Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-07

trust for the fairly impartial service
of all the public Favoritism in the
use of such powers, unjustly enrlching
some and unjustly impoverishing 9TH
ers, discriminating in favor OF some
places and against others. is palpably
vlolative of plain principles of justice.
Such practice unchecked is hurtful
in many ways. Congress. having had
it's attention drawn to the matter, en-
acted most important anti-rebate
law, which greatly strengthens the in
terstate commerce law. This new law
prohibits under adequate penalties the
giving as well as the demanding Or re-
ceiving of such preferences, and pro-
vides the preventive remedy of injunc-
ton. The vigorous administration OF
this law. and it will be enforced, will.
it is hoped afford substantial remedy
for certain trust evils which have at
tracted public attention and have Gre
ated public unrest.
Important Step.
This law represents noteworthy
and important advance toward just
and effective regulation of transporta-
ton. Moreover. its passage has been
supplemented by the enactment of a
law to expedite the heaving OF actions
of public moment under the antitrust
act. known as the Sherman law, and
under the act to regulate commerce
at the request of the encouragement
and furthermore. additional funds have
been appropriated to be expended I'M
der the direction of the attorney gener
al in the enforcement of these laws.
Administration of Law.
All this represents a great and sub
stantial advance in legislation Bu
more important even than Legislation
is the administration of the law, and
ask your attention for moment tt
the way in which the law has been ad
ministered by the profound jurist ant
fearless public servant who now occu
pies the position of encouragement
Mr.. Knox. The constitution enjoin:
upon the President that he shall TAX,
care that the laws be faithfully exc
cuted, and under this provision the at
| torney-general formulated a polio.
which was IN effect nothing but tn,
rigid enforcement, by suits managed
with consumma,e skill and ability
/
| imperfect provisions of the act to reg
ulate commerce. The first step takel
| was the prosecution of fourteen suit
| against principal railroads of the mid
| die west, restraining them by injunc
tons from further violations of eithe
OF the laws in question.
Northern Securities Company.
| About the same time the cas-
against the Northern Securities &C
was initiated. This was corporation
Iorganized under the laws of the stat
lof New Jersey with a capital of fou
hundred million dollars, the allege
purpose being to control the Grea
i Northern and Northern Pacific rail
road companies, two parallel and CON
peting lines extending across tn
northern tier of states from the Mis-
sissippi river to the Pacific ocear
j Whatever the purpose, it's consumma
ton would have resulted in the con
troll of the two great railway SYSTEM
upon which the people of the north
western states were so largely depend
ent for their supplies and to get thei
products to market being practically
merged into the New Jersey corpora
ton. The proposition that these indie
'lpendent systems of railroads should b
: merged under a single control alarme
Z the people of the states concerned, les
they be subjected to what they deem
l ed monopoly of interstate transpo