The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-06-26
VOICE OF The PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
ExPkEks1oNs.


State and Coast Opinions on Sub
jects Of Living News
Interest.
Les Angeles Express: The Peace
Commissioners at The Hague might
find practical object lesson in ddsarm-
ament from the 1,SOO Sampans who re-
Gently laid down their arms. The only
way to dissarm is to disarm.
THE BANKRUPTCY ACT.
San Diego Union: Strong pressure
Will De brought to bear upon Congress,
when 1t meets. to have the new bank
ruptcy law radically amended. The
members of the Credit Mems Associa-
taon at their recent convention were
almost unanimous in denouncing the
Act IN its present shape. Their COM
mlttees will prepare amendments to be
submitted to Congress. The common
complaint is that the law is unduly
lenaent to honest debtors and is alto
gether too kindsto dishonest ones. Ess-
pecially the credit men object to the
|
Gus State exemptions, instead of pro-
vldang uniform rules as to what prop
er1y debtor may not be compelled to
turn over to his creditors The credit
men ask for a personal property ex-
emption limited to $500 and home
stead exemption not exceeding 1000
IN value. Tt will probably be a diff
cult task to induce Congress to make
any amendments to the law. That
body has always been slow to reach
any agreement in questions affecting
debtor and creditor. This is the rea-
son there was for SO many years a
failure to enact bankruptcy law. al
though the mercantile interests of the
country We're urgent for the passage of
such an Act. Should the credit men
continue vigorously the crusade which
they nave lately begun against the
present law, Congress will be more like
~ to repeal than to amend it.
AN EXAMPLE FROM INDIANA.
Portland Oregonfan: The Supreme
Court of Indiana has handed down a
unanimous decision which ds fatal to the
formation Of vicious trusts in that
State. and rests on so broad a princi-
pie that it is certain to be applied to
| their destruction in all other States.
Two companies We're organized and
given charters in the city of Portland
Ind, to pipe natural gas and oil, and to
distribute and sell it to the people OF
that eaty. These companies soon formed
a combination, raised the price of gas
and entered into an agreement that
neither company should serve any con-
sumner who had been a patron Of either
company and had for any Jason with
drawn his patronage. It is difficult to
conceive more obnoxious and odfous
trust than this combination between
the gas companies of the Indiana town,
The citizens of Portland brought suit
in the County Circuit Court, asking
that the charters of both companies be
forfeited, since they had abused the
rights conferred on them by the State,
but they were defeated. Then an ap-
peal was taken to the State Supreme
Court, which has decided that the com
bination undertaken between the two
gas companies to prevent competition
was Illegal and involved forfeiture of
the companies charters. In its decis-
ion the court said:
1T is an old and familiar maxim that
competition is the life Of trade, and
whatever act destroys competition or
even relaxes 1t, upon the part of those
Who sustain relations to the public. is
regarded by the law as injurious to
public interests, and is therefore
deemed to be unlawful on the grounds
Of public policy
This decision is Knockout blow to
one of the most common forms of pub
lie abuses inflicted under the shelter of
the name and sign and privileges of a
business trust The abuse was palpa-
BILE and so clearly in defiance of the
fundamental principles of public law
and policy that it is surprising that the
gas companies should have been reck-
less enough to undertake it. When the
two companies were both given the
same chartered privileges to pump and
distribute gas, Of course, they knew
that they were endowed with this fran
chise because it implied competition,
and not grinding, unacceptable mo-
nopoly. The moment they combined
legally they had the city at their mercy,
so far as lighting and heating by nat
ural gas was concerned They abused
the opportunity afforded them, COM
bined, put up the price Of their product,
thus forcing the people to buy Of them
or nobody, sat their own price. Their
conduct was as outrageous in spirit as
IL tribe who owned and occupied the
only permanent source Of pure water
supply in country should place an
extortionate price upon 1t and attempt
to make their fellow citizens pay it.
''UNHOLY WAR" CRY.
Pomona Progress: 1t Is time that
the newspapers and agitators who talk
about the war in the Philippines being
an "unholy war; were showing wherein
it is unholy; wherein it has been pro-
voked by United States, and how this
nation could have avoided the present
condition of things. It is not enough
to talk "unholy war; and not show
wherein United States could pursue
any other course than the one it is pur-
suing. The soldiers who are fighting
the battles in the Philippines and the
Government that has maintained the
dignity of United States to commend
able degree from the beginning of the
war with Spain, are entitled to different
support than the "unholy war" critics
are giving. When our armies are fight
ing heroically at the front, it is no time
for any Americans at home to criticise
simply for the sake of criticising. If
any such critic has suggested any other
course than the one that is being pur-
sued, or has even had sufficient hind
sight to suggest a dfgnified and hon.