The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-13

Kansas CITY Sear.
with the passage Of tho Whaaey anfa-
trase oct the leu1a1aGuro 49, cous.
uleted the laws e missouri q ~ suA1ect
a trusts - thAx g the ofAcers cSoeee
the ceuhinss nay - dealt severely WITH
Antitrust LEGISLATION has 0een . growth
in Missouri. II has developed slowly a
conditions made the need OF new laws ap-
parent The laws are far from perfect
now, but they fuF1ash fairly streng means
for dsallne with . subject that - ex-
treaaoay hard to handle. In 1S1. when the
statutes were last revised. the chapter on
trusts was short. It dealt with comhana-
lions to control the pg3ces OF articles OF
merchandise and made such counsAn2ftons
cousp1racies to defraud. Indictment ana
a flne were the remedteAl There Vas also
a provision that q man who could prove
that goods he had bought were sold BY
trust was not obligeA to pay for them
II did not attempt to 90 much further
and the laws treatment ct the subject
then shows that It was not considered as
an entirely independent subject Of legisla-
ton.
The next step In the direction OF anti
trust legislation was In 1851, when law
was passed requiring the officers OF cor
porations to mako oath, once each year,
that they did not belong TO trust or
combination and send the affidavit to the
secretary of state. It also provided for
prosecutions by the attorney general and
prosecuting attorneys. County officers
were required to furnish information about
trusts to the attorney general.
The next move in the direction OF per.
fecting the law was in 1885. when In addi-
ton to combinations to control the value
Of merchandise and the product Of mines
there was included In the things that could
not lawfully be controlled by combinations
ANY article Of manufacture. mechanism.
convenience. repair or the premium to b
paid for insurance against fire. lightning
and storm" with an exception in favor OF
the boards OF underwriters Of Kansas City
and st. Louis.
The penalty for violation of the act was
Increased <ron 500 to $500 and more elah-
crate provisions regarding proof OF the ex-
istence Of trusts were added Tho law
was overhauled again In 1887. but the In
surance underwriters were still made the
only exceptions having the right to com
bine and control prices.
All this time trusts have been growing
rapidly and less than half dozen sue
cessful prosecutions have been had. The
present attorney general has made some
progress In fighting trustA but the pranci-
pal result has been that he found out
where the law 10 deficient and ct in mo-
ton the machinery to correct the most APP
parent evils In this legislature four bills
recommended by the attorney general have
been passed. First the exception In favor
Of the fire underwriters In the big cities
was stricken out. 1t was done largely to
make the antitrust laws Of the state uni
form. Now an Insurance combination Is IS
illegal as any other combination. pool or
trust.
Then came new legislation on the sub
ject, a venture into new fields Of anti
trust law. The greatest difficulty has
been In securing evidence. Two senate
bills. one by Wilson, the other by Farris,
passed the house and signed by the gov
ernor this week. seek to remedy this diffi-
Guilty. They provide almost the Same
power as a grand Jury enjoys for the SUI
preme court or q commissioner appointed
by that body, to make inquiry and secure
facts concerning trusts and provide for
Judgment by default against companies
whose offices are outside Of the state and
refuse to come here to testify. The Wha-
ley BILL which Is ready for the governor
signature, furnishes a new mode Of pun
ishment for trusts. injunction to prevent
them from forming or operating. 1t adds
boycotts and. probably. live stock dealers
to the list Of prohibited combinations.
Even II ell the laws passed before this
legislature met ana those by the legislature
are found to be constitutional and en-
forceable there win stfli be much to do be-
tore Missouri can contend successfully
with trusts, but It is more nearly up to
date with that class OF legislation now
than 1t ever was before. Bohart, in a
speech on the Whaley bill, pointed out the
fact that all antitrust legislation in this
state is In the direction Of protecting the
consumer against increases Of prices. while
there Is practically no legislation to pro-
tect farmers against trusts 10 control prices
at which independent producers must sell.
and none TO protect labor against trust.
which control the price at which men must
sen their labor Future legislatures must
deal with these branches OF the subject.
This legislature has had no time for Il.