New-York tribune., 1906-12-18
SOAP.

The rise and fall of the Soap Trust have
formed a brief but characteristic episode in
the commercial and social life of England 1t
was only few weeks ago that the rise began.
There was an authorized statement TO the
effect that working arrangement" had been
made for the purpose of decreasing expenses
1t was explained that competition had led to
indeed. made necessary-large expenditures for
advertising. With all soap factories under one
control competitive advertising would no un-
necessary. and thus a great saving would he
effected, 10 the great profit of the soapmakers
it was not promised that the public should
share in this profit through lowering of prices
but it positively declared that there was
no intention of raising prices Perhaps there
was some idea that this assurance would win
for the trust the favor of the British public
If so, great must have been the disappointment
of the promoters of the trust.
For the British public rose as a man and
smOte the Soap Trust hip and thigh. Not
often in recent years has strong and gen
eral a sentiment been manifested For a time
the matter ecpsed the Education bill, the au-
tOmobile show and the North Pole in popular
interest. The newspaper press teemed with
argument, pleading, rdcule, invective, all di-
rected against the trust People asked their
friends, ''Dc you use trust sOap?' and if they
answered In the affirmative. "cut them dead"
They went if necessary, far out of their way
to purchase non-trust soap. There was, even
a rumor, which would not, however, vouch
for, that some vowed TO forego the of soap
altogether rather than patronze the trust. Ger
tain it Is that the British public was as direct
and az effective in deeds against the Soap
Trust the American public is often shrill i'll
words against the objects of its dislike. The
result n
this, that and the other device but i'll vain. 1t
could make no impression upon the unbroken
front of popular hostility. SO it yielded and
gave up the attempt. The working arrange
ment," it said, has been received with such
"disfavOr as to make it unavoidable, and is now
absolutely and finally destroyed
Some have endeavored TO point in this cpl
sode a great moral lesson TO the British nation
concerning the beauty of holiness which invests
free trade. 1t was. they cry free trade which
killed the Soap Trust, because even if the trust
had got control of every British factory for
eign soaps would have come into the market
to compete with it. 1t may he because we are
still In the blindness of proteqtion, but we can
not that that argument is convincing. Per
haps foreign soaps would have discounted the
trust if the trust had got control of the whole
domestic output, perhaps they would not
! Nobody knows. for the reason that the thing
! was not tried. The trust did not get control
! of all the domestic output, and there was no
need Of an influx of foreign soaps TO rescue
the british matutinal tub from the dire alterna-
/ tive of soapleSsness or subservicnce 10 the
/ trust. AS matter of fact. we believe there
was no noticeable increase in importations OF
soap, and foreign soap played part in the
/ discontinue of the trust
/ The real lesson OF the episode as # appears
10 us concerns the efficiency OF an aroused ap;l
! resolute public sentiment as Il correcl0r Of
public evils, and that is a lesson which Ameri-
| cans would do well 10 take 10 heart. We do
! not know but that the American public has
! been As vOluminously vociferOus against Ger
| tain cvils-corporate or other-as the British
against the Soap Trust But the difference is
| that Jonathan. after all his tall talk con
tinues to IatroniZe the very evil he complains
/ or. if by so doing he can save a cent or avoid
a iittic Inconvenience; while John, having sIuu-
! bled, acts principle and is quite willing TO
spend penny more. TO go Il few squares
| further TO another shop, rather than To patron
ize the trust which he has been denouncjpc
! There are some evils, corporate, governmental
or what not, in this city OF New York which
are mt least as big the Soap Trust evil in
j England threatened TO he. and which could he
destroyed as quickly and easily as that was
II only this public would so about it as system