The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-01-01
How the Doctors Disagree.

ion about how trusts ought to b
remedied as there are members o
congress. In the confusion it hal
been suggested that Attorney Gener
al Knox ought to get into the gam
and submit an official administra
tion measure.
In a way Knox is held responsible
for the clamor for Legislation at thii
session; in his Pittsburg speech h'
said congress had the power anC
do something. Not long ago, Judg'
Crumpacker, of Indiana, had an in
terview with the attorney general
and as be was leaving, he suggested
that the members would like thai
antitrust bill. Knox laughed AND
said that he never had thought o.
preparing a bill. He had made q
speech, to be sure, and had said
things about such legislation; but he
declared that he would not think Of
trespassing on the prerogative oftht
legislative branch of the government
by assuming to offer a bill. If con
gress or the judiciary committee re
quested him to submit the draft of a
bill, that would be another thing.
This they have not done up to date.
81 shall vote for any antitrust bill
which has the Endorsement OF the
judiciary committee" said Repre-.
sentative Crumpacker, OF Indiana.
IL have my doubts as to the power
OF congress to deal with the matter
without an amendment to the con-
stitution; but agree with the presi-
dent that it will be a good thing to
try and get a decision from the SUI
preme court. II congress had power
| would like to see something more
drastic than mere publicly. | be-
lieve the federal government should
have and should exercise power to so
regulate the trusts as to preserve the
principle of competition.
II have no difficulty in discriminate
ing between good and bad trusts or
combinations. Accumulation which
amounts to conspiracy tosuppress
competitions a bad thing and ought
to be stopped. Corporations are
creatures Of law. They have only
the powers given them by law. The
time for law to intervene, and put on
a curb is when two or more corpora
tions which have been competing seek
to form a trust or combination for
the purpose of eliminating competi
ton. That should be the touch
stone. Corporations are not, or
should not be or should not be,
authorized for such purpose.
"A corporation whose chief pur.
pose is the absorption as trustees oi
several competing corporations
ought to be dissolved. The govern.
ment ought to have the right to dis,
solve it. Competition is necessary
for the best interests Of business and
OF society in general. 1t is essential
to the largest measure OF individual
liberty and the liberty OF the indi.
vidual and his happiness is the para
mount purpose of all law. 1t is mo 3
important even than business-com.
mercialism-which is nothing in and
Eof itself. Business and commerce are
nothing except as they minister tc
the happiness Of the state and the in
dividuals which make it up. lumat.
ing laws for the encouragement and
upbuilding OF commercial prosperity
we must never lose sight of the indi
vidualand his inherent rights. These
are paramount
A typical opinion as to trust legis
lation is voiceC by Henry Sherman
Boutell, of Chicago. Said he:
Il observe that people have beer
building a great deal in this matter
on mere talk. What they build i.
quite spectacular; but not entirely
satisfactory. notice that they
usually put up two structures, on
beside the other. The first is a beau
tiful ornamental, comfortable anC
spacious palace; in it are to be housed
all the good trusts. Next door is {
dark, diDgy, forbidding donion-keep
this is for the bad trusts. Then al
they have to do is to separate tn,
good trusts from the bad ones ant
put them where they belong. L
look very lovely, but | have som,
dilIicultyin separating the good one
from tine bad, the sheep from tn
" ,ats And suspect the foundation