Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-05-09


ciple as against commerclalism and i'm
perialism.
Steel TRUSTEE Brutal Action.
The American Steel and Wire Com
pany, trust which has made Its eA-
actions felt most cruelty by farmers
who have to make use Of Its product for
fencing, issued peremptory order
closing down twelve of Its mills sit
uated in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and
Pennsylvania At the headquarters of
the amalgamated association of Iron,
steel and tin workers in Pittsburg, 1t
was estimated that the loss to work
ingmen would aggregate about $110,-
600 a week. The Chicago Times-Her-
aid gathered reports from the mill
towns themselves, which indicate that
about $3.50 men We're thrown out Of
employment and a loss of about $685.
600 in wages each week is incurred.
Col. John w. Lambert, one of the di-
rectlng officials Of the trust, explained
their shutdown with the characteristic
insolence and brutality OF the typical
trust magnate, thus: Our company is
running its business without any need
of explaining. We shut down and open
our mills when we see fit"
No well-regulated mind nor any con-
fscience not completely ossified by the
persistent pursuit of money-making to
the exclusion of all other ideals, will for
moment accept the theory that a
business which employs nearly 1000
men, n business upon the continuance
of which the livelihood of probably 35,-
900 people is Immediately dependent, is
the sole concern of few individuals
who, by methods familiar to corpora
ton managers, have seized upon its
control. The people as whole have
some rights In these premises. The ma
ton cannot honestly remain silent and
supine while the domination of cor
poration over the lives and happiness
Of great body Of Industrious men and
their dependents is thus wantonly and
brutally abused. In this specific case
different explanations are given for the
shutdown. 1t is said that it was
caused by overproduction, yet all
through the West farmers and mechan-
les have been stopped from satisfying
their wants for the products of this
monopoly because its managers have
repeatedly increased prices until they
have reached almost the prohibitory
point. If there is any oversupply of its
product in the market, it is because the
prices put upon 1t are such that the or
binary consumer Is driven to all sorts
of expedients to avoid purchasing. 1t
is claimed by others that the true rea-
ron for the shutdown was that the rul-
Ing spirits in the trust, one of whom, by
the way, John w. Gates, is Republic
can aspirant for a United States Sena-
torship, have certain plans for manipu-
iating the stock market which the shut
down will further. This is possibly
true, but 1t only lays emphasis upon
the folly and tile criminality of permit
ting the control of great and neces-
sary industry in the United States to
pass into the hands of small body Of
men, men who would not have gained
control of 1t IL they had not possessed
the instinct Of gamblers and who nat
urally utilize their control to further
their gambling transactions.
The reason the 1000 employees of the
American Steel and Wire Company are
suddenly and arbitrarily thrown out Of
work is because one single governing
board controls the employment of all Of
them and controls the Industry in
which all are engaged. If the twelve
mills involved were operating rs cor
porations should operate, independent.
ly, one or two might shut down, but the
others would continue. Indeed, 1t is
most unlikely that any would shut
down, because the mill SO doing would
be in danger Of losing Its trade to those
which remained in continuous opera
ton. If, therefore, the existing anti
trust law Ind been enforced agains
this monopolistic corporation, not onl,
would the farmers not be compelled tt
pay extortionate prices for their fenc
Ing. nor the mechanics mulcted of ex
tortionate sums for wire nails ant
metal rods, but the working men nov
out of employment would still be in en-
joyment of their wages, their families
would be living in comfort aud tn,
.radesmen dependent upon their custom
would not suffer,-Willis J. Abbot.