The age-herald., 1901-01-06
ANTI TRUST BILL
 WILL BE PUSHED Representative Erie Pettus 0iS- cusSeS the Measure SAYS 1T WILL BECOME A LAW Is Modelled After the Famous Texas Statute-Hstory of the Fights in
 That State and in the State
 of Arkansas.
SAYS 1T WILL BECOME A LAW


 on its reconvening is the Pettus antitrust bill.
 The,tendency of the great trusts to extend their hold into all sections of the country and more especially into Alabama, is arous- ing the people to great interest, and the Legislature is being looked to for relief. During the first half of the present ses- | sion Hon. Erie PeIttus, the Representative from Limestone County, drafted and intro- | duced into the lower house a measure which seeks to prohibit the business of trusts in Alabama. The young representative was not unmindful of the work which the champion | ing of this measure will require, but he has l armed himself with fighting material, and announces that he is ready for the contest and wil go in to win.
 The Petus bill is fashioned in a measure after the Texas law, and there can be but little doubt but that the measure will en- counter the same strong opposition in Ala bama as in Texas. Perhaps no other bill ito be considered at this session will arouse more earnest opposition and bring to the capitol larger lobby.
 Mir. Pettus has discussed quite freely the measure prepared by him.
 MT. Pettus Talks. "Your perhaps think that 1 was-content to introduce this measure and that it will not be pressed to its passage or defeat in the House." said Mr. Pettus. "The truth Is, the bill has been held up by its friends during a season of preparation for the bat tie that must come It may occur to you that such statement as this is bad policy on the part of the author of the bill, be- cause 1t puts the opponents of the measure the trusts--on their guard and gives the opposition time to marshal its host; but on second thought you will remember that the opposition to reform legislation is al- ways alert and always vigiant. It is the people who must be given notice of the con- test In order that they may not be deceived by the misrepresentation of adroit lobby
 ists. who spring forward with well-studied and ever-plausble sopthistries to prejudice the public mind and appeal to a so-called
 business conservatism.' For this reason I am glad of an opportunity to talk with you
 in order that the people may direct their attention to the proposed state remedy for
 the growing evil popularly designated as trusts
 "It will be said that the remedy is radi- cal as if all refrom movements are not in a certain sense radical, and as if such an evil as trusts did not require heroic treatment
 Conservatism. "All reform movements must encounter a so-caled conservatism No man has
  and discretion than I, and when the word conservatism Is used as a synonym for one of these 1t has my utmost respect; but when it is used by some man to describe blindness to the future-to the effect of | specified cause-and a fear to take a step that will lead or tend to lead to con fessedly desired result-in other words when ignorance of facts andlack of moral courage called conservatism I think the word is abused. It is a common argu- ont rlanr Iaa no11 al otl taef n11 legislation that seeks to better the peo- ples condition that we are living under present condtions-we have not time to study your proposed legislation-and for fear of making what we admit to be q bad matter worse, why we shall just vote against your bill. Others will agree with the intent of the bill and declare they are thoroughly in line with it, but the time is not ripe to urge it-as if there is ever any better time for a forward movement than the living present
 But these objections will be urged and met on the reconvening of the assembly when Democrats will have an opportunity to go on record for or against Democrat ic measure.
 My bill is modelled closely on the famous Texas statute which I adopted because it appears to be most sweeping and mos. ef-
 fective. Arkansas and Mississippi are two other States that have antitrust statutes of more stringent krd than the easily
 
 statute books.
 Tt was declared in all tkese States when the respective measures were pending that the wheels of commerce would be clogged by such legislation, every fire insurance company would be driven out of the State and business would come to a standstill. The splendid and compact organizations of the different fire insurance companies were worked for all they were worth in bring ing pressure to bear on the representatives of the people, but fortunately for those States their respective representatives stood upon broad and well-founded~ principles and turned their ears rather to the mute ap- calls of justice and of the people than to the clamors of paid lobbyists and the la mentations of easily frightened Eortals, who feared their own shadows. Did Not Hesitate. "When the test came the representatives of Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi did not hesitate to surrender present material gain or tempting trust bait for the sake of | the broad principle that competition of cap l ital and not combination of capital should regulate prices and govern the business world.
 s'If the men of '76 had accepted the bait l of small reduction in the price of tea | instead of demanding that the principle of representation with taxation" be recog- nized there would have been no revolution "1n other words, present material con- cession-for example, a few points raised in the price of cotton which may be handled by trust-should weigh nothing when put against principle, for in making laws we should look not so much tc the present as | to the future.
 "In reference to the benefit derived from similar legislation in other States here is | a letter from Hon. Jeff Davis, attorney i general and Governor-elect Of Arkansas: He SAYS: " I beg to say that while our 1 Supreme Court has virtually taken the pith out of the law by its decision, still its effect | Is very salutary.
 "'As far as the insurance companies are | concerned, their threatening to leave the | State was only a bluff, and fire insurance | has been reduced in this State nearly one- | third. As next chief executive of this State | I shall urge a stringent and effective anti l trust law to be passed by the coming Leg | islature beg to remain, yours very truly, JEFF DAVIS "You can redaily see from this that though | dafective in some respects the Arkansas