Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-14
NATURAL Law AS TRUST REMEDY.

Harper's Weekly, which is justly re-
garded as an exponent Of monopolistic
theories, joins issue with President
R~oosevelt's notable pronouncement on
trusts. The essence of the presidents
views, which ne mas pressed upon pub
lie attention with such cogency and
vigor in recent speeches in New Eng
land and elsewhere, is the need of ma
tional supervision of Overgrown and
tra~nsgressing trade combinations, by
act of congress, IL that may he sufti-
cient, or by amendment of the consti-
tuition II necessary. And he therein en-
phasizes with great impressiveness the
duty to coerce, by national power and
authority, such trusts and combinations
as violate the rights of individuals or
co%ntravene the public good.
For this Harper's Weekly stigmatizes
the president as advocating ''state in
reference with the laws of nature,
state opposition to a natural economic
development" and as ~endeavoring ito
interfere with the laws of production
and distribution" 1t is always some
other kind of a law than the law of the
land that has charms for the champion
Of lawless monopoly and the unre-
strained power of wealth. Laws of ma
ture are invoked. What natural law
warrants or breathes life into a cor
poration? For 1t is put of corporations or
combinations of corporations hat arise
the evils which the president is bravely
and seriously challenging effort to EN-
edy. A corporation is a purely artifi-
cial body, the creature of legislation,
every faculty and power of which origi-
mates In explicit grant from the state
that is to say, in this country, at least,
from the sovereign people. What kind Of
philosophy teaches that natural persons,
every individual citizen, shall be hedged
about and vigorously subjected to the
rule of the state wherever his action
infrlnges the rights of his fellows, but
which would make a big corporation or
that more refined artiiciality known as
the trust superior to or free from law
full control, or, to use the language Of
Harper's Weekly. relegate 1t to the
laws Of natureg'
The argument is neither consistent nor
honest. 1t is not by natural law, but
by a specially conferred right of emf
nent domain. that a railway corporation
is clothed with the power of taking the
property of citizens for right of way on
the plea that public interest requires it.
Why should not the public interest be
supreme over the same railway corpora
ton either by itself or in combination
with other like corporations, If 1t puts
itself I'm position to abolish competition
and arbitrarily tax the whole eOmmu-
nifty through the rate making power?
That point, indeed. has. been settled,
although In the teeth of identically the
same argument to which Harper's
Weekly now resorts against President
Roosevelt. The hard, indisputable fact
that looms up and cannot be evaded is
this: That gigantic corporations and
combinations, whose management is
centralized in the hands Of a few men,
have actually got into position in
many cases to control arbitrarily trans
portation, natural resources and even
whole groups Of Industries beyond relief
either by competition or by ordinary
process Of law. 1t is such combinations
and trusts as are themselves suspend
ing 1.-THE laws of production and distri-
button" that President Roosevelt pro.
poses to subject to efficient restraint
and supervision under national author,
ity as the only power big enough to deal
with them.
The power OF taxation is a power as
dangerous as 1t Is imperial. We do not
permit the agents Of the government 1t
self to exercise that sovereign power
saw under most drastic constitutional
and legislative limitations. enforcing