Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-03-23
PAPERMAKERSMERCE
Manufacturers of Three States
Form a Combine.
NEWSPAPERS WILL SUFFER.
Mr.. Ridder Exposes Double Dealing Of
Republican Congressional Commit.
tee-What Hearst Has to Offer-An
Advocate Of Undemocratic Ideas.
By WILLIS j. ABBOT.

By WILLIS j. ABBOT.
Newspaper owners in the United
States were interested the other day in
the news from Appleton, Wis, that
meeting had been held there of the
print paper manufacturers of WiscOn-
sin. Minnesota and Michigan for the
purpose Of forming Il merger Of their
plants. There used to be trust be-
tween the paper mills; then there was
a gentlcmen's agrcemcnt: now it is to
be Il merger. BY whatever name it
may be described the purposes are the
Sainc-thc restriction of product the
lesscning of labor cost and the increase
Of prices to the consumer.
The action of the paper manufacture
ers of these three states is of interest
to the owner of Il newspaper. for it will
increase his expenses and decrease his
profits; to the newspaper worker in
whatever department, for it will re-
duce wages and lessen opportunities
for employment: to the newspaper
reader, for already the eXactions of the
paper trust are forcing up the prices
States. Nor is it only to metropolitan
newspapers that these considerations
apply. The country paper will suffer
just as much in proportion and per-
haps more from the trust as will the
great city paper.
There is Il Washington end to this
story of the paper trust. l picked up
the other day the official text book is
sued by the Republican congressional
committee in 1906. 1t happened that a
complaint which came to me simulta-
naously from two newspapers about
the heavy additional expense to which
they had been put by the paper trust
led me to wonder what the politics of
the matter could be. And l read this
in the campaign book concerning what
the Republican party had done for the
destruction of that trust. 1t referred
to a case brought against the General
Paper company four years ago. This
is what it said:
The supreme court overruled the de-
PENDANTS contentious. This decision
practically disposed Of the paper trusts
defense, for there was none on the merits
and 1t submitted without further pro-
ceedings. The trust is now dissolved. the
benefits Of free competition are being re-
ceived, and it Is reported on reliable au-
thority that news print and fiber paper
is now being supplied to the consumer at
the substantial reduction of 80 per cent
If all Of the "facts" set forth in the
Republican campaign book are of this
sort, that work must have been edited
by the famous Baron MunChausen. AS
a newspaper publisher who has seen
his paper bills go up 80 per cent re-
marked to me after reading that para
graph, "They ought to have followed
the example Of Artemus Ward and
printed at the end Of 1t, N. B.-This is
wrote sarkasticul.'
Publishers Versus Politicians.
Perhaps the best answer to this ride
ulOus claim of the Republican congress
sional committee is made in bulletin
issued by Mr.. Herman Ridder, presi-
dent of the American Newspaper Pub
fishers association and editor Of the
New Yorker Staats-Zeitung. Mr.. Rid
der does not find that the paper trust
has been demolished, nor does he re-
port that the price Of print paper Is
reduced. The latter statement will not
come with Il shock Of surprise to pub
fishers who arc paying for paper at
the prices now ruling. In brief, Mr..
Ridder says: '"The effort to maintain
excessive news print prices IS contin-
ued in the face of considerable de-
cines in the prices of raw materials.
The programme thus far indicated pro-
vidcS for running on part time and FOR
adherence to combination prices upon
the calculation that the savings in
lower cost of raw materials will offset
the losses due to running the mills on
part time. Thousands of paper makers
have been thrown out of employment
while this scheme of embarrassed or
sickly operation or complete suspen-
sion is carried out"
There are twelve bills of various
kinds introduced by different states
men intended to strike at the paper
trust by abolishing the tariff on wood
pulp or on paper. All are sleeping In
committee. Every one meets the open
or the covert opposition of the Repub-
lican forces in the house. The claim is
IllHut tIlul Tree Npbl pup Nouit hOt
correct the evil, but that the evil Is due
TO trust. That puts the Republican
party on this particular issue up
against this dilemma: First, II the high
price of paper is due to trust, why Is
this trust busting" administration I'M
able to destroy the trust? Second, If the
trust is due to the protection of its
product through the tariff, why does
this antitrust administration object to
the material reduction or possibly the
complete abolition Of that particular
tariff tax?
Newspaper publishers could not do
better than to press these questions
upon the attention Of their senators
and representatives in congress.
Tho Promise of Third Party.
One Of the humors of American poll
tics is that, no matter how many elect
oral tickets there may be in the field,
every one except the Republican or the
Democratic ticket is described as the
third party. Nobody ever heard of the
fourth or fifth or sixth party. Always
it is the third. though at times there