The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-27
ARGO STARCH COMPANY
This Company Joined Another to
Fight the Starch Trust.
BOTH WERE ABSORBED BY THE TRUST
Now the Argo Can be Closed Down With Little
inconvenience to the Trust But il
Would Prove Disastrous to
Nebraska City.
Nebraska City.
(By the Associated Press.)

Nebraska City, Sept. 26.-W1lllam Jen-
nings Bryan spoke to large crowd here
tonight. The speech had been looked for
ward to with much interest because Mr..
Bryan had announced that he would deal
with the trust question, as affected by
the suit instituted by Attorney General
Smyth to annul the sale of the Argo
Starch Works of this city, to the Ma
tional Starch Company, popularity known
as the Starch Trust. Mr.. Bryan came
down from Lincoln this afternoon. He
was accompanied by Mrs. Bryan and per-
sonal friends and also by quite a num-
Der of supporters from Lincoln and other
towns on the way. The party was met
at the railroad station by two or three
marching clubs and by a large number
of other admirers, who escorted them to
their hotel. There were not many I'M
friendly Interruptions, but evidently
some had been expected, for previous to
the meeting the mayor of the city issued
an order saying that there had been ru
mors of trouble and warning against it.
The meeting was held in the court house
grounds and the people stood under the
trees and much of the time in the rain
the local trust question at the very be-
ginning of his speech. He spoke in part
as follows:
"a prominent Republican has accused
the Democrats of representing the forces
of lawlessness. l mention this because
the Republicans of Nebraska City have
met and protested against the enforce
ment of statute of the State of Nebras
ka, and Republican judge was chairman
of the Resolutions Committee. While the
meeting was called non-partisan one, it's
purpose was purely political and it is
worth while to note that the Republicans
seem better able to enforce the statutes
against petty offenders than they are to
enforce statutes against great corpora
tions.
1.-The Attorney General has commenced
proceedings, not to destroy local manu-
featuring establishment. but to prevent
the manufacturing establishment from en-
tering into a trust. In this connection it
may be well to note the different steps
which have been taken. The Argo Manu-
featuring Company of Nebraska City was
a prosperous corporation. AS evidence of
this prosperity quote from the Conser-
vative published by ex-Secretary of Agri-
culture, j. Sterling Morton), of Nebraska
City, May eth, 1899. Here is what the
Conservative says:
COULD DEFY THE TRUSTS.
Therefore. when the Conservative
points with pride to the Argo factory at
Nebraska City, which turns out 80 tons
of starch every "a hours, finds markets
therefor and successfully completes in
America ard Europe with the National
Starch Trust it is not in extenuation or
mitigation of any views expressed here
tofore. 1t is merely irrefutable evidence
of the fact that no combine or capital
can crush out we'll managed concern.
Nebraska City. in it's cereal mills and
Argo factory has two successful plants
which no trust has as vet been able to
buy, bully or wheedle. They plainly illus
trate the fact that intelligent competi-
tion can enter the markets against all
trusts ard win out.
''It will be seen that the National Starch
Company is denounced as trust, and the
Conservative declares that the Argo Com
pany was able to compete with the trust,
and that TO trust had been able to buy
the Argo Company
about the first of September, 1899,
few months after the editorial comment
which I have Just read, the Argo Com
pany Joined the United Starch Company,
and the Conservative of September 21st
1899, quoted an article from the CONNER
cial and Financial World. from which
take the following extract:
PREPARED TO FIGHT THEM
liver since the starch trust, or Ma
tionaI Starch Manufacturing Company
began business there has been talk among
Sea ,Ar
tive organization, and this, We have now
the pleasure of recording, has at length
been brought to pass. There has just
been organized under the laws of the
State of New Jersey with a capital of
$6OOO,OOO a powerful concern under the
name of the United Starch Company,
which is a consolidation or combination
Of the only four starch manufacturing
concerns in the United States that are
not in the trust, the Oswego Starch Fac
tory the American Glucose Manufacturing
Company of Buffalo, Gilbert S. Graves;
the Argo Manufacturing Company, of Me-
braska City, Neb., Joy and Company, and
the Sioux City Starch Works. These con-
Germs are the largest and most important |
manufacturers of fine grades of starch |
in the United States and their transac- |
lions are in the aggregate of enormous |
magnitude
GOBBLED BY THE TRUSTS.
ABOUT year later, that is in August |
or September of this year, 1900, the third |
step was taken and the United Starch |
Company joined the trust. First we have |
an independent company, growing and |
prospecting upon its merits; second, this |
independent company joins other COM
panies to fight the starch trust, and third |
this independent company, with it's as
sociates, joins the starch trust and COM
petition is at last destroyed If any citi-
zen of Nebraska City thinks that this
starch company is not a trust let him
read the extracts from the Conservative