The sun., 1903-09-02
Deadhead DIS and Trusts

1t was very cruel Of the third section
of the law of the last Congress of Feb 10,
1903. enacted to regulate interstate COM
merce, to put upon the Attorney-Gen-
eral and the Interstate Commerce Com
mission the task OF issuing orders to
hundred District Attorneys, more or less,
to make an end of free railway trans
portation for Federal officials; and espe-
cially so in face Of the effort there may
have been to exempt Federal deadheads
from determination. Amy effort made
to doctor the law in that sense and contine
previous Legislation to freight traffic how
ever, came to naught.
The antitrust emotion, exploited 30
strenuously during year and more by
the President, put on the statute book
during the last session Of Congress sew
eral statutes which ought to be regarded
by the Acknowledgement and the Inter-
state Commerce Commission.
One of them placed in the hands Of
the Attorney-General half million Of
dollars with which to begin and carry on
prosecutions. Another provided him
for the same purpose with two additional
assistant Attorneys-Ge General, one with
seven-thousand and the other with
five-thousand dollar salary, and addi-
tional confidential clerks. A third eI-
pedited all equity suits relating to trdsts
and interstate commerce. And then
there was the law authorizing the Com
missioner of Corporations In the new De-
partment of Commerce and Labor, to
investigate corporations, joint stock
companies and combinations, except
common carriers, and gather informa-
ton and data to enable the President to
make recommendations to Congress-
The part of that legislation very trying
for the Attorney-General is the duty
thereby imposed on him to instruct all
District Attorneys to apply to the proper
court for an order to make, in equity
proceedings against railway any Fed
eral official party who has been q ben
eticiary through a departure by such
railway from its published passenger
rates, or through any forbidden discrim-
nation in favor OF such official over any
other passenger.
The trust bOgey aimed at by that legls-
lation, and worked SO assiduously by
politicians with keen eye on the ballot
boxes OF 1904, is col!apsing under the in
exorable law Of prices and business, re-
vealed In the markets and the stock ex-
changes. The new Birmingham de-
parture in England has had something
to do with the collapse, as one can see
who will turn TO Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN
speech Of May 2S in tho House Of Com
mons on unjust competition by Ameri-
can trusts dumping their surplus
products on tho markets OF the United
Kingdom at a less price than similar
articles could BE- there produced British
free traders welcome the dumping" if 1t
will give British workingmen less costly
food, shelter and clothing, but Tory
Imperialist -Protectionsts naturally repel
it. As result, British newspapers which
during year or two have egged on the
President 10 make the fight Of his life
against trusts, capltalisuo combinations
and sll the rest Of It, now declare them
10 be bOgeys, which, II only left alone, the
inexorable laws Of trade and business
viii put INTO their proper places
H. II, however plain 10 see that the
German dumping" syndlcates and cur
tels, and tle American dumping trusts
i'm dealing with which pr.rld.ut R1,aL.
NFII "sloppod OYER" ~ much hays pro-
iDundly stirred NT CBAnBEELAIk lir
las set tl~ issue of protection versus
ir"s trade not only burning bat blazlng.
Aobody can now forssas how widely the
hr" viii extend. " has already oroassd
ih' Atlantic and invaded the Canadian