The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1903-02-26

and spur methods that obtain
there. The Senate Immediately
began to prepare pop gun anti
trust legislation. First came the
Nelson amendment to the Depart
of Commerce bill, providing for
publicity for the trusts, then the
ElKins bill prohibiting rebates on
freight by railroads on all inter
state commerce, then the Hoar
bill to expedite aud facilitate all
cases against trusts in the United
States courts under existing or
Sherman antitrust law. Each and
every one of these when boiled
down to the last analysis is moth
ing on earth bat bread pill and
stuffed club legislation, mush
poultlce on the commercial carbun-
Gle that is aching the public. They
will have no more effect on trust
repacity and trust domination than
wlter on n duck $ back.
APPROVED BY TRUST ATTORNEYS.
1t is asserted here, and | believe
it to be true, that all these meas
ures were seen and approved by the
paid attorneys of the uGsts, if not
actually drawn by them. The Mel.
son amendment to the Department
of Commerce bill was I'll shed
through the Senate, aud like
wise the l.lkius bill on rebates,
notwithstanding the fact that the
Statehood hill was said to be block
ing everything in the way of legis-
lation. The fact is the Statehood
bill would have cffectually blocked
anything in the way Of real and cf
fectivc antitrust legislation, and
that was one of the purposes 70!
which the Statehood fight was IN
auguratcd. When the Republican
majority in the Senate, however,
saw an opportunity to play at anti
trust legislation and say to Tho
country that they had kept Their
promises on this question, they
easily found II way to circumvcn'
the alleged Vaccinations of Mr.
Quay, who. as Il stnlwart Republi
can. was only too glad to allow tn,
weak and watery antitrust legls'
lation the right of way through
the Senate. This amendment anC
bill were rushed to the House, anC
although the House had just passeC
the Littlclicld bill and was commit
ted to it, it passed the Department
of Commerce bill Nelson amend
mcut, ana all for the simple reason
that the cdict had gone forth from
the powers that be that there mus
be no more anti trust Legislation
enacted at this session, aud tha
the Littlcfcld bill was objection
able to the administration that ha'
cOllahoratcd with Mr.. Littleticld il
the preparation of his bill Tn
, EIkins measure will 60 through tn
House, as it, too, is slated for pas
sage, and likewise the Iloar bill
to expedite ull trust eases now o.
the dockcts and to be brough
hereafter.
: WHAT THEY Alb AMOUNT TO.
But, after they have been passe
J. and signed by the President, wha
do they amount to in the way {
curbing trusts
The Littlcfeld bill, that ha
some good features and undt
! which some effective work could |
done, has been ruthlcssly east asid
u because the trusts have 50 decree
i it; but it, too, has its weak point
= The Democrats tried i'll vain
u amend the bill when it was up
" the House, so us to make 1t
= measure of relief to the people al
" effective in the contrO! of the trus
" but each and every amendment WI
u promptly voted down by brut
y Republican majority. For instan,
u the Littlciield bill contains n clau
). that all trusts hereafter organize
- shall submit to certain publicit,
n The Democrats tried to get IN
amendment that wonld include {
- - trusts now organized as well, b
they may as well have sung son
70 to dead mule. What do &
y trusts now robbing the people ga
'' for the publicity feature of such
bill?
The steel trust, for instance. h
:. already preempted the earth so t
ct ms the steel industry of this coul
I'd try is concerned, and there is
Mt possible chance of another co
G. ing in to compete with it. Ev
Sc supposing one should be organic
,ot to compete, which is a violent st
W. position, the present trust wol
ed have all the best of it. 1t wol
II have all the advantage of all