The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-09-28
For Congress,
L. P. PADGETT.
THE TRUSTS

III Il TRUSTS
Mark Hanna saws there are none.
But Mr. r. g. Ewing, who is in
New York now to purchase furniture,
hardware, queensware, farming
implements. etc, for the firm of
Dobbins & Ewing, Cor rather for the
firm to sell to the farmers of Maury
county)-Mr. Ewing says that the
trusts are there; and moreover that
they have the business Of the country
by the throat; and furthermore that
they are choking the very life out
of the aforesaid business.
Mr.. Ewing is Democrat. He
comes of good old Democratic stock
And Bob could never get his con-
sent to vote for Republican; but,
Just between US not to go any fur
ther, four ears he scratched" He
didn't believe in the silver plank of
the Chicago platform little bit,
and he wouldn't vote for Bryan.
Now he writes back, 81 would vote
for Bryan next November If l
knew that he would make silver dol
lars as big as cart wheels out of mud
cakes.n
And why? Because, he says,
everything, every single thing
/ want to buy, is controlled by a
trust, and the price has been ad-
vanced 4096." IT am afraid to buy
at these eXorbitant prices" he says,
don't think they can possibly last /;
consequently will not purchase
more than half as much as | had ex-
pected." "The New York mer-
chants" he continues, "are COM
planning terribly of ddll times; and
no wonder" 81 am thoroughly con-
verted," he adds in conclusion.
Mr.. Ewing's experience and con-
version is not an isolated case. The
papers east and west, north and
south, have published similar con-
versions by the score and the hun
dred, and that they exist By the
thousand, there is no reasonable
doubt.
Every merchant who goes to New
York buys less goods than he in
tended. Why? Because the price is
too high. Why are the prices too
high? Not because of over demand
or cost of production, or for any nat
ural cause. But because combined
capital, called trusts, organized fol
the purpose of throttlIng COMPETE
ton and controlling their several
specialties, arbitrarily make the
price to suit themselves. And they
the trusts, are enabled to do this be-
cause of the special legislation and
fostering care given them by the
Republican party. And the biggest
trusts of them all, and the one fol
which Mr.. Mckinley is the Presi
dent, is the money trust.
A trust hurts everything 1t touches
and helps nobody but the money
magnets who control it.
Mr.. Ewing Is one of hundred
thousand men who go to New Yori
to buy goods. Everyone of tina
hundred thousand men buy lesi
goods than they intended. They
sell less goods at home, therefore
and make less money. They are
hurt, because the profits from thei
business is decreased, and each in
dividual customer of theirs is hurt
because he gets less for his money
than he should. The retail mer
chants of New York being effected
In Just the same way as those o
Columbia.
The wholesaler suffers in like pro
portion; he makes no better prof
than before, and he sells less goods
Soon the manufacturer,w who is In tb.
trust, finds his goods accommodating
on his hands. Does he suffer? No
much! He shuts down "fOr re
pairs" And he stays shut down IN
ill there 10 demand again for hi
stuff. Then he opens up at the OLD
price, the same Tobber trust profit
To the meaatlme his employees