Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-09-26
IOWA NEWS FOR IOWA READERS
Local Affairs ia Hundreds Of Iowa Towns Of
Interest to the General Reader.

law prohibiting trusts in local COM
merce. The democrats In the states In
which they are In control have done the
same. IL, therefore, the trusts are to
destroy the republic It will be with the
passive consent of It's citizens, any one
|of whom may invoke the law for the
suppression Of consptracies In restraint
lot competition. The question OF what Is
local and what interstate commerce be-
longs to the courts. During President
|Cleveland's administration his attorney
general, Mr.. Olney, declined to enforce
the Sherman law on the ground that
all the combinations against which it
was directed We're engaged in local
commerce. He proposed to relegate the
whole subject to the states. Subse-
lquently Judge Shiras. of this city, in a
decision affirmed by the federal supreme
court, and followed in the case OF the
Joint Traffic Association. decided that
the Trans-Missouri Freight Associa-
ton was trust engaged In Interstate
commerce. thus overriding Mr.. Olney.
1t was further decided, however, by the
supreme court, that the federal juris-
diction did not apply to the ordinary In
Standardization. the ruling being
that they were engaged in local com.
merce under the exclusive control of the
states The republicans OF the house of
Representatives then proposed an
amendment to the constitution of the
UNITED States giving congress jurisdic-
ltion over all trusts whether engaged in
interstate or local commerce. This
amendment failed thru the opposition
|of the democrats who denounced 1t as
Ian attack on states rights" II, there
fore, the trusts are destined to destroy
this republic the responsibility for the
destruction must be laid at the door Of
1.-THE democrats, who seemingly preferred
sIstates' rights to the preservation OF The
republic.
A 1t is true that Mr.. Bryan has proposed
la system OF federal licensing for con.
.lcerns engaged in local commerce ant
(which can not be reached under the
u sherman law. Under this system hi
\ would deny license to any concern
THAT is trust. But as a lawyer in tn,
Y Nebraska rate case, in which that poin
4 was decided. he must know that NJ
board created by congress or the legts
Nature can exercise at once execuuN,
land judicial powers. Under our consti
tuition 1t is not for commissions createt
Eby congress to decide whether this o
THAT concern is a trust. This duty be
! longs to the courts II it be said tina
This commission could go into court
Iprove that this or that concern was
3 TRUST and then demand the imposition
( of the penalty the answer Is that thi
can be done now IL the proof is OBJ
Itainable. To wipe out every trust in tn
country under laws already on the stat
:. lutte books of nation and states we re
llauire only proof and sentiment in tn
Jury box that will enforce the law whe
! 1.-THE evidence Of its violation Is fur
9 nished. The republican party has take
l 1.-The trusts out of Issue by supplying q
4 the law needed to crush out every on
8 lof them. and in order that the party i
= power IN the national government ma
Q be held responsible for failure to prose
cute trusts engaged in local commerce
e lon the presentation to the department
-iof Justice of evidence warranting prose
9 cution it has proposed to give the ted
v!eral government jurisdiction Of trust
n Engaged in local commerce.. Mr. Cous
d Inns was one of the members of congres
= who voted for this proposition an
e Iwhen he made the statement the Tele
I lgraph has challenged he probably ha
8 lin mind the refusal OF the democrats
slsuppprt 1T.