The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-17
PROTEST OF THE GR0CERS.
THE ANTITRUST BILL WOULD PLAY
HAVOC WITH WHOLESALERS.

Would Drive Their Trade to other
States, They Sny-The Bill Strin-
gently Prohibits Dealing in the
Combinations and All Arrange
ments Intended to Lessen COmpe-
fitiOn or Control Prices-This tn e
GrOcers Claim Would Prevena
Them From Handling Many sta
pie Products.
The wholesale grocers of Savannah
were badly worried yesterday when they
found that the antitrust bill, which pass
ed the house unanimously Tuesday, and is
now before the Senate, would seriously
become a law.
The bill has been mentioned several
times in the Morning News dispatches
from Atlanta, and an analysis was given
in the Atlanta dispatch in yesterday
Morning News. The grocers did not COM
prehend the pernicious features of the bill,
as they regard them, however, until a
wholesale house here was no.
titled by a firm in Richmond,
with which it does business,
that the bill. if it became a law, would
seriously interfere with the wholesale
grocery business.
meeting of. the Wholesale Grocers'
Association was held in the afternoon to
discuss the measure, and as a result the
representatives from Chatham, Senator
Geiger and other senators and represen-
tfxra fall 10
use their influence against the measure,
which it was stated, would prove a seri-
Gus injury to the wholesale grocery bust
ness in this state.
THE bill would do an immense injury
to the wholesale grocery business, should
it became a law" said Mr.. G.. w. Tiede-
man to a Morning News reporter. 'It
would simply drive a large part of our
business to other states. We would be
prohibited from dealing in a number of
the staple articles and this trade would
go to wholesale grocers in adjoining
states. 1t is very strange that a bill
which might do so much injury to Sa-
vannah should have been allowed to pass
unnoticed by our representatives. We
should have been put on notice here, and
copy of the bill furnished us in order
that we might have taken intelligent ac-
ton upon it,
Mayor Myers expressed practically the
same views as Mr.. Tiedeman. ut is mpos-
sible for one state to successfully legis-
late against trusts he said. THAT can
only be done successfully by congress. For
one state to IS laws prohibiting dealing
in goods manufactured by trusts simply
means that trade in those lines will be
driven to adjoining states"
The bill is very stringent in its provis-
ions. Section provides that "all arrange
ments, contracts, trusts, agreements or
combinations between persons or corpora
tons, made with view TO lessen, or which
tend to lessen, FULL and free competition in
the importation or sale of articles import
ed into this state, or in the manufacture
or sale of articles of domestic growth or of
domestic raw material, and all arrange
ments, contracts, etc, between persons or
corporations designed. which tend to ad-
vance reduce or control the price or the
cost to the producer or the consumer OF
any such product or article, are hereby
declared to be against public policy UNI
lawful and void"
Section 2 provides for the forfeiture of
the charters of corporations of this state,
which violate any of the provisions of this
act and denies the right to do business in
this state to foreign corporations violating
the provisions of the act
Section declares that any violation of
the provisions of the act shall be deemed
destructive of full and free competition
and a conspiracy against trade, and any
person, acting in any capacity, who shall
be guilty of such violation snail on con-
viction, be punished by a fine of not less
than 500 nor more than $500, and by mpris-
onment in the penitentiary not less than
one nor more than ten years. either or
both, in the discretion of the court.
Section A provides that the provisions OF
the act shall not apply to agricultural
products or live stock while in the possess
sion of the producer or raiser.
Section provides that any person or
corporation injured by any such arrange
ment or combination may sue for and re-
cover of any persons or corporations oper-
ating such trust or combination "the full
consideration or sum paid by him or them
for airy goods, wares or merchandise or
articles the sale of which Is controlled by
such combination or trust"
The judges of the superior court are
specially required to instruct juries as to
the provisions of the act.
The bill Is aimed at the rebate contracts
made by the large trusts and combina-
tions with their agents by which dealers
are limited to fixed prices and are allow
cd larger profits on condition Of dealing
exclusively in the articles or products OF
the class handled by the trust or combs
nation.