Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-11-06

cline? The demand has not Ginin-
ished as a rule, in fact it has been very
active in many lines all this year, but
we know that acCo, .lng to the law of
supply and demand that an increase
of demand or decrease of supply will
put up prices, and that decrease Of
demand or an increase Of supply will
Lut them down. Now have prices gone
down because the demand has de-
creased or has the supply increased?
The supply has increased and that very
rapidly and to a very great extent.
How has this been brought about?
First, because prices being very high
there was a great temptation for pro-
ducers to increase their means of pro-
duction and for new parties to go into
business.
And this brings us to the formation
of these trusts, and f-want to be very
clear upon this point. l sometimes
think people who know very little
about business matters do not know
what we are talking about when we
speak Of trusts and trust corporations.
We see companies by tens, twenties
and perhaps fifties, in the same line Of
business, gathered together and put
into large companies. Why was this
done? The common belief is that it
was done to prevent or at least dimin-
ish the fearful competition which has
existed ever since 1893, and even be-
fore, between manufacturing compa-
MES in most lines of business. This
competition was very severe at times
and undoubtedly crippled many con-
Germs, in fact destroyed many, and
those that were left undertook to get
together to as to avoid these difficult
les. The people who formed these
trusts said they were doing SO for the
purpose OF reducing the cost of pro-
duction, preventing waste and in other
ways getting the benefit of producing
on large scale. Now we need not
stop long over the causes. These
trusts grew up in large numbers and
to prodg!ous extent. | do not know
how many there are-certainly over a
hundred-and they own and control
probably over one thousand mills,
manufactures and other producing
establishments scattered all over the
country.
Mr.. Bryan says all of these trusts
made president of the United States
he will drive them out Of existence,
because, as he says, they come togeth-
er for the purpose of creating monop-
olies.
Within two weeks l noticed a state
ment in one of the Pittsburg papers,
referring to the wire trust, to the ef-
feet that the trust had total capacity
for turning out wire rods-that is the
shape of material just before it is
drawn into wire-of about 5000 tons
per day, but that there were outside Of
the trust several concerns which had
put themselves into condition to make
wire rods, and were now increasing
their plants for that purpose to such
an extent that when the works now
under way are completed there would
be a total capacity, outside Of the
trust, of 1850 tons per day. This COM
petition has sprung up within the last
few months with the result that the
price of fence wire, which the farmer
uses so extensively, has fallen 20
cents per 100 pounds, according to a
late quotation.
Mr.. Bryan says he is a great friend
of the farmer and his soul is torn
with agony at the oppression of the
farmer by the wire trust in putting up
the price of fence wire. The fact is,
however, that fence wire would have
gone up in price probably as high as it
did a year or more ago if there had
not been trust in existence, and now
it is going down in spite of the trust!
1t seems to me that the farmers would
prefer that the trusts wire mills be al
lowed to go on making wire and there
by compete with the outside mills.
how about the workmen employed in
the wire trusts rod and iron mills?
Certainly these manufacturers cannot
go on employing their men if the trust
itself is destroyed.
Now, l believe that the question,
What shall we do with the trusts? can
be reduced to few words. For the
present let them alone; prices are
coming down, and they will come
down faster and more surely if the
consumer gets the benefit of the pro-
duction of the trusts as we'll as the
production of concerns outside of the
trusts; while if we destroy all the
trusts those outside of the trust will
merely take advantage of the decrease
in supply and prices will go up. CAP
plouse.