Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-17
OUTSIDE POINT OF VIEW

$OUTSIDE POINT OF VlEW}
| Angelina wanted to know what was
a trust; what was combine; what's
| the difference? And the writer replied
the same difference as between mi
crobes and bacili. Then good Mrs.
Brdseye remarked: IF you know, Mr..
b, answer a civil question from your
daughter Ladies and gentlemen"
4 began the lecturer "a trust is Il COM
pany of corporations, who unite their
assets into big corporation and who
! pay or attempt to pay dividends on the
accumulated stock. Formerly a trust
was q company of capitalists who took
care of the money or property of others,
and charged SO much for their services.
Many trust companies now act as guar
! dams for minors, having the property
and monies of such minor heirs left
them by will or by direction of the
court. 1t was an easy STEP then, for
corporations to hand over to Il trust
for management, when, to avoid ruin
Gus competition, manufacturing or
other concerns could not agree on
| VI DuSIIleSS lulcIeStS. "A
combine, as the term is now used, is
where numerous corporation in the
same line of business do agree, To avoid
ruinous competition, to buy and sell on
a basis agreed upon, to the financial
advantage of all engaged in the same
line of business. Put it another way,
trust has one head one manager, one
aggregated capital stock A combine
\ .
each corporation, each has a manager,
stock is separate and all business is
conducted independently. But to make
a combine effective and profitable, in
nearly all cases fines are imposed for
| failure to live up TO an iron-clad agree
ment, and generally an inspector is
agreed upon who has free access to all
of the books and papers of each cor
poration in the combine. Sometimes,
as in the case of the railroads, a COM
| bine is known as an agreement of pres
| idents. Furthermore a trust is per-
I fectly legal and not not be interfered
with by law. In other words, a trust,
lie. an aggregation of corporations, has
| the same legal status as a single COR
poration. A combine can only be pro-
ceeded against, suits instituted in
functions granted, when it is alleged
such combination is for the purpose of
and succeeds in depriving the public of
1 the advantages of unrestricted compe-
Itition.
II am glad to see the members of this
family at last taking an interest in the
vital questions of the day continued
| the family oracle. For instance, Mrs.
B, the hard coal we burn is priced by a
combine. The crackers we buy form a
trust. All of our canned goods are con-
| trolled in output and prices by COM
bine. All of the fresh meat in Chica-
go is handled by combine, not a trust.
as commonly mentioned. There is a
coffin trust and a chair combine. We
walk on combined carpet sleep in
Combined bed, drink out of a glass
| manufactured by a trust, even look
| thru a trust glass, and burn octopus
| kerosene in a trust lamp. The wheat
| flour comes to us from n combine, espe-
cially If from Minnesota. but our oat-
meal is every pound manufactured and
sold by Il trust. Our chewing tobacco,
both plug and fine cut our smoking to-
bacco, all comes from a trust combine,
only two corporations being known to
! the law. Cigars are some in the trust,
some in a combine, but hundreds of in
| dependent manufacturers outside. We
| ride in cars controlled by combine
and we also ride on independent lines
| The books we read, many come from
combines. The paper they are printed
on all comes from a trust. Our school
books are made and sold by both
trusts and combines. 1t is safe to as
sert, madam, that three fourths of the
money you spend yearly in household
expenditures. after deducting retailers
profits, finally reaches the bank ac-
count of the trusts and combines of the
states Some of it goes to England and
Germany, where trusts and combines
are more common than here.
"And here is the curious part of this
trust business: Only in a few instances
do you or the public realize that the
octopus has you in it's folds. You strike
a match, they are so cheap, you get so
many hundred for q nickel, that the one
mill a box added to former prices by
/ the trust adds million dollars to the
lcoffers of the trust and the individual
does not hardly know he is imposed
lupon. The sugar trust decides that you
are to have one teaspoonful less for a
dollar. Who cares? who notices 1T?
But that teas poonful makes a ! per cent
Traditional divident possible. The oil
trust decides that -quarter of cent
a gallon advance is necessary, and we
lall help contribute million to Rookie