Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1893 — Kill the Cordage Trust. [ARTICLE]

Kill the Cordage Trust.

There as n® moral-or financial rea*®n -why -bunder -hwine and rope -should aat act onoe -be ,put upon the free list. The -only reasons for retaining these duties-in-the McKinley MM were political •ones. These are no longer -operative, if or the Incoming administrat-io** will depend upon its fidelity to publicitimsts and not upon the -hoodie ifitat it can fry out of flavored trusts, toseoure the good-will and -the votes of the gjeqple. We'Cam arnddoimalkecordage cheaper than any other -notion. We export it- to ali paints of -the tearth. The duty then serves-only to -make possible a trust, wfalcto has existed since 1887, with power to -extort from American consumers. The -Cordage Trust has done this dm -the -most -approved manner. It owned and gained control of forty-nine factories, .ail in-Canada, and but eleven da the United States. It bribed manufacturers -of -cordage machinery not to sell to-outsiders for five years. It paid John Goode $250,000 a year to hold his bag iplant idle. It closed up halt* of its mills to restrict production and sustain its abnormally high prices. lit gained control of the supply of tna-n-Uu fiber for several years and dictated, prices to manufacturers not in tine trust. It has this year a corner dm sisal hemp and holds the price at ft -cents, while the price of white sisal itwine Is less than 8 cents to jobbers. It made $1,406,313 profits in 1891 -on a -nominal capital of $15,000,000 .and san actual capital of $5,000,000 or $6,000,000. This trust, sustained by -duties of from 7-10 to 2 1-12 cents (per pound, is the enemy of the farmer, of. labor, and of the honest manufacturer. It paid for special legislation iby -big contributions to Republican campaign corruption funds. It subsidized and bribed on all sides, and got even and ahead by plundering the rhe}pless consumer. It is-safe to say that no representative -of itbis greedy monopoly will show kisihead in the next Congress, and that if -he does he will meet with a cold reoejption. It is evident that this great itirust,expects to be handled without gloves. The Cordage Trade Journal of Dec. 1, 1892, expresses the belief not only that binder twine will be made free, tout that it will probably be done atom extra session of Congress. It also says that the duty on rope “may attract the attention of politicians” after the binder twine d*ty is disposed of. In discussing the binder twine situation, this journal says; "At the first session of this Congress the Democratic House, as is well known, passed a -bill placing binder twine on the free list; the bill went to the Senate, where it remains, bo action having been taken upon it. There is a possibility that enough Republican Senators, having read the sigßS of the times as shown by the result of the late unpleasantness, will vote with the Democratic members of the Senate to pass the bill and place it in the hands of President Harrison for his sanction or veto. Should the present Senate taka this action the date that the

law will take effect may be fixed at March or April 1, 1893, although the strongest probability Is that July 1, 1893, will be the date decided upon.”