The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-01

The quiet. earnest talks about the
trusts in the opening days of the year
have grown into roar Of disapproval
by this LIST day of April. The appallingly
gigantic combinations of capital for the
purpose of throttIing competition ana
raising the price of most articles of COM
merce have caused wave of distrust
TO reach every class of society from the
Independent manufacturer to the dinner
pail brigade. The cold-blooded remark
ney general of the United States that
he would be "superofficious to attempt
a crusade against affairs with which 1
have no business" has but served to &C.
centuate the anger and disgust of the
people at state of things which must
in the end lead to disaster to both cor
pCrations and individuals
What is the attitude of the admins
tration? Does Mr.. Griggs. of New Jer-
sey-home of the trusts-represent Mr.
Mckinley when he says: IF the trusts
are amenable to any law, they are amen
able to the laws of the respective states"
Does the president approve of this sort
of talk with an antitrust law, made by
the congress of the United States, on the
statute books of this nation. Here is
the law:
Sec. l. Every contract, combination In
form OF trust or otherwise, or conspiracy
IN restraint OF trade or commerce among
the several states or with foreign ma
lions, Is hereby declared to be Illegal
Sec. ;, Every person who shall monop-
oilZe, or attempt to monopolize, or COM
Clne or conspire with any other person
or persons to monopolize any part of the
trade or commerce among the several
states. or with foreign nations, shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on
conviction thereof, shall be punished by
fine not exceeding S., Co., or by imprison-
ment not exceeding one year. or by 10Th
said punlshments, at the discretion of the
court.
Sec. 8. Any property owned under any
contract or by any combination or pur-
su2nt to any conspiracy (and being the
subject thereof mentioned in sec. / of
this act, and being in the course Of trans
portation from one state to another, or 10
a foreign country, shall be fort ,l:ed TO
the United States and may be seized and
condemned by like proceedings as those
provided by law for the forfeiture, SELF
ure and condemnation Of property I'M
rcrted into the United States contrary to
law.
With such a law on the statute books,
how does the administration, presumed
TO be represented by Mr.. Griggs, expect
to make of the great monopolies such as
the Standard oil trust and the coal trust
4 purely local issue to be regulated by
each Of the states for itself? Only fed
eral laws can reach such combinations
of capital Does Mr.. Griggs, who seems
to inherit the characteristic Incidence of
the average Jerseyite, know that the sI-
preme court of the United States rem
dered this decision in the case against
the joint traffic association?
When the matter of the building of
railroads as highways arose a, question
was presented whether the state should
1t The state did not build them and as
their building required, among other
things, the appropriation of land. private
individuals could not enforce such ap,
preparation without a grant from the
state. The building and operation of a
railroad thus required a public franchise
grant the right of appropriation unless
the use to which the land was to be put
VAS public one. Taking land for railroad
purposes Is taking for i public purpose
and the fact that it is taken for public
purpose IS the sole justification for taking
1t at all. The business of a railroad car
rier Is of public nature, and in per
forming II the carrier is also performing
10 d certain extent a function of gov
eminent, which, as counsel observed re-
quires them to perform the service upon
equal terms to all. = Where the
grantees of this public franchise are com.
peting railroad companies for Interstate
commerce. we think CONGRESS la com
petent to forbid any agreement or com
bfnation among them by means of which
competition is to be smothered
Are there not some combinations. Mr.
Griggs. that you could reach under that
decision? Turn your lorgnette upon the
scandalous fact that combinations aggre
eating more than 81, 200. coo, coo have been
formed within the borders of this republic
during the past ninety days and bestir
yourself before the people, growing more
impatient with this monstious condition
of things every hour, reach the conclu
sion that desperate measures are tustifi-
able in crushing out the life of the mon
opoly octopus which threatens the hearth
and the happiness of the American free
man.