The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-31
THE "ASsocIATI0N'' SPITS IN ITS HANDS
FOR 4 NEW HOLD.

There is another big trust
forming in this State 81, 900, 900
concern with Bright Williamson
and r. Keith Dargan of Darling
ton and Major Abe Levi of Man
ming, corporators. The concern
is the Independent Cotton Seed
Oil Company, with a refinery in
Charleston. This company is
the same trust in which the mills
in this county are operating, and
which have ground out such tre-
mendous profits that they now
seek to increase the capital and
reach out for more territory.
They tell US the Independent is
increasing its capital in order to
better compete with the Virginia
Carolina Chemical trust, but that
is all stuff: they are increasing
their capital to get a better and
a bigger hold on the labor OF the
people. They also tell Us the
other trust is composed of ''Ian-
KEGS" and to keep them from
robbing our people, they are en-
deavoring to obstruct their
plans. We do not see it in such
a light, the Virginia-Caro
Chemical trust may have among
its stockholders Northern capi-
talists, and if they are robbing
oar people, it looks to US like a
case of swapping the devil for
the witch; when our own capital
lists organize a trust to make for
themselves the profits extorted
by the Northern concern.
A trust, whether managed by
home people or foreigners, is an
engine of oppression, and unless
something is done to tear away
from the clutches of these greedy
monsters, in a few years our ag-
ricultural population will be
heavily yoked indeed. There is
no use trying to evade the issue,
we must either fight the en-
croachments of these corpora
tions daily organizing to squeeze
out competition and create mo-
nopoly, or turn our backs upon
the people and desert to the en-
emy. That these monopolies are
enemies Of the people there can
be no doubt, and a little study of
their movements will convince
the most skeptical.
The law-making power is now
in the control Of those interested
in these institutions, from it
we cannot see any hope of relief.
We have no doubt that if a bill
comes up in the General Assem-
bly, which will cripple the Vir-
ginia-Carolina Chemical Com
pany, some who own stock in
Independent mills will support
the measure, but if the bill
sweepingly seeks to smash trusts
it will be another matter and it
will not receive the support of
those interested in the Independ
ent trust, or what they decep-
lively gave out to the people as
an ''association."
To convince any intelligent
man of the grasping disposition
of these trusts, look at the advan-
tage they seek to take from their
patrons in the matter Of cotton
seed. A farmer is induced By a
very tempting offer to have his
cotton ginned by them: they give
him miserable quality Of bag
ging; he leaves his seed
and gets ostensibly re-
ceipt, but in fact a one
sided agreement which is moth
ing more than permitting the
mill to have the SEED on It's own
terms. When the farmer wants
his seed the mill refuses to give
them up, and endeavors to force
the farmer to take what the mill
chooses to give. In our opinion
such Il paper is not binding in
law. and in morals it is worse.
How many farmers take the
trouble to read the printed part
Of the paper given them fora re-
ceipt: 1t only shows how eager
these institutions are to take all
manner Of advantage Of the un-
suspecting farmer-a class who
are the victims for mostof the ma