Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-04-02

hullNHy roofs
It is probably safe to say that no rail-
road decision has ever created such com
motion i'm railroad circles as that delivered
by the United States supreme court last
week, declaring illegal, under the Sherman
antitrust law, the railroad combination
known as the TRANSIT Missouri Freight as
sociation. Il was seen AT once that this
decision affected also the Join, Traffic as
sociation, organized by the great trunk
lines to control rates in all the territory
east Of the Mississippi and no OF the
OHIO This decision has been me princi-
pal theme of discussion in all the leading
papers since ii was promulgated. Aldace
F. Walker Of Vermont, who speaks from
the highest point of authority in railroad
matters, says that the decision came not
only as a profound surprise to railway Off
ciais and their counsel, but that they had
never even conceived that the railroads
could be held subject to the antitrust law
Col Walker, it will be remembered, has
been in succession an interstate commerce
commissioner; then chairman Of the West
ern Traffic association, Of which the Trans
Missouri Freight association is a branch !:
then chairman OF the Joint Traffic asso-
citation, predecessor OF the present body
bearing that name; then receiver Of the
Atchson system, and is now chairman of
its board OF directors. In an interview
upon the decision Col. Walker says it
amounts to revolution" If carried to
its natural sequence 1t will not only affect
of every kind which seek to equalize or
STEADY the course of business.
| IAN agreements between insurance companies
| upon premium rates are illegal; all agreements
| between competing manufacturers which seek to
enable them to obtain fair price for their pro.
| ducts: all agreements among newspapers as TO
prices. advertising rates or salaries: all labor un
| ions which endtavOr to maintain wages at a liv.
| ing rate; all {, nceTted action among farmers
designed to secure reasonable prices for their
| crops: even agreements among lawyers phys
clans livery stable keepers, artisans of all kinds
| are nepal the whole fabric Of methods under
| which business Is today conducted falls to the
| ground and at least one half of the citizens OF
| the public art under The shadow of the penten
| tiary.'
This has sound as if Col Walker were
excited over the decision for a moment and
needed little time to steady him down.
| Ex-senator Edmunds, on the contrary
says he never had any idea that the rail
roads did not come under the law. Mr.
Edmunds was chairman of the judiciary
committee of the Senate when the bill was
enacted, and it is understood that he ia
vored the measure, or that its provisions a
least passed under his careful scrutiny anC
approval A suggestion which Mr.. Ed
munds makes in regard to the scope of tn
law under the supreme courts decision i
of far more importance than the question
of its application to the railroads. Ac
cording to the opinion of the majority o
the court, he says, trades unions and com
binatons of labor may be declared ilega
as well as combinations of railroads or ag
gregations of capital of whatever kind
Mr. Edmunds believes that trades union
will be declared unreasonable combins
tions, and he instances the plumber.
union in Washington which will permi
only limited number of apprentices t
learn that trade. If railroad companie
may not lawfully combine to protect pas
senger rates and rates of freight, how ca