there could have been
no such progress as these statistics so
clearly demonstrate.
People who take a narrow view of the
subject talk about the system throwing
men out of employment. To my mind IL
Is evident that there must have been far
more money spent in wages when the
manufactured exports were s1S2. 000. 600 than
when they were only SIS. 900. 600 ten years
previously. More than double the value
of material by nearly three millions worth
certainly could not be moved by a less
number Of men. 1t probably required more
than half as many more, namely, 80 per
cent, and during this period labor Itself
has only increased 25 per cent. thus leav-
ing the workingman better off than before
progress in the improvement of machin-
cry.
can anybody imagine that the railroads
could employ an army of 10000 workmen
at good wages and that 100 part Of cent
per ton per mile YOU'D make the difference
between DIVIDEND and no dividend TO GER
tain prosperous roads If the principle OF
of combination were not worked extensive
ly in the railroad industry? AS similar
arguments apply to other industries with
equal cogency. 1 consider it unnecessary
so for himself by opening his eyes, look
ing over the industrial field, past and
resent, coolly rejecting on the situHition,
and without permitting political prejudice
or newspaper sensationaism TO cloud his
reason or distort his common sense. One
of the results inseparable from combina-
tons, no matter how selfish the promoters
may be, is that they make everything
which they produce cheaper TO the con-
sumner than it possibly could be without
their existence; and the larger the combi-
nation, as rule. the better and the cheap
er is the consumer served. It's only dur
ing the brief transition period Of the
change from the separate concerns 10 the
combine that wage earners suffer. After
that they are better of and labor ie more
fully employed. usually at higher wages.
Many of the smaller concerns that go
into the combines. and obtain very proita-
BILE remuneration for their properties,
would otherwise become bankrupt.
The fact reduction in the price Of
manufactured article invariably stimulates
needs no more demonstration
than that the indexible law OF supply snd
demand disposcs OF any fear as to arbi-
trary advances IN prices"