The Minneapolis journal., 1902-05-10
MONOPOLY
Us. TRUST
The Presidents Policy Makes
a Wide Discrimination
Between Them.
Trusts May Be a Natural
Evolution, but Unfair
Methods Are Not.
Sew YORK. Sur, SnecEas Services.

Chicago. May 10.--Walter Wellman in
his Washington correspondence to the
Record Herald repeats the story that
president Roosevelt was told a few days
ago by one of the greatest railroad man
ayers in the country, that the Northern
Securities suit had been a splendid thing
because it came just in time to put
stop to a wild era Of combinations and
speculation that would have brought in
describable disaster in it's wake.
After MonopoIies, Not Trusts.
But the so-called antitrust policy of
the administration should not be misun
derstood. This policy could better be
described by calling it an effort to de-
stroy monopolistic combinations and
break up practices harmful to the public
interest as we'll as violative of law than
as an antitrust movement. The ad-
ministration is not moving against trusts
per Sc, only trusts whose operations offer
combination or infraction Of the law and
wrong to the public. 1t is not intended to
go out hunting for everything that might
be prosecuted under the federal statute.
There is no crusade. '. -.-..
I'VE will not go out through the country
with a microscope looking for pretext
on which to make trouble said a high
official of the government.
Trusts Are IL Natural Evolution.
The president recognizes that great in
dustrial combinations called trusts, are
natural evolution. There seems no way
to get along without them. In one sense
they are good things. In their opera
tions what may seem to the ordinary OBJ
server a violation of law is not such from
the standpoint of the law officers. Public
policy does not require that every little
thing be seized upon as basis of prose
cutions. Such a course might easily
do the country far more harm than good
the business world. 1t would unsettle
confidence and produce disaster. Presi
dent Roosevelt has no intention of en-.
gaging in any such crusade as this. -
Therefore all efforts ito represent the
president as riding the antitrust law a!
broncho and dashing about lasso IL
hand trying to- lariat every trust in sight
do him a great injustice. Members o
the cabinet say the people who like IL
their imaginations to make him play thi
role are as far from the right of the thin,
as are the big fnanciers who threaten t.
defeat his nomination or reelection il
1904 because he sis an enemy of the bust
ness interests of the country
The president considered it. hi
duty to attack the railroad com
bine and the beef trust becaus
In those cases there was not only wha
appeared to be clear violation of the Law
but an injury to the public interests. A
to the merger combination. notwithstand
Ing the ingenious arguments of counse
for the railroads and the managers of tn
deal. it Is held in administration circle
there was an actual restraint of trade
In the suppression of competition in In
terstate transportation. Moreover, it !
claimed that instead. of preeipitatin
panic in Wall street the merger suit act
ually prevented one.
The Bill Against the Packers.
This afternoon the governments bi
against the packers will be filed in tt
United States circuit court at Chicag
It is expected that arguments will /
heard by the court some day next weel
Attorney General Knox to-day sent exit
copies of the printed bill to District Al
torney Bethea for the use of lawyers ar
the press. Special Attorney William
Day has not gone to Chicago and will n,
go until the case is ready for argumen