The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-09-26
AN ANTITRUST LAW
That Fails 10 Ante, Notwithstanding
the Trust Game Is Being Played
Right Under the Nose OF
Indisna's Executive


When the legislature met NJ Indian
apolis in January. 1901. every Repub-
lican representative and senator Sent
up TO the state capital with an anti
trust Law In his pocket The party
was opposed 10 trusts. IL vas declared
and that hydra-headed monster was
to be SO erectualIy curbed that the
people would suffer no more from his
depredations- Senator Agnew present
ed an admirable measure 10 his fellow
senators. for he really believed that his
party professions we're made In good
faith. But he soon found that his BILL
which would have curbed the trusts
was to he sidetracked for one that
would not, and he ceased To push IL
In the meantime the Republican man
ayers had been looking over the bills
and decided that the most Ineffective
one. that is. the one which would De
surest to prove . dead letter on the
statute books. was the bill offered By
Representative Cooper The Republic-
an majority was called into caucus the
will OF the party managers was made
known and the Cooper bill Vas adopted
as q caucus measure and put through
all the stages OF legislation Gov Dur
bin giving IL bis approval on March >
1901.
The bill defined trusts and combines
and declared that any agreement 10
charge no than the regular price
| or to resr-a 20 furnish any article OF
mercardH -. or to cause any person or
corpora ion q cease TO do busiuess- Is
hereby rcd TO Be against public
polscy aa lawful and void II Was
then oria tnat any domestic cor
/ poratit .ch should violate any Of
the provss Is Of the act should forfeit
its chaItes and its franchise. and its
i corporate existence should thereupon
cease Every foreign corpOraftou yio-
lat:ag the act was TO he denied the
i right OF doing business in the state
Following these declarations the act
II declares that lit is hereby made the
duty of the afforneygeneral Of the
state to enforce the provisions Of this
4 act BY due process Of law The third
section Ia As follows:
Sec 3. That any violation Of the
|, provisions of this act shall be deemed
and is hereby declared 10 be destruc
tive Of full and free competition and
. conspiracy against trade. and an.
person or persons Who may engage tn
, any such conspiracy. or Who shall a
principal. manager. director or agent
or In any other capacity. knowingly
carry out any Of the ttipulafions pur
poses. prices. rates or orders made In
furtherance OF such conspiracy. shall
on conviction. be punished BY q I'M
OF not less than 500 nor more thai
5000. and BY imprisonment In ths
> penitentiary for not less than one yezl
!. nor more than 10 years: or In IN.
Judgment OF the court by either such
fine or such Imprisonment
: This has been the Law Of the stats
in respect to trusts since March. 1901
but no suit has ever been brought un
der II. Notwithstanding the fact tha
trusts are operating IN all parts OF tn
q state and II Il made the duty f tn
attorney-generai 20 enforce its pro
!. visions II vas known ~ the time tha
the Republican managers forced tn
:, caucus to select the Cooper bill be
cause II was thought BY them 20 be l
harmless measure. but II would seen
that decent respect for his oath vouii
require that the aftorney-genersi tr7
TO enforce r. That oGciai h eneE
getic enough when n comes 70 col
iecting fees and deducting his pe
cents. but when II comes 10 trusts hi
> energy Is all expended His preds
: cessor declared . previous lav inopers
tive without trying n in the courts
and Mr. Taylor seems TO be foliovinl
Il this distinguished exampie-