Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-10-02
GATHERED BY THE WAYs1DE

| Moines He was ar absolutely honest
| man. He was man never even
| tempted TO go wrong. He was firm
and coura geouS. He had been plunged
! into The thick OF a disagreeahle fight,
| of vastly more Importance TO others
! than to himself. It was not long after
! the legal phases of the case had begun
! 10 develop that for reasons deemed
f! sufficient. the association sought
| new lawyer TO make the defense. The
| eX-chief justice was supplanted by the
| present senior United States senator,
! and preparations were made for
/ light in the courts TO a finish. 1t was
| n the factory operated by Mr.. Car
! penter that Senator Cummins, then
young and almost unknown lawyer.
mastered every detail of the barb
wire industry that he might speak TO
courts clearly of all the matters in
| volved in a great patent case. II was
| then that Carpenter became deeply
attached TO Senator Cummins, and
| turnout lie was his staunch supporter.
| Mr.. Carpenter was one man who would
all but give his life to advance the
political fortunes of the senator. Only
a few weeks ago he stopped the writer
on the street and talked long and
| earnestly about Senator Cummins and
! asked what could he do TO help him.
The night TO break the patents was
| made solely over the head of Mr.. Car
penter and his little factory that was
established by the Farmers Protective
| Association. The story Of that litiga-
| ton IS IN the books. In the end II was
| heid that the machinery used did not
| infringe the patents held in Worcester,
| and that the broad claim as to the
| barb wire itself being patented
product was not good. Upon this lat
ter phase of the decision all depended.
When IT was finally settled, It freed
| me Independents. Scores of machines
and devices had been invented for
| making barb wire. There were many
small factories The processes were
! slow. But Immediately following the
decision wire prices fell and kept on
| alling for a number of years.
! Whereas the price had been as high
! IS !. cents a pound IN the farmer in
/ many places, it fell to cents a pound
| nd in some instances TO as low as
| 6 cents.
| About the time the farmers factory
| vas opened in Des Moines there were
| Jthers started in Iowa.s There was the
Rhodes factory at Grinnel. which was
quickly developed into big concern.
| There was the Sears factory at Mar
| halltown, at one time a monster. The
| 5aker factory was started in Des
doines and at the time of the COM
nencement of the fight by the farmers
vas operating under license from the
holders Of the big patents. The license
Zee had become too great burden and
l LI-b ia flo, M
Baker company reorganized to escape
The license and began as an independ-
ent, supporting the movement of the
farmers. Other Independents did the
same thing. Thus the fight became
seneraiized. The part that Senator
Cummins played in the case is well
known II is certain that the incident,
which could not have been but deeply
Impressive to him as to all others
directly concerned. had a marked in
iuence on his life and shaping the cur
rent of his thought. No more striking
object lesson has ever been given Of
he power and danger of avarice under
protection of monopoly, and the inn
portance of maintaining competition as
! the life of all commerce and industry
With the victory Won, the farmers
cared not to continue in the making OF
barb wire and after a few years their
factory was closed. The whole pur-
pose Of its establishment had been ac-
complished. The history of the Baker
company fairly illustrated what hap
pened later. The Washburn & Moen
people and Elwood undertook to ac-
complish in another way what they
t had failed to do under protection Of g
! patent. They sought to combine the
: factories. They bought up or alb
e sorbed independents one by one. The,
: | bought out Baker and moved the fac.
: | tory over into Illinois. That is the wa,
y they got John w. Gates into the game
a He had been one of the independent.
: and he went into the trust and finally
t became the boss. But they never quit,
: secured control of the market. Their,
t were still a few independents and the,
kept the trust from getting it all. Thu
n price did rebound tn some extent blu
: never went back tofthe old figures tina
d it was before William L. Carpenter AM
A. B. Cummins, with the backing of ;
corps of splendid Iowa farmers
: smashed a patent that would have beel
: worth fabulous millions il 1t coul'
IS have stood the test.