The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-07-29
Senator Hoar on Trusts.

The d,lNcmnce- Of senator Har rarely meet the ,purorrg ut 5r ueu.ran,
newspapers avs the Washington Post bnt h- address, At Mr opening ag the
summer school OF the Clark University last Monday IL oo ut mo happy except
ton. % the general rule On that occasion The senator ltcn@et ts relation,
of trusts and monopaics sol the community and the Boston r4f rg represent
tative Democratic paper Of New England, says that b. Treatment f sa subject
=. very fair though rather optimistic Among other thing. be- aid that
under the limitations Of on government we apdcp.nient upon the state in.tru.
mentaites rather than np@n national legislation Tor the rau~c IF th. evil aud
our Boston contemporary gays we know this to be- true
Hnt while the Boston Post admits that the most direct way to strke at the
trust Is through the state" it nrcs that their suppression cannot be effected
without joint action among til" states" This it submit, would be difficult to
obtain while the interstate relations of the trusts are such that the Md OF the
national government is essential to make the work thorough
The trusts md combinations arr creations of state legislation Not one of
them has a national charter All the lawful powers they exercise are derived
from state Legislative action. If they exercise unlawful power, of do unlawful
acts the state courts re open for action against them. The necessity for Joint
action among the states isnot clearly apparent Any violation Of law If Il
shte can be- prosecuted where the ontnsc IN committed If additional local leg,
'sntion is needed t." protect the people OF a state against n corporation chartered
In another commonwealth it can l" enacted in view of these fnts and recall
Ing the traditional policy of the Democratic party on tn" question of state rights
ih jealousy Of national encroacfment on the domain of state authority it seem,
strange to se IN organ of that party advocating what the Boston Post does in
this paragraph
In fact II Is within the power of the general government TO make the oxis
tence Of great trust practically impossible by the exercise of the authority it
Tor tosr ia a dstnruish"i m"m,sr ~ t I" strorYth, ~" tme o nSt" tm W t Wn'm S""
statute book IL II needs strengthening and the duty of the administration for
which Senator HoarS party is responsible is to enforce with vigor the law a. it
now stands"
The constitutional authority to regulate interstate commerce Law dormant for
acentury Its application through the interstate commerce law has been attcnd
ed with much friction. The original package decision Of. the United States Su
preme Court created seiou trouble in number of statcsn and congress, vm rmn
ed upon to furnish relief similar demand on the part of another state is now
before congress OF course il is the duty of the administration to see that all fine
laws re faithfully executed. but all attcnps thus far made To strike att ustsa and
combinations with the nations fist have been chiefly notable asd demonstration
Of the fact st forth by Senator Far that under the limitations If ON alan of
government That work must depend for its performance chiefly mn the state An
fhorties Much OF the cutlery against trusts is delnogogical rant N everybody
hnow' but in all cases where they violate state laws they shmId be prosecuted
In state courts And II there he states that have no laws for the protection Of
their people against an invasion of their rights in trade the fault does not Ii, at
th' door " the general government