Arizona republican., 1899-05-29
NOT HOSTILE TO TRUSTS.
Tendency of Industrial Commits
 SiOn'S Inquiries.

Washington, May 2S-The investi-
 gation Of trusts will be continued by
 the industrial commission throughout
 the month ot June and will be taken
 up again in October after the summer
 recess. Hearings have been scheduled already which will occupy nearly the
 entire month of June. Among those
 who will be heard are the Arbuckles and the Havemeyers, who will appear
 about the niddle of June. The inves-
 t.gation has been entered upon in .
 spirit which is in no way hostile to
 industrial comb inaions, and those representatives of trusts who have
 been heard thus far have commented
 favorably or the fairness of the con-
 mission and on the evident absence of
 prejudice in the questions asked A
 member of the commission said today,
 that while every attempt would be
 made to get to the bottom of the ques-
 tion, there was no intention of racon- mending any radical action. The com
 mission will doubtless recommend leg
 station both to congress and to state legislatures. Some recomm e1dations
 will be made next winter Mere will
 be deferred until the succeeding
 winter. IL is recognized by the com mission that nothing can be done to prevent the combination of capital in tnce.s-r;aI enterprises. ard there is no feeling among members oG the com mission that 1t would be of advantage to stop such combinations. On the contrary, it is believed that to a cer- tain extent trusts so-called, are benefit to labor in minimizing the competition which is 50 apt to en- courage low wages and unfavoraole conditions of manufacture.
 The evil is not in the combination of industrial establishments, but in the tendency to over-capital.zation, inviting a resort to questionable meth- | ods for the purpose of declaring div idends on stock which ought never to l have beem issued. Such recommends l tions as the commission may make | will doubtless 1e directed to a correc- ton Of this tendency. Congress and | state legislatures will probably be i asked to fix the limit Of capitalization i in such a way as to reduce industrial | to healthy proportions. | This will tend to weed out wildcat schemes and to give a certain pubic | ity to great business enterprises which | are now conducted in secrecy. Rec concentrations may also be made for to regulate transportation as far as it affects special favOrs grant ed to great combinations. Beyond these recommendation it IS not likely that anything will be suggested; cer- tainly nothing which will be likely to disturb business.
 It has been noticed in the hearings -hus far that certain members of the on are evidently bent on se- turing testimony as to the advis3bihty 1E further restriction of immigration. Inquiries have been put to almost every witness who has appeared thus far with view to securing informa- ion on this subject. Particular at ention has been paid to the repre- ;entatives of labor organizations, most 9f whom are either of foreign birth or )f immediate foreign descent. Fifteen IT twenty of these men have appeared before the commission. WithoIt ex- .eption they have asked for further isstr:ction of immigration, and have assured the commission that lesisla- ion to this effect would meet with the 2 learty indorsement of all labor or 5anizatio1s in tha United States