Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-08
CAMP PA|CN COMMITTEE
Both Parties Preparing for a
Lively Fight.
THE TRUST ISSU E
CHARGE THAT THE
TARIFF FOSTERS TRUSTS.
Republicans Will Deny This PROPOSE
ton and Point to the Results
of Free Trade.

The democratic and republican congress
sional campaign committees are preparing
for a lively fight over the trust issue this
fall. The democratic committee is getting
out large quantities of literature in the
way of speeches delivered in the closing
days of Congress Their campaign hand
book, it is said, will also treat the sub
ject at great length and their spellbinders
on the stump will devote large share Of
their attention to the question.
The republicans are trying to forestal
the democratic attacks and expect to make
a good showing AS heretofore outlined in
The Star, the republican plan will be to
point to the record of the party and the
administration in dealing with trusts
This will be supplemented by President
Rooseveits campaign against trusts.
one feature of the democratic attack
upon the republicans will be their charge
that the tariff fosters trusts; that the best
way to smash a trust is to take off the
tariff on the article manufactured or con-
trolled by the trust Steel, iron, glass and
leather form especial targets for the demo-
Gratis in that respect
The Republican Contention.
The republicans will vigorously fight the
suggestion that trusts can be attacked
through removal of tariff barriers The
republicans in Congress who have advocat-
ed tariff revision did not offer revision as a
cure for trust evils. They never have been
ready for moment to admit that the
trusts can be reached through the tariff
They wanted revision in the interest of the
American consumer. and because the sched-
ules they proposed to revise related to arti-
cIeS which no longer needed excessive pre-
lection
The republican argument is that to take
the tariff entirely from steel glass. etc
because trusts exist in these lines of manu-
factures would but ruin the American in
dustrles and would not relieve the con-
sumer, because the latter would Immediate
ly be exposed to the international trusts
IN COMPARISON with the number and power
OF the interna tonal trusts the American
combine is, they say. but a pigmy
me republicans claim that soon as
the foreign trusts, with their perfect organi-
cation and arreaching influence should
see American manufacturing industries
prostrate they would Immediately put up
prices to old trust levels, and the American
consumer would become the victim of the
alien octopus, instead of the American
squb.
Extent of Foreign Trusts
There is no lack of evidence of the ex-
tent of foreign trusts. The State Depart
ment, through American consuls, has col
lected vast amount of data upon the sub
ject, showing the ramitications of the com
bines and their operations. Taking the
item of glass, for instance, the State De-
partment reports:
An international glass trust has recently
been formed. Incorporating that industry
in France, Germany. Belgium. Italy. Aus
tria and Bohemia, and negotiations are now
being carried on with English manufacture
ers with the ultimate object of embrace
ing all the works of glass producing coun-
tries in the trust.
''AS trusts control the 3rkaf in
will be regulated without disadvantage to
any particular country. All orders are sent
direct to the international trust, which dis
tributes them according to the Importance
of the groups and each group divides its
orders among its members. For example,
the Belgian office at Charleroi the center
of the glass industry of that country. re-
ceives orders for the Belgian group and dis
tributes them among the members"
The Democratic Proposition.
The democratic proposition the republi-
cans say, is to kill the American glass fac
tory with free trade and then permit the
international glass trust to fix prices and
distribute among the glass producing na-
tions of Europe orders for glass for Amer
lean consumers
The steel and iron business is thoroughly
organized in Europe, especially IN Ger
many. According to the State Department
reports the German iron trade. syndicatcs
are six in number follows: The pig
iron syndicate, the ingot and steel billet
syndicate. the girder syndicate, the drawn
wire syndicate, the plate and wire rod syn
dicates Their purpose is to concentrate
the production in the hands of a manufac-
turing committee which distributes orders
among the members fixes selling prices
and regulates production to the demand.
At the close of the year all accounts are
balanced and general compensation of the
eXceSseS and deficits of production arrived
at, in which each plant is credited with the
quota assigned to it in the scheme of allot-
ment.
A list of the articles controlled by trusts
In Europe and Great Britain would include
every article of ordinary trade consump-
ton. The British Isles well plastered
with trusts controlling textile, iron, steel,
glass and pottery manufactures, the lines
Of industry which have been built up in
this country under a protective tariff.
1t will be interesting to watch the out
come of this fight between the two parties
on trusts; the republicans admitting that
combinations of capital legitimate and
useful to a certain extent, and proposing to
regulate them by law when they exceed
the limit Of public utility, and the demo-
Gratis crying down all combinations, with
free trade in truSt-made articles.
Personal Mention.