The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-09
ChicagO's Civic Federation
About to Issue a Call
For Convention of Wise
Men of the Nation.
RALPH EASLEY'S TRIP.
The Secretary Has Been Enlist
ing the Cooperation
Of Prominent RefOrmers and
Political Economists.

Chicago, May "a call Tor a nallohdl
conference on trusts and combinations
to be held in Chicago during the present
summer will be issued by the civic fed
Grafton of this city within few days.
The plan is to gather together in the
central city of the United States a body
of men who will reflect the views of
labor, commerce, political economy, law,
trade and in fact of all the varied in
dustrial educational and professional
elements on the latest and greatest of
national questions.
This congress of wise men will meet
during the present summer. unless all
signs fail. The idea is to hold 1T here
because Chicago, on account of its geo
graphical position and its easy access
from all parts of the country, will be
most conveniently reached and viii
therefore attract the largest and most
representative crowd.
The civic federation of this city has
been fostering this great project for
some time-indeed, ever since the trust
question began to assume it's present
vast Importance. The organization
sent its secretary, Ralph NJ. Eas1ey, east
within the last month with the idea OF
obtaining the views of leading men as
to holding such convention MT
Easley said last night of his mission:
Il saw and interviewed leading men
in New York city, Washington and
other eastern points, and everyone was
Immediately taken with the sense and
appropriateness of the idea They told
me that the time is ripe for such a
meeting and averred that all classes of
people in this country are anxious to
get light on this mighty subject"
Among the men Mr.. Easley saw and
from whom hearty endorsement was re-
ceived were the following:
Professor ]. w jerks, secretary of
the recently appointed industrial COM
Charles A Prouty of the interstate
commerce commission.
Secretary Mosely of the same com
Professor John B. Clark, head profess
sor of political economy at Columbia
university.
Professor Frank ]. Goodnow, profess
sor of administrative law at the same
institution.
Francis B. Thurber, president of the
United States Exporters association.
Samuel E. GOmpers, president of the
American Federation of Labor
Frederic Fraley, president of the
National Board of Trade, Philadelphia.
w L. Tucker, secretary of the same
organization.
S. a. Robinson. chairman of the finan-
cial committee of the New York Board
of Trade.
John NJ. StahI, secretary of the Ma
tional Farmers association.
Carroll D. Wright, commissioner of
la Dor.
sued soon by the Civic Federation that
this congress is not to meet with an
idea of trying to settle this perplexing
problem. The idea will be simply to
get light on the matter; to learn what
trust really is; to find out how it af-
fectS labor; how it affects prices of
goods. and whether it is beneficial or
injurious to the industrial fabric of
this country.
The intention is to hold a four days.
conference, one day being devoted to
railroad combinations, one to labor
CARNATIONS, one to industrial combina-
DDS of procedure. One of the most i'm
portant questions to be discussed will
be that involving the jurisdiction of the
various states and the federal govern
ment in the disposition of this issue.
The courts have held both ways, and if
light is needed on any point the investi-
gators of the trust say it is this one.
For this reason the governors and at
torneyS general of all the states will be
asked to be here to give their views.
Leading corporation lawyers and pro-
fessors of political economy are also ex-
pected-
The call will further state that this
is not political move. The reputa ton
will add weight to any such statement
1t will be remembered that this orga-
nization called the Saratoga conference
on foreign policy, which met last
August; that it organized the national
conference on primary election reform,
held in New York city in January of
1898, and also was the inspiration be-
hind the conference on arbitrati
which followed the great strike of 1894.