The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-18
WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THE TRUSTS?
j. NJ. G.
Constitutional q

business undertakings Of the country to
assemble large amounts of capital, and SO
long as these avoid the features Of mo-
nopoly and Of combination to restrain and
defeat legitimate individual efforts they
are not affected by the remedies proposed
against the SO called trusts and mOnopo-
lies. In short, it is only against the evil,
and not against what may resemble the
evil, that remedies are to be directed. ).
Having said this much on the evil itself
and the distinctions to- be made concern
ing It, it may be well to consider: the
questioned remedies The popular senti-
ment aroused against? trusts, monppolies
and combinations has led, to the spgges-
ton Of innumerable5 remedies, until the
public mind has become i. more OF Nless
confused as to what should be done. In
the meantime, the trusts have been in
trenching themselves more securely and
adding to their prosperity. And the real
cause Of this confusion. as we said at
the outset is in the lack of power, both
in. congress and the states, to deal ade-
quately With the subject.
Evil Is National. "
= So far as the states are concerned, they
cannot deal with the problem at all in
any effective way, as the evil is ma
Itional one. not local. While the states
can act. they never will control .cOrpo-
rations, and should one state. refuse to
join her sister, states the remaining states
would be oowerless. These great corpo-
rations, created by state law, are, in their
operations, beyond and out Of reach OF
the source creating, them and OF all law,
and it, is not asking too much to create
a power that WILDE athletic control them
when necessary. Should they violate the
state law, and the state undertake to
punish Them, all the corporations need do
is to separate their product for Shipment
to another state. They would then pass
from under the control OF the state and
be subject to Interstate or federal legls-
ton; which they do not violate. Hence,
the federal law now cannot reach them.
On the other hand, they" can oppress1Vely
control the market I; without engaging
in interstate commerce, 50 as not to be
amenabLe to federal legislation. by. SELL
ing their product to individuals or corpo-
rations who do engage in Interstate, com
merce. but who do mot violate federal or
state legislation. - -
Growth Of Commerce..
With this division and Limitation OF
power between the nation and the states
f IA plain that nothing will be accom-
pIighed until congress is given the power,
by means of a constitutional amendment,
to regulate commerce and apply remedies
broad enough to be effective in every part
of the country. The. present growth OF
commerce was never within the contem-
plation Of the trainers OF the constltu-
tion,-hence they divided the power, CIV
ing congress power to regulate commerce
between the states and leaving all com
MERGE within the states subject to state
control. only. On account, OF this dual
system of government, sthe so-called
trusts, monopolies and combinations are
thriving without any danger to them
selves or any alarm upon their part or
any fear at present that they will be dis
turbed. The power of congress lis fire.
quently invoked. The officers of the gov
eminent are charged with Tdereliction of
duty and with being owned by the trusts,
when the fact is that congress is prac-
.tically power1ess and there is nothing for
the officers to do. ~. .a.. j -.s,.
Give Congress Power. 80 r..
1t seems to me plain, therefore, that
the first and most essential step to be
taken in order to deal effectively with
combinations and monopolies in manu-
facture and production is to give con-
gress ample power over them. Until this
is done, any remedial legislation will, in
the very nature of the constitutional re-
strictions, be ineffective. The Sherman
antitrust act went to the limit Of con-
gressional power. 1t is not a regulation
of commerce that is needed, but that the
great power now operating commerce be
controlled by the federal government in
the interest of the people at large Eg,-