The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-10-05
.seklp gutelIi9enetr.
official County and city Paper.
THE ANTITRUST LAW.

The opening effort of the secretar,
of state to enforce such provisions o
the antitrust law as come within thu
provision OF his department Las excited
the attention of the entire country ant
created much discussion in commercial
circles. 1t is, perhaps, the first attemp
on the part of a state government tt
break down those combinations o
capital which have developed into
monsters OF oppression, and hence
there is curiosity as to the success OIL
failure of the effort. There may bt
weak places in the law: places where
the trusts and pools imagine they ''can
throw a cat through" as one of theil
attorneys recently said; but the secre
tary of state will decline TO find sucf
places until the supreme court shall
point them Out to him. Thus far there
has been a hearty response to the de
mand for affidavits of non connection
with pools, trusts and trade conspira
cies, and the great mass of Missouri
corporations have signified their ap.
proval Of the law and expressed their
faith in it's success. The question OF
whether the state has the right or
power to revoke a charter OF a corpora
ton found guilty OF violating the laws
OF the state, may be an easy question
to the attorneys who will speak for the
trusts and pools but in the progress of
the enforcement of this law, oppor-
tunity will be given, doubtless, TO
prove it.
There is one thing certain, however;
the law providing a punishment for
pools, trusts and conspiracies, is on the
statute books of the state of Missouri,
and such features of it as pertain to
the department of state will have the
earnest, honest attention of the secre-
tary of state SC long as it remains the
law. Ii there should be weaknesses In
lite phraseoIogy aud its methods, as is
clal III certain quarters, such weak
nes-eS wiit be Don developed, aud
there vii he little trouble in revising
the l-w al the next session OF the gen.
eral assembly SO as to materially re-
duce the holes through which the trusts
threaten { throw their Goats" The
movement is experimental to a certain
extent only; It's foundation is well
grounded in established principles OF
law aud order, and there can be no
question of lis ultimate success.
The basis OF all honest commercial
systems is the regulation OF prices by
the rule of supply aud demand. People
do not object 10 high prices for flour
when the wheat harvest is a universal
failure; nor TO high prices for sugar
when the cane crop has failed 10
materialize--provided the high prices
were not the result Of cornering the
crops by a combination of capital
against the onsume But they do
object to abnormally high prices Tor
peet Wueu Cal'Io aio oohVihluiIy low !,
they do resent, in short, an arti.
fetal valuation being placed upon the
the commodities Of the country to the
enrichment OF the few aud the suffer
ing of the many. What the present
Missouri law to prevent such %perversioD
AAln@@LAaaAnoEcial systems will &C
remains 10 UU-ruvuu--
certain, however, that the general as
sembly e TO dissolve all unholy
combinations of capital, to the end that
the sower should have the benefit OF
his own harvests, and the laborer OF
his hire. And the secretary Of state
will carry out the commands of the
legislature to the best of his ability and
mower.