Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-09-26

of the Rockefeller, Morgan-C Carnegie
stripe long to see that the prohibitory
and now senseless and unnecessary tar
| iff, would enable them to advance
prices to domestic consumers up te
the European prices plus the tariff, il
they could combine the several line,
of manufacture into single organiza
tions and thus destroy domestic com
petition. And from this impulse al
the trusts Of the secOnd-class have
been born. They were all created fol
the purpose OF enabling the manufac
turing producers to increase prices o
commodities to American consumer.
up to the full tariff limit.
This is conclusively proven by two
facts: First, Immediately on the for
nation Of each combination in any
line of manufacture, prices have beer
advanced and have kept advancing
until the tariff level has been reached
Second, prices to foreign countrie.
have remained the same, or if they
have fluctuated, it has been with the
fluctuation OF foreign prices.
1t is fact beyond dispute that most
American goods sold abroad are sold
at from 80 to so per cent. less than the
same goods are cold to American con.
sumers. Amy one who will take the
trouble to read the thirteenth volume
OF the report OF the industrial com.
mission for 1901, will see that these
statements are fully borne out by ir.
refragible testimony. The American
tinplate trust was formed in Decem.
ber, 1893. At that time tin plate was
selling at $3.50 per 100 pounds in New
York, and had been fuctuating around
that price for some time. In January,
1899, one month thereafter, it was SELL
ing at $500; February, at 1856
March, at $4.07; April, at $4O74
May and June at $4.07A; July at
$4.35; August at $4.6O; September at
81 IS; October and November at ST.
S2k; December at $4.S34; and in Jan.
uary, 1900, one year after the forma.
ton Of the trusts, it was selling at
$4.84, or at an advance of so per cent.
above the ruling price Of the time the
trust was formed.
The steel wire trust was formed in
January, 1899. In that month New
York quotations for wire nails were
$1.59 per keg. BY January. 1901. one
year thereafter, the price had been ad.
vanced to $3.50 per keg, an advance
of more than 100 per cent. The
steady advance by months was as fol.
lows: February, $l.73; March, 500
April. $2.25; May. $2.35; June, $3.50;
July, $2.7O; August, $3.50; Septem-
Der. $50; October. $500; November
1928; December, 1888, and January,
1900, 1888.
In January, 1899. barbed wire,
which 10 also controlled by the Amer
lean steel wire trust, was selling in
New York at $2.O5 per 100 pounds.
BY January, 1900. the price had been
advanced to SAILS; per 100 lbs, an in.
crease Of more than 1OO per cent. and
by months the increase was as follows:
January. 1899, $2.05; February. 1925
March. $2.62; April, $3.50; May, 81
95; June. $500; July, $3.50; August,
$3.47; September, 1867; October,
$3.77; November. $3.S8; December,
A.13; January, 1900, $4.13.
When the nails were being sold to
American consumers late in 1899 at
1882 per keg, the trust was exporting
them abroad and selling them 10 for.
eiguers at $3.50 per keg; and in the
same year when barbed wire was being
sold at home at $4.13 per 100 pounds
it was being sold by the trust to Ca.
madame at 1925 and to more remote
foreigners at $3.50 pr 100 pounds.
On page 1O7, volume 13, report oI
the industrial Commission for 1901,
the commission reports Mr.. Schwab,
the head OF the great steel trust, q,
testifying to the following:
"Mr. Schwab states that when steel
rails were $26 and $28 per ton at home
the export was about $23. Export
prices are not uniform; they vary
with the competition" I might ex.
tract much more information OF the
same kind from the valuable document
mentioned, but the space assigned to
this article forbids.
The facts being as stated, it does
not require much OF a statesman, ac'
quainted with the facts 10 see how
these tariff trusts may be curbed and
destroyed. Knock out from under
them the tariff prop on which they
are leaning and they will tumble down
with their own weight.
Mr.. Babcock, of Wisconsin, the
present chairman OF the Republican
Congressional Committee, saw this,
and last winter he introduced in Con
gress bill to remove the tariff duties
from all trust controlled articles. But
his Republican colleagues would moi
have it so, and Babcock was whipped
into line. It would not be easy te
whip the President OF the United
States into line. So, If the President
instead of talking about the virtues o.
publicity as remedy for tho trusts
when there is already 90 much pub
licity that the nauseating facts stinl