The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-08-04
Che Wessen9er.
AN EXCELLENT OBJECT LESSON As
To TRUSTS

The Charleston News and Courier
tells Of a performance Of a trust at
Cheraw, South Carolina, tina has more
than a local interest. 1t shows What
a strangulation a trust has when II
fastens itself upon a local industry,
large or small. It seems that the meal
mills up north have combined"
their aim, as it is with all gigantic
monsters of the trust kind, is to crush
out all opposition. At Cheraw there Is
a small meal mill. To clip it, stop 1t,
there is a cut in prices by the monster
in the north. The Charleston paper
SAYS, and it is practical and important:
'It is the familiar plan of operations
OF the alien and evil concerns, n is
unusually effective. AS our correspond
ent says, 1T freezes out local enter
prises and forces all business to the
large mills at the big centres
''The situation requires some atten-
ton, we submit, on the part of the
people Of Cheraw, and Of the ~neighbor-
ing country. The little meal mill at
home is worth more to them, and de-
serves more from them, than all the
big mills in the combine. 1t ought to
be b~efriended and supported accord
ingly. 1t is a home concern organized
doubtless by home money, and oper-
ated by home labor. It's goods are nom
est and fresh. 1t makes a market Tor
the homemade product, of home
grown corn
1t does not appear to have occurred
to the farmers n others in the south
that they would not be so completely
at the mercy of the sharks if they
would combine against them. If the
people would in a manly and united
way absolutely refuse to buy all COM
bine products it would soon make their
united power felt. Suppose all the to-
bacco rover resolve not to make a
pound of leaf tobacco in the years 1900
and 1901, and stick to the resolution
faithfully, unfinchingly. Would not
the greedy, grasping, vigorous tobacco
conspirators feel it? Could they carry
on their game of oppression against the
people if they had no fresh tobacco in
two years? If two years woul not be
long enough, make it five years. The
farmers would lave excellent opportu-
mites then to cultivate other crops
which they might find equally as prof
liable and satisfactory. All know that
diversifying crops is much needed, and
when wisely pursued is found to be
profitable. A wise distribution Of crops
will pay better than from year to year
to grow tobacco to enrich the FUCKERS
and grinders who will devour the sub
stance of the people, and then parade
before the public as millionaire gran
dees and as benevolent dispensers of
other peoples goods, getting all the
credit that rightly belongs 70 the
robbed and injured. e!
he able News and Courier is pre-
cisely right as we see it. 1t avs, and
let people generally consider this les
son Of oppression and proposed relief:
1.-The people of the district should not
stand idly by and see such an enter
prise, with such deserts and such pos
sibilities, knitted by an INSCRIPTIONS
foreign concern, which has no inter- )
est whatever in them except the money
it can make out Of them, by whatever
means. Sentiment n self-1nterest
alike suggest that they should make
the cause of the local mill their OWL.
Sentiment, because it IS a local enter
prise, and s~elf-interest because in saw
ing n helping il they will help them
selves and save themselves from the
aggressions of the common enemy.
The combine has cut pr ces' only to
kill the Cheraw mill. When it is starv-
ed out prices will sgo up again and
higher than before. 1t is a silly commu-
nifty that could be fooled 50 easily, TO
it's own lasting injury, and with It's
eyes wide open. AS the community or
Cheraw and Whereabouts is nor a silly
one, it should not allow itself to be
fooled on this occasion"
Stand by home people and home in
dustries. Do not help those who OBJ
press you. Do not play into the hands
of the greedy and INSCRIPTIONS de-
vourers of the people. Unite for de-
fence. The people once united can put
a severe curb on trusts if they do not
rid the country of the immoral and ru-
nous things that blast as with the
mildew of death.