The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-02-01
TO DESTROY COMPETITION.

character of the industrial trusts,
especially with regard to the in
jury they inflict upon labor, is
furnished by the methods of the
American Window Glass Com
pany. This concern, finding that
the competition of the indepen-
dent manufacturers of window
glass was becoming serious, re-
Gently made Il sweeping reduc-
ton in prices to the extent of
33 1-3 per cent, and on last
Thursday it made an additional
cut of 5 per cent. in single and
10 per cent. in double strength
glass. The independent manu-
facturers declare that the arbi-
trary reduction in prices involves
selling the product at a loss, and
is made solely to drive competi-
tors out of business, when prices
will be restored to the old rate.
The cut is said to be ruinous to
the cooperative factories run by
wage-workers, which are without
the capital to sustain them in
selling glass at loss until the
trust tires of the warfare.
The Glass Trust is sustained
by a practically prohibitory tariff.
1t was one of the earliest and
most favored beneficiaries of in
ordinate protection, and with its
resources, set apart from its
great profits, 1t proposes to de-
stroy it's competitors. When it
has closed the independent fac
tories by purchasing them or
forcing them into the hands of
the Sheriff, it will have fully re-
gained it's old monopoly, and will
apply the same screws to the con-
sumers that it now applies to it's
rivals and to labor. The imme-
diate result of the cut in prices
must be felt in the abandonment
of some plants and the reduction
of wages in those kept in opera
tion. In this the Glass Trust
pursues the identical policy of
the Sugar Trust, which wars
against its competitors by cutting
them out of their trade, while it
displaces American labor in it's
refineries and gives employment
to aliens, who do not understand
the English language and are
content to work for pittance.
1T is probable that the Sugar
Trust has done more to lower the
American wage rate than any
other corporation in the country.
With the Glass Trust following
suit in a reckless attempt to com
pei it's competitors to retire from
business, we may expect to see
the employees of glass factories
pinched in their wages until they
no longer receive sufficient re-
turns to enable them to support
their families in the comfort to
which the American mechanic
and artisan is accustomed and en-
titled. Monopoly is destructive
of the rights of the consumer
and the wage worker alike. Con
gress, in dealing generously by
American manufacturers, did not
intend that aggregations of capi-
tai should derive the sole benefit.
The protective tariff principle, as
interpreted by the st. Louis Con-
vention of the Republican party,
is equally opposed to foreign
control and domestic monopoly. y"
The Republican party cannot
blind it's eyes to the injurious
procedure of the trusts, and the
people will not be content with
vague resolutions against mo-
nOpoly or time-consuming inves-
legations that produce no fruit.
The country demands action,
and, if the Administration con-
tinues to tritle with this question,
ii will furnish Mr.. Bryan with
weapon, armed with which he
will be most dangerous antag-
onist. We are hearing much of
taking off the tariff to please the
Puerto Ricans, but in Admins
tration circles there is dense ST
lence as to letting down the tariff
bars that bolster the trusts and
oppress the American public.
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