Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-03
WOULD AMEND LAW
SENATOR PERKINS VIEW OF
ANTITRUST LEGISLATION.
Favors Engagement Of the Best Legal
Talent in the Country to Prose-
cute the Cases Tried.

Senator Perkins of California, while not
discussing the Hoar antitrust BILL said to-
day that he had long taken the view that
the best way to get satisfactory trust legis-
lation was to amend the Sherman antitrust
act and to supply the Attorney General
with liberal funds so that he could engage
the very best legal talent in the country
in order to prosecute cases against corpora
tions that are doing business in violation OF
the law.
1.-The trusts have the best legal services
that money can purchase" said Senator
Perkins, land wish to see the government
side upheld with equal talent. AS MEM
Der OF the Senate committee on appropria-
lions shall certainly vote for the appro-
priation made by the House Of Representa-
tives of 100000 to provide the attorney
with funds for this purpose. I believe the
Senate will pass that appropriation. and It
Will go a long way to assist in solving the
trust problem"
What amendments do you consider
necessary for the Sherman law" he was
asked
II think the necessary amendments could
readily be suggested by the Attorney Cen
eral and others who have been assisting
in the prosecution Of these cases. They
know in what respects the Sherman law is
detective"
Why He Favors Present Laws.
why do you regard the amendment of
the Sherman law in minor details as more
satisfactory to solve the trust problem than
more comprehensive law" the reporter
asked
Because" replied Senator Perkins, 81
have observed that the Sherman law has
been sufficient to break up Illegal combina-
lions in several cases in which they were
carried to the United States Supreme Court
and because the fact that this law has
been tested in the highest court Of the
country renders it a better groundwork for
action than would be a new law. We had
in California an example Of the difficulty
in dealing with an untried law. In 1850
we adopted the constitution OF Michigan
that had been judicially construed by the
courts.
TT stood the test in all cases in California
for thirty years and gave splendid satisfac-
ton. There was a labor agitation and there
came demand for a new constitution. and
a convention was called in 1879, and in
stead Of taking that constitution and
amending 1t in such parts as 1t had been
shown to need amendment by reason OF
expansion in affairs of the state they draft
ed a new constitution, and We have had to
have that new constitution construed, and
the result is that our court calendar Is
nearly two years behind in its cases. I
only mention this as an example.
I'm California only four months ago there
was a trust in the salt industry. 1t con-
trolled the trade and the producing sources
of production in the state. The United
States circuit court tried the case, the
trust was dissolved and the price OF salt
dropped from $25 to $3.50 to So barrel.
I'm a number of other cases the Sher-
man antitrust law has been proved to be
sufficient to deal with the evil that has
arisen in connection with large combina-
lions of capital. and I think it should
merely be amended SO as to meet the re-
quirements that prosecutions under it have
shown to be''necessary In order to fully
carry out the purposes 1t was intended to
meet" ...,