The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-09-02

enough TO please the most conservative
and yet result ina taxation OF 10 per
cent. upon the last hundred millions.
How long would the United States
Steel Corporation continue under that
system of taxation?
Second. We can compel them to
render better and cheaper service. Ii
the combination Of the Northern Pacl-
ic and the Great Northern railroads is
8. great enough public disaster to have
warranted the attention which it has
attracted, it could have been prevented
much easier than by hundred Sher-
man antitrust laws by single Unit
ed States statute that required any
corporation engaged in Interstate
commerce to reduce It's rates 50 per
cent to and from every point where
competition has been prevented by
combination, merger, common control
or agreement. Congress can enact that
any corporation or individual who en-
cages in Inter State commerce must
furnish It's services or supply its goods
at lower rates wherever by any COM
bination competition is prevented than
where competition is left free.
Third. Il necessary the State itself
can enter the industrial field as a pro-
ducer and restore the force of compe-
tion to tsformer supremacy by becom-
ing itself a competitor of the great
trusts. :"
The report is signed by all the mem
bers of the committee, consisting of
Walter S. Loagn. Henry Budd, Gar
diner Lathrop, George Whitelock and
John Morris, Jr.
There was applause when Judge
Logan concluded the reading of the
report. Judge Keteham, of Indiana,
requested that Judge Hammond, Of
Georgia, be asked to speak.
"A resolution was offered by Mr..
Busby, Of North Carolina, providing
that the report be received and fled.
accompanied by note that it did not
express the views of the Association.
JuGge Hammond spoke briefly en-
dorsing the report, saying that it vas
a most encouraging thing that body
like the commerce committee had seen
fit to grapple with such a great ques-
tion as Industrial combinations.
William I. Royal, of Richmond,
Va, offered as substitute for the
report a paper, the essential ideas of
which were that the injury done the
public by trusts was through unreal
competition, that is, the giving away
of goods to destroy weak rivals, or by
selling goods below cost for the same
purpose. Stop this, he said, and the
trusts power for evil is ended. His
remedy was that Congress pass a law,
establishing a corporation commits
sion in each State or Territory, hav-
ing complete authority, on complaint
of any person that his rival is trading
dishonesty by giving away his goods,
Or selling these below cost, for the
purpose of destroying the complainant,
to fine the offending corporation to
sach an extent as will make it offer its
goods for sale, in fact, instead of in
pretence, If it chooses to enter into
trade. He found authority for this act
In the commerce clause, and the four
tenth amendment, but he recommended
an amendment to the Constitution,
giving Congress power by appropriate
legislation to suppress and prevent dis
honest competition in trace.
There was very warm discussion over
a motion to table the report. There
was great excitement on the floor and
finally it was, agreed the report should
be taken up at the night session.