The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-04-05

! the Northern Securities Company was
initiated This was Il corporation or
! sanized under the laws of the State of
| New Jersey with capital of four hun
dred million dollars. the alleged purpose
| being to control the Great Northern and
| the Northern Pacific railroad companies
| two parallel and competing lines extend
| ing across the northern tier of states
| from the Mississippi River to the Pacific
| Ocean. Whatever the purpose its con-
summation would have resulted in the
| control of the two great railway systems
upon which the people Of the Northwest
! erm States were so largely dependent for
! their supplies and to get their products
| to market being practically merged into
! the New Jersey corporation. The propo-
! sition that these independent systems
| of railroads should be merged under
| single control alarmed the people of the
states concerned, lest they be subjected
to what they deemed a monopoly of In
| State transportation and the suppress
| sion of competition. The governors of
| the States most deeply affected held
meeting to consider how to prevent the
merger becoming effective and passed
! Resolutions calling upon the National
| Government to enforce the anti trust
! laws against the alleged combination.
! When these resolutions were referred to
! the Attorney General for consideration
and advice, he reported that II his opin-
! ion the Northern Securities Company
/ and It's control of the railrads men
! toned was a combination in restrained
/ of trade and was attempting a monopoly
! in violation Of the national antitrust
! law Thereupon a suit in equity, which
| is now pending, was begun by the gov
eminent to test the validity of this trans
action under the Sherman law.
"At nearly the same tine the disclo-
sures respecting the secret rebates en-
! jcyed by the great packing house COM
panies, coupled with the very high price
of meats, led the Attorney General to
direct an investigation into the methods
OF the so-called beef trust. The result
was that he filed bills for injunction
against six of the principal packing house
companies. and restrained them from
combining and agreeing upon prices at
which they would sell their products in
States other than those in which their
meats were prepared for market Writs
Of injunction were issued accordingly,
and since then, after full argument, the
United States circuit court has made the
injunction perpetual.
THE COTTON INTERESTS.
"The cotton interests of the South,
/ including growers buyers. and shippers,
made complaint that they were suffering
great injury in their business from the
methods of the Southern railroads in the
handling and transportation of cotton.
They alleged that these railroads, by com
bined action under a pooling arrange
ment to support their rate schedules had
denied to the shippers the right to elect
over what roads their commodities should
be shipped. and that by dividing upon
fixed basis the cotton crop of the
South all inducement to compete in
rates for the transportation thereof was
eliminated. Proceedings were instituted
by the Attorney General under the anti
trust law, which resulted in the de-
struction of the pool and in restoring
to the growers and shippers of the South
the right to ship their products over any
road they elected, thus removing the
restraint upon the freedom of COM
merce.''
The President then spoke of the pro- |
ceedings against the Salt Trust. and after
deprecating violent measures against the
trusts, continued:
MANY Of the alleged remedies advo- |
Gated are of the unpleasantly drastic type
which seeks to destroy the disease by
killing the patient. Others are so OBJ
viously futile that it is somewhat diff
cult to treat them seriously or as being
advanced in good faith. High among the
latter L place the effort to reach the
trust question by means of the tariff. |
You can, OF course, put an end to the
prosperity Of the trusts by putting an
end to the prosperity of the nation but
the price for such action seems high. |
The alternative is to do exactly what
has been done during the life Of the
i Congress which has just closed-that is, |
! to endeavor not to destroy corporations, |
but to regulate them with view of
doing away with whatever is Of evil in
them and Of making them subserve the
public use. The law is not to be admin |
istered in the interest of the poor man
as such nor yet in the interest of the
rich man as such but in the interest |
Of the law-abiding man, rich or poor. We
are no moro against organizations of
capftal than against organizations of la |
hor We welcome both demanding only
that each shall do right and shall re-
member its duty to the Republic. Such |
course we consider not merely a bene- |
fit to the poor man, but a benefit to the
rich man. We do no man an injustice
when We require him to obey the law.
On the contrary if he is a man whose
safety and well-being depend in a pecu
liar degree upon the existence of the
spirit of law and order we are rendering
him the greatest service when we require
him to be himself an exemplar of that
spirit
Incidents at Milwaukee.