Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-09-20

Why, mamma, there Is one poor little non
that isn't getting a bit 1t is even so with
the republican leaders. Their
goes out freely to any corporation, which
| they are not moved by the hardships i'm
| posed by monopoIies upon all who are out
Side OF the charmed circle. Three sessions
OF congress have convened and adjourned
since the presidents Inauguration, and yet
he has never recommended a spec1hc meas
ure looking toward the overthrow OF
m~onOpoiles-
Paper Money Trust.
"At the opening of the last session OF
congress the republican leaders pressed
through the house and senate a bill Great
ing a paper money trust and s~drrenoered
into the hands of the national banks COM
piete control of the national currency.
Just as congress was closing a farcial and
hypocrit;cal attempt was made to deceive
the public by the Introduction of an anti
trust amendment, and an antitrust Dill;
The amendment was not necessary ana
noWer which thew now possess. rather than
to confer upon congress new authority.
| lican leaders then confessed the amend
ment unnecessary by introducing an anti
democrats, but which died in the senate,
just as it was expected to die. The repub-
lican majority in the senate referred the
bill to the judiciary committee against the
protests of the democrats, who urged its
draws its contribution from the trusts
during the compaign, and pays back its OBJ
legations by leaving the people at the mer-
LET us note briefly the effect of the
trusts upon various classes. Reference has
already been made to the commercial trav-
eler, the hotel keeper. the railroad, the liv-
| eryman and the newspaper
The Effect of Trusts.
The LAWYERS are finding that with the
growth of trusts the business is gravitat-
ing toward the offices of the big corporation
attorneys, while less fortunate practition-
ers are becoming law clerks.
The actors suffer from the theatrical
trust.
menaced by the trusts.
H does not know at what moment some
large corporation will attempt to monoP-
and give him his choice between bankrupt
cy and participation in an Industrial con-
Many have been driven into the trust or
ganization by the larger corporations en-
gagged in the same business, or by trusts
formed to control iron, steel, tin plate. or
some other product used as a basis for FUR
Their manufacture In what business can
capital to-day? If he starts into any indie
pendent business he will find it difficult, if
not impossible. to compete with a large or
ganization if it attempts to undersel him
in his territory, because it can sustain it
of the country. If he suppresses his moral
objections and takes stock in a monopoly,
he does not know how soon those III charge
may, attempt to freeze out the smaller
"The merchant is losing his independ-
ence. The truGt fixes the terms upon which
he shall sell, EnG often binds him by con-
tract not to seal a competing ARTICLE. When
the monopoly is complete credit will be
shortened. and the merchant will be COM
PEELED to bear all the risks of trade. When
the trust raises prices, the merchant usual
ly has to divide the advance with his GUS
toners, so far as stock on hand is con-
cerned. but when the trust overstocks the
merchant must bear the loss on a~ccumulat-
ed stock. When. for instance, the Ameri,
of its factories a few months ago and threw
some 6.0o1 employees out OF work. 1t
dropped the price Of nails and barbed wire
had accumulated because the high prices
had lessened the demand. Every merchant
lost money on the nails and wire on hand.
There is already overprOductfon in
many lines. The supply of common chairs
is now considerably in excess of the de-
mand. but lest the republicans may try to
explain this Upon the theory that the peo-
PIE n +ber % is s pI dnI1ness in n The shoe trade
The Iron Age in a recent issue pointed out
that the production of iron was falling of.
so. coo tons per month. Dun's report of July
q stated that the wooden mills were rum
ming at less than half their capacity; and
even recently the cotton manufacturer
have been threatening to either reduce
wages or shut down temPorarIly. ACCORD
have been greater during each month of
1900 than they were during the same months
of last year. and this occurs in the midst
of good crops, and when two wars are in
| progress
Trusts and Arbitrary uctuations
The contractor can figure with some ac-
curacy so long as natural laws control, but
he cannot protect himself against the ar
bitrary fluctuations, which are not only
controls the market.
s'The farmer is one of the most impor-
tant factors in our national life. Some one
has said to him: The hand that guides the
plowshare feeds the world He is not a
stockholder in any CT the trusts, but he
feels the extortion practiced by them all. /
am not farming on a large scale, but the
misleading reports which have been circu-
lated concerning my oat crop JustlIy me IN
The New York Tribune recently printed a
dispatch from NebraSka to the effect that
cents per bushel ~fsupposed to be the yield
of 40 acres, and that the amount received
price paid for the land. Tn Tribune article
then proceeded to dilate upon the prosper
ity Of the far farm srd using saseIt my t e6xPe the }s9m as
ers of Nebraska were becoming so opulent
that they were joining the republican par
tv. The facts are, first: That / had five
acres of oats instead of 120 acres; second
That the oats have not yet been threshed,
oats are selling for less than 22cents in Chi
cago, instead of 80 cents in Nebraska. and
fourth: That the land upon which the oats
were raised cost me over 800 an acre in
stead of S.. If, when t~hreshed, my oats
yield 40 bushels to the acre. and l sell them
in Nebraska for 20 cents per bushel, the
total income from the five acres will be $40,
or less than eight per cent on the invest
ment. After taking out the cost of plow-
! ing, sowing, harvesting and threshing, the
net income from tina five acre tract will
not exceed four per cent. on the money in
vested. 1 do not mean to judge others by
nv own experience, but I mention the facts
in this case to show how the republican pa
pers exaggerate the farmers prosperity,
and credit a republican administrator
with good crops, making no allowance for
the crop failures which occur from time to
time.
Decline of Farm
But while on the cat question let me
call attention to the statistics given in
the Investment Guide already referred to-
5 According to Henry Clews & Co., the
average prices received by farmers fol-
with 1893, and ending with 1899, were as
? follows: 1895. 29.4: 1894, 324: 1895, 1876
: 1896. 1877; 1897. 212; 1898. 25.5; 1899, 24.9. Ac.
cording to these figures oats averaged
; Mr.. Cleveland's ton. and only
l "a cents per busheI during the three years
of Mr.. McKinley's admtniStration-the
: present year is not yet complete, but
oats are at the present time below the
/, average.
e According to the same authority the
s average prices received by the farmers
{ for corn were as follows: 1883, 36.5: 1884
49,; 1885. 30.3; 1896, 21.5; 1897, 26.3; 1895
2S.7; 1899, 30.3. making an average of about
I 20.5 during the four years of Mr.. Cleve
lands administration and Isl during the
Y three years OF Mr.. McFxinley's admins
~tration-the fourth year is not yet com
= plete. but corn is at this time above tbs
I average
Wheat, according to the same author
ity. brought to the farmers the FOLLOWING
prices: 1893, 53S; 1894. AL: 1875. 50:9; 1886
72.6; 1887. sos; 1883, So; 1899, 5S.4, showing
a higher average during the last thre'
years than during the four p~receding-th
O fourth year is not complete, but whea
q Is now above the average
According to the same authority cotton
I Io-Ea- -aoETN~oa tho TnI1nUIno nTlCRS