West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-08-06
FAKE TRUST BUSTERS.
The Net Results Of Republican
Administration Activity.
some VERY TAME LEeIsLATIos.

Publicity That Docs Not Publish
Anything That the Trusts want to
Htde--CriminaI Clause OF the Inter
Gain For the Trusts.
A great deal OF rubbish has appeared
In print about the antitrust Legislation
that congress has been engaged upon.
most OF II being intended 90 befog the
minds of the voters instead OF cnlight-
ening them on what has been and Is in
tended TO be accomplished toward con-
trolling the trusts.
There has been conflict between
tho senate and house on the measures
that should be enacted. and the senate
has won, as all the bills on the trust
issue that have been passed or Will he
enacted by congress are senate bills.
That ~ ominous OF how little the new
laws will really do against the trusts,
for II is conceded that the Republican
leaders In the senate are all under obli.
CATIONS TO combines and corporations
and are therefore unlikely TO pass laws
that Will injure their friends. Some
weeks ago the trust attorneys visited
Washington and conferred with the ad-
ministrauon trust busters. and the leg
islatlon that has so far passed and is
proposed TO pass congress is the result
OF this consultation between the trust
attorneys and tho Republican leaders.
fhA I91. T.. 80
amendment TO the bill creating the de-
partment OF commerce, which provides
that there shall be burenu OF corpora
tions which shall investigate the com
bines, except the railroads, and shall
report TO the president from time to
time, as he shall require, and the infor-
maion so obtained or as much thereof
as the president may direct shall be
made public" Also TO publish useful
information concerning corporations"
which shall engage in interstate COM
merce. These are the famous public
ity" provisions upon which the presi-
dent has set so much store Yet tho
only publicity required by this law is
10 publish useful information" or as
much Information as the president may
direct. That that publicity will be use
less may be known by the three years
efforts in that line by the industrial
commission, which published nineteen
large volumes containing an enormous
mass OF facts about trusts and corpora
tions. yet no law has ever been based
upon these facts and the trusts have
increased aud multiplied since the pub
lication OF this information. The inter
state commerce commission has like
wise Investigated and published all the
facts about tho railroads for sixteen
years, but II has never curbed their en-.
pacity nor prevented the public from
investing iu their watered stock. Pub.
llcity may even do harm by publishing
useful information" that the trusts
want TO have made public. The statis-
teal bureaus Of tho various depart
ments OF ;he government have for
many years been publishing useful in
formation" that has been a prop and
aid to the continuance OF the protective
tariff and ia fact has persistently re-
jected all that would expose It's enor.
nifty and fallacles. SO much Tor pub.
liclty.
The next law OH the programme Is to
advance trust suits IN the courts. This
Is Attorney General Knoxs particular
pet and Is certainly needed, for the
suits against the beef trust and the
railroad merger have been dragging
along since last spring and are still IN
their initial stages But Il Will require
more than q law 10 advance trust suits.
The great necessity is m attorney gen
ernl who is n real trust buster, but 20
far no Republican president has ap.
pointed such a one. Indeed. Mr. Knox
himself was attorney for the Carnegie
steel corporation and can hardly be cx-
pected TO expedite the law against
his friends. Mr.. Knox complained that
he had not been furnished with SUN
Client funds 70 adequately fight tho
trusts, 80 the Democrats have forced
an amendment 90 the legislative and
judicial appropriation bill giving him
$4,000 for that purpose. The blii has
been hanging fire in conference for
some weeks, perhaps because Of this
amendment not being looked upon with
favor by the Republican conferees
The Inst and the most extraordinary
trust busting bin r. the one 70 prevent
rebates by railroads, which Senator
Elkins IS sponsor for. 10 passed the
senate without opposition and has been
reported favorably to the house Il II
not intended that this bill shall hurt
the corporations It was probably
drawn after consultations with rail-
road attorneys. and Senator Elklns, be-
ing a corporation man himself aud