The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-05
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 1902.
AN UNFAIR CONTEMPORARY.

the Norfolk virsinian-Pilof very much
more if our Norfolk contemporary would
be fairer in dealing with The Times.
Recently the virginian- Pilot charged The
Times with having quoted a defunct law.
: and then when it discovered its MISTAKE,
instead Of making frank scknowi-
edgement, beat around the bush and In
sisted TO the last that Its statement was
te ali intents and purposes correct.
More recently 1t has thoroughly lis
tor.ed an article which appeared in these
columns in comment the suit in the name
of the United States Government against
she Northern Security Company. It re-
produces 8 short extract OF the article
and adds this comment:
we confess our inability to see any ab-
surdity i'll the attempt Of the Attorney
General to enforce a law that he believes
is being violated We do not see how,
under his oath Of Office, he coeld 90
anything else.
Nor do we perceive anything alarming
sn tue suggestion that to be consistent
the President will have to order the At
1Crncy- General to proceed against fother
mergers, if this one should be declared
law. It would be his plain duty to do
so and would be the most distinguished
service to the American people ana
American industries that the President
IS likely to have an opportunity to per-
form during his term of office.
1t does seem to US absurd on its face"
to arralgn the President and Attorney
General for attempt to enforce law
mat, not merely the latter. but many
low, cf 10 n.
try, hold has been violated by the North
crn Securities Company, and which some
OF The lawyers. who drew the charter. ad-
1nitted they We're doubtful about Inc
Times argument seems to US about as
reasonable as it would have been Tor
some humanitarian to get up and shout,
what! Hang Joe HiggiEbotham! Ihen
we .shall have to hang all other crlnl-
nails who violate the law in a similar
way, To be sure. Violation Of the
law is violation of it, and the argument
OF The Times rests upon precisely the
same foundation as the opposition TO the
Corporation Commission-that the lndl-
.iduaI must obey the law, but the cor
poration is above it-tllat the rights OF
property are more sacred than the right
10 life and liberty:
Away with such doctrine! 1t is direct
i, subrersive of republican institutions
md is the most effective evanEel OF So
cialisn and ailarchism.
The natural inference Of the Virginian-
Pilots readers is that The Times has
made an attack upon President Roose-
welt and the -Attcrney-General Tor at
tempting to enforce the laws of the Uni
ted States. Readers Of The Times know.
however, that this paper has always stood
for the rigid enforcement OF all laws. In
point of fact the article in The Times
from which the Virginian-Pilot quotes
vas in criticism. not of the President,
but of the Sherman antitrust law, and
was so headed. True, we said that the
whole procedure seemed to us to be alb
sard on its face, but we had previously
explained that we did not understand
how in law any man who had purchased
share Of stock could be compelled to
return it to the person from whom he had
bought. nor how one who had sold a
share could be compelled to take it back.
That was the absu4dity to which The
Times alluded. We never once said that
st was absurd or improper for the Pres
ident Of the United States to enforce the
law.
AS already stated. the article from
which the virginian-Pilot quotes was
designed to show how nischievious this
Sherman antitrust law would be il it
were rigidly enforoeI1. Tho Times is
nc peSsimist." We said in conclusion,
land we do not mean to say that any
such disaster as we have above described
is probable. But we do say that the
Sherman antitrust law is to-day a
mcnace to the enterprise and prosperity
IF the United States And we added
This paragraph: ut seems to US that
herein is food for thought for the men,
bers of the Constitutional Convention
But, however that may be, the Sher-
is the duty of the President OF the Uni
led States to see that the laws are eNccut-
ed and that they are not violated. II
the President believes that the Northern
Securities Company, or any other COM
pany in the United States. is existing in
violation OF this law, or any other law
now in force, Of course. it is his duty to
proceed against any and all such corpora
lions.
we have not condemned the President
FOR proceeding against corporation
which no believes TO be Illegal. Our
criticism. we repeat, was of the Law,
against such organizations which we be-
1ieye TO be useless and mischievous. The
worst that we have said of the Presi-
Dents act was that it was unnecessarily
sudden and spectacular. But that is the
Presidents way.
mr.. BRYAN's INTOLERANCE.
Recently the Nashville American quot
ed with approval that portion OF Mr.. Viii
liam j. Bryar's speech in Boston in
,,,bi,,l, he commended moral courage and