Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-09-24
THE TRUTH ABOUT
THE HARVESTER TRUST

Senator Hoke Smith has presented a timely
and trenchant analysis of the singular story that
last year the International Harvester Company OF
America made a profit of, only one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars the sale of hundred
million dollars worth of farm implements.
He has shown that this particular Harvester"
company. which poses with such extreme modesty,
for political effect no doubt, is not the Interna-
tional Harvester Company. the trust but merely
a subsidiary organization or, it were, "a sales
agent Of that giant monopoly, which is extorting
fabulous profits from the American farmers and
which, to all appearances. is operating in defiance
OF the nations law.
At any time the truth OF this matter would be
interesting because 1t shows the hooks and
crooks by which those Special Interer5 under the
tariffs protection monopolize the country's bush
ness and tax the consumers to an extent that As
rally tyrannieaL
But It is especially interesting at the present
time for the reason that the trust magnate who
was the leader in organizing this particular trust
Is now the financial manager and chief lieutenant
Of Mr.. Roosevelt's Third Term campaign. He is
Mr.. George W. Perkins. 1t is significant, too,
that this is the very trust against which Mr..
Roosevelt. when he president, declined to per-
nit prosecution despite the fact that the Depart
ment OF Justice had substantially shown the need
for vigorous prosecution.
The international Harvester Company, the trust,
was organized as Senator Smith shows in 1902, the
combination being engineered by J. Pierpont Morgan
and Company through George W. Perkins, and the
former received five million dollars for its services.
Once under way. tie trust proceeded to absorb COM
petitors and to crush freedom Of trade, until finally
it had acquired control Of ninety per cent Of the
eountry's farm implement business. The Republican
tariff protected it against competition from foreign
manufacturers and thus Il held a virtually absolute
monopoly on the tools and appliances which are
needed for the cultivation of the SOIL
In September 1902, the International Harvest
er company (the trust). had the of the
Milwaukee company changed to the International
Harvester Company OF America, and made then
contract by which the International Harvester
Company OF America 20 buy from the Inter-
national Harvester company. the trust all OF it's
output and resell the same to private parties.
The $4,000 which International Harvester
company. the trust allowed the international
Harvester Company OF America to make is really
simply a OF FORM for the international
Harvester company. the trust owns all Of the
stock OF the international Harvester Company OF
America
The real profits made by this trust are not dis
closed in the statements Of the sOcalled Interna-
tionaI Harvester Company Of America. What those
profits really are may be surmsed from the fact that
since the trust was organized the price of farm i'm
elements have greatly risen and that today the trust
Is selling its products from twenty-five per cent to
onethird more cheaply abroad than in this country.
Senator Smith pertinently concludes:
zone Of the great issues In this campaign Is,
shan such nsOnopoIies be permitted to continue
IN defiance of IoiOf And shall the protective tor
% Be maintained to aid them IN absorbing the
tDeoIth Of the country, OF SHAH the consumers
buy at legitimate prices tOh0t they need and re-
tain the just profits Of their IdbOrsF'