The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-10-09

iuuhhk az the thing through calm dis
passionate and nOnpartisan eyes
II am correct In my analysts OF the law
me me law Is not altogether az fault The diff
neuity Hes In It's enforcement And where.
\, X does this difficulty EXIST answer. In
non ot the law sought to be enforced
lnete are now pendlug In the Federal
courts several cases based upon alleged vio-
as .. OF the sherman act Il do not recall
any Drought under any democratic admin.
iSfatlonl, and insist that II evidence can
ne found TO establish the facts alleged In
we declarations, there viii he no difficulty
Trout me decisions, The charge against
Ine packers Is that they nave advanced
prices 10 pursuance Of gu unlawful com.
hlnaton and have restrained trade for the
purpose Of making this possible. That is
,AsrlY what the sherman law forhlds. II
y not an oncnse 10 ask or receive exorhit-
AMI prices for a thing Smith and Jones
may bring their milk from Connecticut to
hgSton, and each ask ana sell az the same
without violating the sherman act But
~ Shlth ana Jones agree 20 sell only at a
gwen price. and their milk can be con
in,scated, and Smith aud Jones sent "over
the road II they connne their operations
10 the state in which they reslue. they can
nor ne prosecuted under any net Of con
srcss 30 saws the constitution
u She packers have combined or con
spired, and this fact can be proven. then
Voc TO the packers The contest. as ] un.
aerStand II. is TO be fair and manly and
70 huish; but Il IL evidence that will deal
tne death blow, u II IS dealt. In town
neetlhgs and political conventions. senu
ment prevails. And IN this connection
want TO add that It will be very difficult to
9ratt an antitrust law that can he en-
forced without proof that Il has been VIC,
iated A great many people have drafted
political platforms who seem 10 have lost
sight of this fact. I had n Young German
come into my office once who told me he
mad some Itoney IN the old country and his
gun Milan stealing 10 4
should write TO the claw" over there and
ne said the law would stop IT, He had
boen attending democratic conventions, and
he thought the law enforced itself.
PUBLICITY REMEDY.
now desire to look at some remedies
that have been suggested Prominent Is
that of publicity. And yet l think no one
expects this to be complete remedy for
every phase Of the trust problem. II Is ex-
pected to be O protection against delicious
capitalization and 10 disclose, H. many Ill
stances Al least, the real character and In
side operations Of the concern, aud 10 In
yite competition Ii ought to do these
things ~ least If corporations arc com.
IeHed to make public the details Of their
business the actual money cost Of their
plants prices paid for material operating
expenses including wages prices obtained
lor pioCuct both gross and net prohts. Il
| WIZ he u CONSTANT invitation 10 enterprise
ana capital, OF which We have an ahnnd-
| ancc. 10 engage IN competition. This Is the
remedy so earnestly recommended By our
! wise and conscientious president.
| or course the opposition party comes for
ward with Its tmc-honorcd panacca for all
hnancial and Industrial Ills. II charges all
evils 10 the protective tariff, and as n rem.
! edy for all evils 1t demands the removal OF
admitted evil, must necessarily. from Il dem.
( ocratic standpoint be occasioued by pro
I teetion, and the remedy must, of course be
/ the removal of protection,
That Issue has been fought over again and
i again ever since the revival Of industries
at the close OF the civil war. The antl-mo
| nopoly party declared that the turin party
| the mother OF mOnopoies. When the Sher.
| man act was pending the democratic party
IN congress denounced the bill as revolu
tionary; said II would afford no remedy
/ and declared the correct thing would be Il
/ adjust the tarim so as to invite foreign
/ competition. just before the bill cane TO I
! vote IN the house, II democratic leader,
( William l.. Wilson, who was Of the commit
| tee appointed in 1888 and who signed thC
/ report saying In effect that the task OF
! dealing with trusts was too great for nj;
! lican party deal with II, aud who subse
| quently became the author of the Wilson
/ German bill, made a speech den0uncing
| the pending measure. He declared that L
would seriously AFFECT the business and
| prosperity of the country. and what wa,
more. the rights and liberties OF the PEG
| pie. and added. WAS ever criminal Law
made IN this fashion before?' He openlJ
| took the position that the Federal govern
| ment could not deal with trusts
| quote few sentences from his speech
II have said this much only TO show tina
| the common basis Of trusts Is the corpora
! tion. If, therefore, the orgaiiza.
/ ton OF trust must have the corporation
| as a basis, II is clear, Mr. Speaker tina
! the first and most effective blow at tina
| organization must he struck, not by con
! gress, but by the States II any one sup
| poses that such a bill as this no matte
| how severe the punishment Il threatens q
I how sweeping may be Its prohibitions vii
! prevent such combinations as Il seeks I,
! destroy, he does not, fear, fully under
stand the structure and operation O
| trusts"
No wonder the democratic committee re
| ported difference Of opinion on the par
| OF the members Of the committee" Her,
| we have Mr.. Wilson, leading demo
| crat. saying congress can not deal witt
| trusts; that the State must strike tn
| blow and Mr.. Bryan. the biggest demo
| crat Of two quadrenums. declaring at tn
| top Of his condition that the State cnn no
deal with trusts" but that the attorne,
general must draft an amendment "thni
| win empower congress adequately to des
With trusts"
QUOTES MR. WILSON.
Mr. Wilson then goes on and urges :
modification Of the tariff as the only Fed
eraI remedy. He attaches to bis speech