Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-24

the utter groundlessness of their
suspicious.
IMPRACTICAL REMEDIES FOR THE
TRUST EVIL.
The greatest benefit conferred upon
the American people by the recent trust
conference at Chicago was the ex-
haustive presentation and discussion of
the relations of trusts and corporate
combinations to the producer,
and wageworker and the remedies to be
applied for the repression of their most
injurious tendencies. Most of the rem
edies recommended would, however, be
found lmpracticable when tested by ex-
perience. The attorney general of
Arkansas, for example, insisted that no
corporation chartered in one state
should be allowed to carry on business
in another state without first procuring
a license. This suggestion was also en-
dorsed by William j. Bryan In his
speech before the conference, with the
further proviso that all corporations en-
gagged in interstate commerce should be
required to procure a license from some
officer or bureau Of the national govern
ment before being permitted to carry on
business outside of the state in which 1t
is incorporated. This simply means the
erection Of a Chinese wall around every
state and an intolerable, If not %ruinous,
interference with traffic that under the
federal constitution should be free and
untrammeled. Its rigid appliance
would tend to paralyze industry by ex-
Guiding commodities that are absolutely
essential under modern civilization.
Take for instance window glass, tin
plate, matches and rubber goods, which
are controlled by concerns that are op-
Grated as trusts. If these articles Of
common use could not be sold in Iowa
or Nebraska without a special permit
and the m%onopolistic owners declined to
put themselves to he annoyance and
trouble the people of Iowa and Ne
for these commodities or import them
from Europe. Then the question would
arise whether a foreign trust which has
the right to carry on traffic in America
under treaty should enjoy special priv
ileges over American factories and mills.
1t is hardly necessary to predict that
at the very outset the Chinese wall
remedy would come in conflict with
the constitution and international
treaties and prove abortive.
An ou,,o11, W, nro nfioo1 rapoo1r ic %hn
proposition to abrogate the tariff on
every commodity whose manufacture or
sale is controlled by a trust. If this
policy was enacted into law importers
who want any line Of goods made in
foreign countries put on the free list
would only nave to organize themselves
into a trust to accomplish their end.
This would affect commodities classed
as luxuries that now afford a large reve-
nue. to the government and at the same
time cripple American industries that
are in the process Of development.
Another trust remedy advocated by
the attorney general Of Missouri and
also endorsed by William ]. Bryan is
the proposition to enact laws in each
state that will make every stakeholder
Of a corporation liable for the whole
debt of the corporation. This recalls
the prescription for getting rid Of the
Colorado potato bug by pouring paris
green on the potato vines. The deadly
effect of paris green on the bugs is I'M
deniable, but the remedy would also kill
the potato vine. The effect of the liza
bility of individual stockholders for the
entire debt of the corporation would be
sure death to trusts and all orner cor
po%rations. That would infiict greater
havoc and disaster to commerce and in
dustry than all the trusts could possibly
entail. 1t would close nearly all the
mills and factories and remand us to
the hand loom, spinning wheel, the
hand sickle and stage coach. 1t would
make utterly impossible such educa-
tional enterprises as expositions sup
ported by stock subscription. For who
would subscribe for such stock at the
risk of being liable for the whole debt
of the corporation?
II COMING OF DlAZ.
President Diaz of Mexico, who Is COM