Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1902-10-22
KNOX ON TRUST PROBLEM
The Acknowledgement Suggests
Constitutional Remedy.
DECENTRALIZATION CHIEF EVIL
He Relieves That Congress Might Amend
and Extend tho Interstate Commercs
Law So as To Control Com bi,ations-
Trust Menace Not Beyond the National
Reach-Scope OF Federal Power.

Law So as to Control Combinations
Trust Menace Not Beyond the National
Reach-Scope OF Federal Power
PittSburG, Pa. - Attorney GcncrnI
Knox addressed the members of the
Chamber Of Commerce at the Hotel
Schenlcy here There were 200 guests
present. The subject of his address
was The Commerce Clause Of the
Constitution ana the Trusts" Mr.
Knox spoke in part us follows:
The conspicuous noXious features or
trusts existent and possible arc these:
Overcapitalizntion, lack of publicity OF
operation. discrimination i'm prices to
destroy competition, insufficient per
sohal responsibility OF officers and di-
rectOrs for corporate Management. ten
dency to monopoly and lack of apprc-
ciation i'll their management of their
relations TO the people. for whose ben
chit they are permitted to exist Over
capitalization is the chief OF these and
the source from which the minor ones
How. Corporations ana joint stock or
other associations depending upon any
statutory law for their existence or
privileges, trading beyond their own
States. should be required to do bust
ness In every State and locality upon
precisely the same terms and condi-
tlons. There should be no discrimina-
ZION III prices; no preferences in serv-
Ice. Such corporations serving the
public as carriers and in similar cana
cities should he compelled TO keep the
avenues of commerce free and open to
all upon the same terms and TO observe
tho law as To its iniunctons against
sitting competition. Moreover. corpor-
ations upon which the people depend
for the necesSaries of life should be re-
quircd to conduct their business so as
regularly and reasonably TO supply the
public needs
They should he subject to visitoriaI
supervision. and full and accurate in
formation rs to their operations should
he made regularly mt reasonable inter
walls. Secrecy in the conduct and re-
suits of operation is unfair To the non
managing stockholders. and should. as
wen Tor reasons or state, be prohibited
by law.
The Constitution provides (Secton 3.
Article lll.0 The Congress shall have
power Ito regulate commerce with for
cign nations and among the several
States md with the Indian tribes"
Congress July >. 1900 enacted that
every contract, combination in the
form OF trust or otherwise or con
spiracy In restraint of trade or com
mcrce among the several States is illc-
gal. providing punishmentS and confer
ring Jurisdiction upon Federal Circuit
Courts 10 prevent and restrain viola
tionS Of the act
Jefferson. in his letter Of March II.
n - ,I,-
tuition: This instrument forms us into
one State as 10 certain objects and
gives us legislative and executive
body for those Objects
ono hundred years later the Supreme
Court of the United States declaicd
that in the matter of Interstate com
mcrce the United States are hut one
country. and are and must bc subject
to ono system of regulations. and not
to multitude of systems"
In the light of such statements. can
1t be possible that the people of the
United States. feeling the pressure oC
nhdoubted evils, are nevertheless total
~ powCrlcSS?
not effective throughout the situation.
we come 10 4 final alternative: May
not Congress. under the existing Con-
Stitutional grants. amend and extend
the law, and thus remedy lis defects
ana so effectively regulate National
ana Foreign commcrCe aS to pre-
Fcnt the sitting of competition. the reg
ilatinS Of output and price and the re-
srraining Of National and International
trade? If the answer To this question
should he in the Affirmative. n second
question follows: How might Con-
srcSS so amend the present law?
IA
Judgment the more thoughtful mind
reflects on the first question, the more
unhcSiiatingiy will an affirmative an
Swcr he returned.
My whole purpose in what | have
said Is to challenge the proposition
That We are hopcleSsly helpless under
our system of government to deal with
serious problems which confront us
in respect tn our greatest interests.
Since The rGdiCa! questions of human
rights and human governments have
been settled, the production, Dreserva-
tion and distribution of wealth receive
the chief attention Of civilized peoples
Primarily ii is for the Congress TO
necide whether 1t has the power, and
whether and to what extent il will
execute it-what character of re-
straints, whether all or those only
which arc unreasonable and Injurious
should fall under the ban. whether
legislation in the first interest should
extend to all commerce or only to com
merce in articles OF vital Importance to
The people The time never was when
The English-speaking people permitted
The articles necessary for their exist
ence 10 be mOnopolized or controlled.
and all devices to that end found con-
demnation In the body Of their laws.
The great English Judges pronounced
that such manifestations of human av-
arice required no statute to declare
their unlawfulness. that they were
.rtmes against common laM-that In