Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-01-31
ORIGINAL HONEST INTENTION PER-
VERIFIED BY GIGANTIC TRUST.
Statement Adopted I'm Washington
Yesterday Will he Presented to
President and American Com-
mission Negotiating Cn-
madam Treaty.

which shall protect American forests by
securing in the treaty now In course or
preparation between the United States ana
Canada a revocation of the present duty
on print paper and pulp from Canada.
MIR. c. W. Knapp was elected chairman
ard William c.. Bryan, of the brooklyn
Times. secretary of the meeting. After
brief and informal discussion. the following
statement of the views Of the American
Publishers Association was adopted, or
dered to be printed and presented to the
members of the commission and to repre-
sentatives and senators in congress-:
1.-The Representatives of a large number
Of newspapers. in meeting called at WASH
ington. D. c.. January 30. 1899. respect-
fully submit to the president and to the
American commissioners that the honest
intentions which originally induced the es-
tablishment of the tariff duty on paper and
pulp have been perverted to further the
purposes of recently formed corporation.
the International Paper Company, and that
every newspaper publication in the country
east of the Rocky mountains has been
placed at the mercy of that corporation.
Within the last week We are advised that
the International Paper Company has ac-
Quired fourteen additional mills. represent
ing the plants of three large concerns, and
that it is negotiating for three other prop
critics. which represent all of the output
from Independent mills in the territory east
of Michigan.
IN view of the fact that the International
Paper Company is selling its surplus paper
in England. Australia and Japan in sue
cessful competition with Canadian, Ger
man and Swedish manufacturers. and. in
view Of the important point that the In
ternational Paper Company is protected by
reason of its proximity to its customers
to the extent of an average of SLIGO per
ton, and by reason of its ability to obtain
cheaper and better supplies OF coal and
chemicals, We fail to see the occasion for
giving sanction to it's abuse Of government
al protection.
1.-The International Paper Company is a
combination of twenty-fcar mills tsince ex-
panded to thirty, which has been capi-
taliZed at $55.0O0,0O0. 1t controls 20 per
cent of the news output. Its promoters
frankly admit that the common stock of
$2O0O0,OO0 represents only good will. The
entire product of this large combination
should be duplicated with modern and bet
ter machinery at less cost per pound upon
capitalization of $l5.0000OO. so that print
paper users in the United States are forced
to bear the burden of an excessive capital
ization of s40,000,000 and to pay an added
charge of $2,O00OOO per annum. Every mill
owner who entered that combination in
vited withdrawal of tariff duties. Excess
and improper prices were paid for many
mills that were located on exhausted Wa
tercourses and that were tributary to oe-
nuded timber tracts for mills that at Ee-
RODS Of the year have an insufficient sup
ply of water or are under waters: for mills
that are inferior and worthless in machin-
cry equipment and construction: forS mills
that must pay excessive rental for water
power: for mills that do not own or con-
,tatt hos.
pulp grinding attachments nor sulphur pulp
mot one Of the mills in all the combi-
of the cheapest and most successful manu-
factIres. namely. cheap wood, cheap and
ample p yt water power @ cheap ,at rates to 1a mar
tion and concentration at one place under
one supervision. In some cases the Or
pany gave securities to mill owners repre-
senting FIVE times the actual investment
in the mills and in gathering together this
also acquire every available spruce tract
where cheap timber could be had and every
large water power. with one exception
erwise be established This object was
easily attained because our spruce supply
is being. exhausted at the rate of LOO
square miles per annum. The state of New
York has set aside a park Of 1000 square
miles of spruce territory and decreed that
no timber thereon shall ever be cut in or
supply and avert disastrous floods and pro-
tect agriculture and manufacture. Yer
its home demands. New Hampshire COM
missioners have issued solemn warning
that the states forest resources. at the
present rate of cutting. will be exhausted
in eight years. All the timber townships
of Maine that are accessible to the large
rivers have been denuded.
Conditions have radically changed since
the early settlers cleared away the virgin
forests. Millions OF population must now
be considered. and climate. health. water
supplies and kindred matters present new
problems for governmental action in regu-
lating the stripping of forests and in pre-
venting the annual loss of more than 500
100000 through forest fires.
"The machinery Of the government which
imposes prohibitory duty on print paper
Is also placing premium tuIns upon the 1 ex-
ing to the destruction wrought by forest
fires and vandal methods of timber cutting.
No successful competition with the Inter-
national Paper Company is possible in the
United States under existing circumstances.
Capital that may seek to develop new en-
terprises for the manufacture Of news paper
| is barred by the. trusts requirement of all
the possible facilities of paper production.
A tax on newspapers operates indirectly.
| as did the stamp tax of Europe to sup.
press newspapers 1t Is n tax of s., 100000
per annum on intelligence: tax on popu-
lar education and on political knowledge;
taken of the opportunity offered by the
Canadian treaty negotiation to place pulp
and paper on the free list and thereby give
of protection from this combination"
The following newspapers were repre-
sented:
New York Evening Post New York
Times. New York Staats Zeitung. New
York World, New York Commercial Bulle--
Union. SH srook!yn si Times. Rochester HeraIi.
| Jersey City Evening journal; Newark Daily
Advertiser, Buffalo News. Raleigh News
Bee Chicago Tribune Chicago Daily News
and Record. Chicago Journal. Toledo Bee.
| Toledo Blade. Detroit News. Detroit Trib-
nne. Detroit Journal. Burlington Free Press.
Denver Times; Denver Post, Denver News.
crat: Portland. Me. Press. New Haven
Register. Providence Journal. Newbury-
port Mass. Standard. New Bedford. Mass.
Mercury. Philadelphia Inquirer; Philadel-
eaii e Phiiadephia Hsae Evening Teiegraph.
Philadelphia Record. Philadelphia Press
Baltimore American. Baltimore News; Bal
timore Herald, Washington Star. Wash
sstsh Piftsburg Fof Post Rsains Pans Eaee Resd
ing Times, Reading Telegram. Reading Re
view and Post. st, Louis Republican, ST.
Louis. Post-Dispatch; st; Joseph Herald
Leader ana Rasia Mich
Paul Pioneer Press. Richmond. Va. Dis
patch, Savannah Morning News. New Or
leans Times-Democrat, New Orleans Pic
| ayune and Bee. Topeka State Journal. To-
A committee, consisting Of Mrs. H. Kauf-
| man, of the Washington Star: Beriah Wilk-
| ins. of the washington Post; r. w. Pat
terson, Of the Chicago Tribune; W; H. Self,
| Jr.. of the Philadelphia Inquirer. and Her
mann Rittler. Of the New York Stats Zei-
tung, was appointed to present to the pres
| ident the statement Of the views Of tho