Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-04-15
Fnrmcrs pax the Freipht.


to the ocean as another world to con-
Quer. a gigantic combination of steam
ship lines has been perfected by Mr..
Morgan which is international, as 1t in
cludes foreign as well as American
ship owners. The farmers will be the
principal sufferers from this combine
MS the ocean freight rates will be nd
vanced and the price of our surplus
corn, wheat, cotton, meats and other
agricultural products will still have
to be sold in competition with all the
world. Every cent added to the freight
charges will reduce the price paid III
the primary market. 1t is we'll known
that the price Of the surplus produce
that cannot be consumed in this coun-
try fixes the price at which the whole
crop Is sold. 1t is only when there is
a crop failure and little or no surplus
to export that the home price ad-
vances beyond what the foreigner is
willing to pay. No protective tariff
law can aid the farmer to overcome
this law of supply and demand, If he
has surplus to sell he is obliged to
take the price the local buyer offers
and that price is fixed, in the markets
Of the world, less land and ocean
freight charges and the profits of those
who handle it. If railroad or ocean
charges are increased the price paid
to the farmer decreases accordingly.
When the ship trust is in.full work.
Ing order and monopoly of ocean car
rying Is in its hands, it will very nat
urally increase the charges all the
traffic will bear But the ship trust is
not satisfied with this monopoly, it is
asking for more. Mr.. Morgan and
Mr.. Griscom and the other principals
of the trust have been for some time
demanding a subsidy of Congress and
are still intent on obtaining it. The
farmers as well as the balance of the
taxpayers will have to pay this sub
sidy. The Republicans in Congress
nearly all voted for it, and may be re-
lied upon to do SO when it comes up
ngain. With the ship subsidy draw
ing millions from the United States
treasury every year, the farmers will
be paying two taxes for the benefit of
the ship trust, one directly in increas-
ed freight charges and the other indi-
rectly through the tariff and internal
revenue tax on what they eat, drink
and wear. Every dollar the govern
ment expends comes from the people
through those taxes.
1t will be interesting to see If any
effort Is made by President Roosevelt,
through the new corporation bureau to
curb that giant combine, the ship trust.
1t is to be feared lie will not, for Sec
rotary of the Treasury Shaw in Il
speech at New Orleans the other day
virtually lauded that combine as the
future master Of the ocean and limited
that all possible aid must be given it
in building up our merchant marine.
AS the Commissioner of Navigation,
who is the chief of one of the bureaus
Of the Treasury and therefore under
the direction of Secretary Shaw, has
been booming the ship subsidy bill,
1t is reasonable to suppose that the
administration favors helping the ship
trsut instead of curbing it.
1t is not monopoly of the ocean that
the ship trust relies upon to enable it
to distance all competitors, for the high
sea is open to the ships of all nations
but the trust owns or controls the
wharf and terminal facilities in con-
junction with the railroad combine ut
every harbor of consequence on the
At1Outic The railroads will rivn tho
ship trust, both being controlled by
the same interests, the bulk of the OK
ports and although other capitalists
may see the chance to make large pro-
fits by organizing a competing line of
steamships, they are at once confront.
ed with the monopoly that the ship
trust possesses of the wharfs and har.
bors at the terminals of the railroads
| The growth Of monopoly under Re.
publican policies is a problem for the
farmers to give heed to it.
| Haunted by Trusts.
The Republicans are greatly worried
about Congressman Littlefield's list OF
800 trusts, with $14.OOO,O00,OOO of cap
ital, published in the Congressional
Record as an appendix to his speech
of Feb. 6, 1903. No longer can the
Republican leaders deny that there are
trusts or say that there are only a few
such as exist in England and Other
free trade countries. This list, quoted
by n lending Republican, is twenty
times as long rs any list of English
Il