The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-12-20
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.

Attention has recently been callet
bv one of our Northern contemporaries
10 the fact that trusts exist in foreign
countries as well as in the United States,
and that in some OF the foreign countries
to a greater extent than on this side of
the Atlantic.
Whether or not this has reference to
what are strictly speaking trusts or to all
CORPORATIONS which have been denominated
trusts by the politicians, we do not know
But it is enough TO know that in all
civilized countries the tendency is now
towards combination. 1t has been as
certained that sharp competition between
individual concerns is too frequently the
death of trade, rather than the life of
trade, according to the proyerb, and bus
mess men have finally come to the con-
clusion that it is cheaper for competitors
to make terms and do business together
than for them to fight each other to the
finish.
The point we would make Is that this
sort of cooperation is now practically
universal, and again that in this age ma
ton is in competition With nation in the
manufacture and distribution of goods
From this It is plain to any thinking man
that if the manufacturers Of the United
States would compete with -nanufactur-
ers abroad. they must adopt the same
economical measures that prevail else
where. Large corporations operated ac-
carding to the most advanced methods
of science and economy are necessary in
this country because they exist in other
countries. No sensible man would try
TO conduct manufacturing business
according to the methods of an hundred
years ago He would not attempt TO
manufacture by hand in competition with
others who are manufacturing by inn
proved machinery. The same rule OBJ
tains when it comes to competition be-
tween nations.
For many years the manufacturers OF
this country did not attempt to sell their
goods abroad to any considerable extent
Thanks to our high tariff and home
market" idea We attempted to live within
ourselves and for while we got along
toierably well. 1t was not necessary to
economic because we shut out foreign
competition by our tariff wall and our
manufacturers were content to do bus
mess at home. But we learned d great
lesson from the adversely of 1S93-1S96.
Our manufacturers found that in order
TO sell their goods at all they must re-
duce the price. and SO they began to
cconomize, employing every possible de-
vice and finally they reduced the cost to
a figure which enabled them to sell their
product abroad in competition with for
cign factories.
This, as we have intimated. was brought
about largely by combination and CO.
operation. and from that time our for
cign trade expanded at an enormous rate.
We have abandoned the home
market" idea and we are now looking
abroad for markets for our surplus pro-
ducts. Our foreign trade will continue to
expand SO lca.g as we can compete sue
cessfuliy with foreign manufacturers
But in order TO do this we must meet
trust with trust. We remember some
time ago TO have heard a number of men
talking, together about conditions in this
country. and they agreed that labor saw
Ing machinery was a curse, and that it
ought to be abolished. That if We would
only rsturn to old-time methods of hand
labor there would be plenty Of profitable
work for everybody. But suppose we