The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-04-12
WOMEN ON TRUSTS.
KenOsha's Woman's Club Held a Very
interesting Meeting at the
Home of Mrs. Farr.
A VERY INTERESTING TALK.

Women Send Box of Books to the
: Philippines.
The Kenosha Woman's Club, with
large attendance, met yesterday after
noon at the residence of Mrs. DR.. Farr
The Club recently forwarded to Manila
for the use of American soldiers in the
Philippine Islands, large box of the
very best magazines and Reviews and
selected books. The next meeting,
which will occur Wednesday, April IS,
will be addressed by prominent lady
from Milwaukee, who is said to be an
artist as well as excellent speaker, and
her subject will be, "The Ceramic
ART After the transaction of bust
ness most interesting and instructive
paper on TRUSTS" prepared by Mrs.
z. G. Simmons, Jr., was read before
the Club. This office regrets that SO
excellent a paper cannot be published
in full. We present it in condensed
form.
Trusts, by Mrs. z. G. simmens. Jr.
The seeds of all social progress lay
dormant in primitive man. In the
barbarian individuality was supreme,
his rights were unquestioned so far as
he was able to maintain them; soon he
began to see that two or three men in
combination we're mightier than one
In the field of industry the same idea
obtains. At first one man practiced
all trades, then aptitudes for this or
that developed in the individual, and
soon different trades and professions
were born.
In domestic life the independence of
the individual or perhaps the family
was continued until modern times.
Mrs. Winthrop made butter, cheese,
soap, lard, sailed and smoked meats
| and fish, put up preserves and pickles,
made pills and powders and ointments,
brewed beer and made cider, spun,
wove, dyed, made clothing and carpets,
but now ali these things are done
cheaper and better in dairies and fac
tories and by companies which have or
ganized to do such work. Thus COM
binations are the outgrowth of neces-
sity.
It has been found too that work can
be done cheaper on a large scale than
on a small one; so firms and factories
increase their capacities and their
capital and supply their products not
only to a community, but to a country,
and perhaps to the whole world.
In 1882 the famous Standard Oil
trust was formed, and it was then that
the word trust was first applied to
capita1istic combinations and monopo-
lies. Mr.. B. w. Holt, speaking Of this
| Trust, said: eff it's methods have not
always been prescriptions, they
have worked with surprising skill to
advance their interests"
Stimulated by such a brilliant exam
pie all sorts of enterprises and indus
tries went into the form of trusts
sugar, whis1xey, lead, cotton oil, 1inseed
oi1,-in fact the tendency to form
trusts seems to threaten to become
universal.
These great monopo1ies become
alarming. They may be touched with
political corruption: they may drive
weaker concerns to the wall; they can
fix the prices of all their commodities;
CONSUMERS may pay dearly for what
they purchase.
Men asked themselves "sha11 the
trust become force Over-turning the
Republic, and bringing it's workers
into new state of s1avery?" Anti
trust laws were passed in 1889 by eight
states and three territories. In 1890
five more states enacted laws against
the trusts. In 1891 five more states
and one territory fell into line. In
1892 New York and Wisconsin 1egis1at-
ed against such combinations.
The trend of industrial life is toward
concentration. Is this tendency hurt
full OF benefcent to communities at
| large? The arguments for and against
are bewi1dering1y contradicting. One
of the Associate Justices of the United
States Supreme Court, in an address
| before the Yale Law school, referred
to the combination of corporations
into so-ca11ed trusts, as a force that
will limit production, stife competi-
ton, and monopo1ize the necessities
| of 1ife.'' On the other hand, EX-Sena-
tor henderson, Acting President of
the American Bar Association, said:
| Corporations that have for their pur-
pose lettering of methods of manu-
facture; the cheapening of the articles
produced; the improvement in style,
or convenience of the finished product,
are a great good to mankind
Between these extremes of opinion
we are left to conclude that there are
''trusts and trusts" But public opin-
ion is undergoing a change. A few
years ago the subject of trusts was
rarely treated, save with vituperation
and abuse. Now, however, the people
are inclined to stand back and watch
developments.
It is almost, if not quite, impossible
for any combination to obtain com
p1ete control of any industry, thus the
Standard Oil refnes only 81 per cent.
/ of the oil in this country. the rh11c1<-