The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-23
The Remedy for Trusts.

The Remedy for Trusts.
The recent assertion by The Tribune
that one Of the first duties of the Fifty
sixth congress would be to grant dis
cretionary power to the president to re-
duce or suspend the protective tariff on
an article Of general necessity whose
domestic production had passed into
the monopoistic control of a priCe-rais-
ing trust finds Endorsement in a high
quarter. After noting that the past
fourteen months have Witnessed the
formation of no less than so trusts with
an aggregate capitalization of over
s.. 900 900. 600, the Chicago Times Herald,
certainly good administration author
ity, comments as follows with the em-
phasis of double leads
while we do not share in the hys-
terical view of the terrible portcnt Of
these aggregatiuns of capital as de
vouring'monsters, mammoth monopol-
les and as constituting monstrous
oligarchy of monopoly, We de believe
that wherever they stilie competition
and enhance prices to. the consumer
they should be regarded as inimical TO
public policy ana should toe shown no
mercy by courts or legislatures How
far trust or combination which relies
| solely upon the natural and economic
forces Of organization and capital to
increase and cheaper production. and
which results in supplying a better ar
ticle at a lower cost than could he pro-
duced under competitive conditions.
may be justified is a question for de-
! batting societies. 1t is undoubtedly the
| duty Of Legislatures and courts to pro-
! tect society from the agsregations Of
| capital which destroy competition i'm
! order to enhance prices. For these
| there can be no excuse, protection or
| defense.
80 when anybody declares that it
| is the duty of the Republican party to
| repeal every protective duty under the
| shelter of which it's benetciaries have
| organized trust or combination Of any
! sort to advance prices the idea meets
| the views of The Times Herald to a
| dot. The purpose of the protective tar
| tcct mOnopolics. Most certainly it
| should be the duty Of congress. in both
| branches of which the Republicans
| have majority, to abolish or suspend
| the protective duty on the products of
| any industry which has been organized
into a trust and which has arbitrarily
| raised the prices of such products. No
| mercy or consideration should he shown
| to any combination of capital that
| takes advantage of a protective tariff
| t. mulct American consumers. 1t
| should be the first office Of the Repub-
| lican majority in congress TO free it's
| skirts from all responsibility for trusts
| which under shelter of the tariff exact
high prices from the people. Wherever
| the protective tariff enhances the price
| of the products of a trust to the Amcri-
| can consumer it should be reduced or
removed entirely"
| Legislation of this kind is the more
| mcnt by Attorney General Griggs that
| the sherman antitrust law now on tho
| statute books does not reach the major
| ity of the great trade combinations con-
| corning which the people nowadays
| complain. Mr.. Griggs words on this
point were these: "Fhc Sherman
act does not give to the Fed
cral courts jurisdiction over any
| combination constituting a restraint
and monopoly Of trade. unless
| such trade is what is known as inter-
| state or international trade and COM
mcrce. \ combination or trust for the
purpose of maintaining a monopoly in
the manufacture of a necessary of life
is not within the scope of the Sherman
act and cannot be suppressed by the
Federal courts. This was decided in
| 1894, in the case of the United States
against the combination Of sugar com
panicS." This being true, il will be
come the duty of congress to discover
means to reinforce the present in.
sufficient power and authority of the
federal government. The remedy sug.
gested at the beginning of this article
is drastic but in a rough way il Woul,
undoubtedly be effectual. We shal
favor it until a better one appears.