The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-03-24
HOW APoLOGTSTS FOR TRUSTS
DODGE.

Last month when an attempt was
made to pass a drastic antitrust law IN
North Carolina some good men declared
that the States could never break W
trusts. but that it rested with the Fed
eral government to. uproot the Illegal
monopolies.
With the hopes turned to the Federal
government, what do we find: Attor
ney General Griggs, of the State OF New
Jersey, which makes money by licensing
trusts to rob people of that and all
other States, was appealed to by Mr.. j.
c. Barradaile, of Philadelphia, who ex
pressed the hope that "the Republican
party would meet the issue by instituting
prosecutions under the Sherman act.
How did the Attorney General of this
trust-ridden administration meet the is
sue? Here is his answer:
1.-THE Sherman trust act does not give
to the Federal courts jurisdiction over
any combination constituting restraint
and monopoly of trade, unless such trade
is what is known as Interstate or inter
national trade and commerce. n combl-
nation or trust for the purpose of main
tanning a monopoly III the manufacture
of Il necessary of life is not within the
scope of the Sherman act and cannot
be suppressed by the Federal courts.
This was decided in 1894, in the case of
the United States against the combina-
ton of sugar companies.
"As a matter of fact, all of the COM
panies which Won refer to as now organ
ling for the purpose of securing com
plete or partial monopoly of different
branches of manufacture are similar to
the sugar combination, and are not with
in the jurisdiction of the Federal courts.
If amenable to any law they are amen
able TO the laws of the respective States.
1T is a popular error to assert that the
Attorney General of the United States
has control of the corporations or COM
binations which engage in manufacture
in the various States. This is entirely
a matter of State control, and unless the
functions of Interstate commerce are
interfered with, l should be super-offi-
cious to attempt crusade against affairs
with which / have no business.
with reference to the these large
combinations of capital which are now
forming, my own judgment is that the
danger is not so much to the community
at large as it is to the people who are
induced to put their money into the pur
chase Of the stock
The Attorney General has recently
been Governor of New Jersey. The
trusts flourished in that State then and
enjoyed the same fostering care that
they now receive from the Federal adj
ministration. No doubt, then, if asked
!, to proceed against the trusts. Governor
that the proper place to proceed against
the trusts was in the Federal courts.
These apologists of trusts, when holding
State office, always decry the power
of the State; when holding a Federal
office, they magnify the States jurisdic
ton and power. In this manner they al
ways manage to assist the trusts without
coming out in their true colors. The
way to deal with a trust is to treat
it as you would snake-kill it where
YOU find it. They will never be destroy
ed as long as their money is accepted by
campaign managers to carry elections
and they are able to dictate to the men
elected to Office. The Philadelphians
who appealed to the present Republican
Attorney General to prosecute the trusts
was a supplemented man. Can moth
er prosecute her child? No more can
Republican officials prosecute the trusts,
which are the offspring of their legisla-
ton and fostering care.