Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 October 1899 — The Effects of a Trust, [ARTICLE]

The Effects of a Trust,

A maufacturer of wire fencing and fence machines in conversation with the Guide man ga\ r e a practical illustration of the workings of the wire trust. Recently inquiry was made of the American Steel & Wire Co., for prices on wire to be delivered at the factory in this country and for prices on wire delivered on board vessel for shipment to a foreign country. The price quoted on wire for home use in building or manufacturing fence was $20.00 per ton more than that quoted on the same kind of wire for shipment abroad. In other words, readers of the Guide must pay $20.00 per ton more for wire made in America than farmers of Europe pay for the same wire.

A ton of 50-inch woven wire will build 200 rods of fencing. Every forty rods of such wire fencing the farmer of this country builds he pays $5.00 tribute to the wire trust, besides a excessive price enacted by the trust. If this wire trust can load wire on board a vessel for shipment to Europe for $20.00 per ton less than it will sell to the farmers of pf this country and make a profit, what must be the profits on the wire in this country? This trust, by the grace of the laws of our country, is permitted to put its hands into the pockets of the farmers of this country and steal $20.00 per ton for wire. It does not stop at wire for fencing, but the same effect is had on all kinds of wire for whatever purposes used. This and the nail truf t is what makes us pay moro for staples and wire nails. This is the work of only one trust, but the effect of all others is the same. By organization the manufacturers in the combine are able to fleece us and favor the foreigner, beenu-e there is competition in foreign countries and none in this country. Every fence manufacturer and every farmer buying wire for fencing must buy wire made by the American Steel <fc Wire Co. The fence manufacturer must advance the price of wire in like proportion as the trust advances prices to him, and the farmer who erects wire fence of any kind pays the bill —Farmer’s Guide.

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