The Donaldsonville chief., 1913-12-20
SUGAR TRUST PROSECUTIONS.

Basis of the Suits for Damages Filed
by Louisiana Producers-EviI
Practices of a Graspna Monop-
oily Described.
The following editorial article from
the Louisiana Planter and Sugar Man
ufacturer Of November Is furnishes
an interesting and authoritative sum
mary of the causes and conditions
gar trust by large number Of Loulsi-
ana producers:
.sThe sugar world has had quite a
sensation by the institution in the
federal courts in New Orleans of a
suit by Messrs. Wogan Brothers, the
Weil-knoWn sugar merchants of a few
years back, who have been identified
vita the sugar industry Of Louisiana
for many years, against the Ameri-
can Sugar Refining Company and it's
local agent in New Orleans, J. T.
Witherspoon. The bill of particulars
gives the details of the series of
charges of unfair discrimination and
of final refusal by the American Su-
gar Refining Company by it's local
agents to do business with the firm
OF Wogan Brothers, even for payment
in advance for merchandise desired,
all OF which had the final result Of
driving Wogan Brothers out Of the
trade, and for this they claim the
losses based upon the profits they
had previously been realizing in the
business in which they were engaged
and the penalties the law allows un-
der the circumstances il the charges
be proven true.
''Messrs. Wogan Brothers are an
enterprising firm and were engaged
largely In the sugar and molasses
business and to some extent in reboil~
ing molasses, and We're perhaps con-
templaaslg the enlargement Of their
work, and this to such an extent that
their belief is the American Sugar
Refining Company determined to sup
press them. They have secured the
best legal talent available, and there
is every promise of a severe fight in
the courts.
In laying the foundation for their
claims Messrs. Wogan Brothers re-
cite the history of the sugar trust,
its absorption of various competing
establishments and dismantling them,
the purchase of the spreekles refin-
cry in Philadelphia, the loan of
money to Adolph Segal to secure the
control of the Pennsylvania Sugar Re
finery in Philadelphia, the sugar
trusts entrance into the ibeet-sugar
industry, dominating, monopolizing
and controlling it and debating prices
and dividing up territories for re-
spectiye establishments, and so on
with a series of charges with which
the public is unfortunately already
too familiar. Personal charges are
made against J t. Witherspoon be-
cause of his interest as a creditor or
otherwise in the firm of John Bark
ley & Co., and debating certain
transactions in such way as to COM
pei the business to pass through the
bands Of John Barkley &c Co, with
a resulting loss TO themselves. They
claim that in consequence of the
conspiracy, restraint of trade and the
boycotting of themselves, and the
unfair competition and
laWless methods charged in their pc
tition, that they, the Wogan Brothers,
were driven out of the sugar and
molasses business, there being no sell
er left in New Orleans from whom
they could buy the sugars needed to
carry On their business and without
which they could not successfully
operate; that in the year following
that in which they made a normal
profit Of s81 1,361.11 they made loss
Of $17,82735 and were finally forced
to suspend active business, and that
in this stvay they were damaged to
the extent of over million dol
lars and are entitled to triple that
sum under the provisions of the law
Of 1890.
what the results of this lawsuit
will be, time only will determine. 1t
is significant, however, Of the vast
power that lies in the hands of these
great monopo1ists who with a word
can crush any minor firm out Of ex-
istence, whether engaged in the SUI
gar trade, the iron and steel business,
Or in the meat business. The bible
says there were giants in those
days. We may say now, and truth
fully, there are great giants in these
days and they need to be extirpated
in order to preserve our present form
of government. Pierpont Morgan be-
came the practical director in the
American financial world. When his
firm saw fit to cast off the New Ha-
ven railroad, the whole fabric went
down with a crash and is only now
slowly recovering under it's new organ.
ization.
"The fact that the sugar trust was
able by it's skiIIful control of congress
CONTINUED on page four.)