Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-22
READY FOR COMMITTEE
LITTLEFIELD'S ASSOCIATES COM
PLETE ANTITRUST BILL.
Distinguished by Five Features-Pro-
vides for the Restraint and Pun
ishment of Monopoly.

The antitrust BILL which has been under
preparation by the special committee of the
House judiciary committee ever since the
present session of Congress began. was
finished yesterday afternoon and pro-
nounced good" by all five Of the members
of the subcommittee. The bill was then
sent to the government printing office and
printed during the night. Many copies
were In evidence at the Capitol at an early
hour this morning. but the subcommittee
had decided that while the bill was avail
able it must not be printed until Friday
morning.
The New York Herald this morning
printed the following details of the bill:
Five Main Features.
There are Ave main features to the meas.
ure: Publicity. giving power to the inter-
state commerce commission to investigates;
making discrimination crime; prohibiting
the creation Of monopolies and denying in
terstate transportation to trust-made goods.
The publicity section provides that all cor
porations doing an Interstate business, here
after organized. shall file with the interstate
commerce commission q statement of facts
of its authorized capital stock number of
shareholders. amount issued and outstand-
Ing, amount paid in. whether in cash or In
property. total Indebtedness. notes and
mortgages. other liabilities and all other
facts relating to its finances.
Corpora tons doing an interstate business
already organized must file such statements
at the request of the interstate commerce
commission, which he's power to require
them under oath. When such statements
are made they shall be published.
Another section gives power to the inter-
state commerce commission to inquire into
the manag ment of the busin IS of all inter
state corporations. with authority to ex-
anime witnesses and compel the production
of papers.
Prohibition of Rebates.
The section prohibiting rebates or any
other form of discrimination is slight vari-
alton from the Nelson BILL now pending in
the Senate. It provides that every common
carrier or agent or representative of such
carrier, who shall transport or offer to
transport interstate traffic at other rates
than those published by the payment of
any rebate, or by any other device evades
or disregards the published rate, shall be
declared guilty of a misdemeanor, punish
able by fine Of not less than 81, 900 or more
than 10000 Any corporation. firm per-
son. procuring soliciting such special
privileges shall be likewise guilty of mis-
demeanor. punishable by the same fine.
An additional provision in this section
Furnishes discrimination by corporations
which produce and manufacture wholly
within state. but whose products or sales
eIltI iHlO Interstate commerce.
Driving Out Competition.
The creation Of a monopoly on the part
of corporations doing an interstate business
for the purpose of driving out competition
is made a msdemeanor and the facilities
of interstate traffic are denied to such Or
CARNATIONS This section is specific. 1t de-
MES interstate traffic privileges to corpora
tons which attempt to monopolize the pro-
auction or sale OF article attemnt n
control it by driving out competition, by
discriminating in price. or by giving rebate,
or by any other special privileges for the
purpose of Immediately or ultimately in
creasing its price or to maintain it's price
above the normal economic level.
Other persons or corporations are denied
the privileges OF interstate commerce IL
they endeavor to buy or sell articles pro-
duced by corporations aimed at in the
above provision.
Violators Of this provision of the bill are
to be fined not less than $500 or more than
$1,000. and are also subject to imprison-
ment of not less than six months or more
than two years.
1t is also provided that violations of this
provision may be restrained on suit of the
United States brought by the Attorney Cen
eral in any district where the alleged vio-
lator has place Of business.
Transportation Forbidden.
The bill is equally severe on the common
carrier who shall knowingly transport pro-
ducts controlled by monopoly.
In all the proceedings under the law,
whether civil or criminal, there shall be no
excuses from attending and testifying, or
from producing papers or documents.
The legitimate operations of the patent
laws are not to be impaired by this act.
Contains Knox Recommendations.
The bill agreed to contains all the rec
concentrations made by Attorney General
Representative Littlefield- The main diff
ference between the committee bill and the
recommendation of Attorney General Knox
lies In the publicity feature. The Attorney
General recommended that the statements
OF corporations should be for the consider
alton of government officials only, while
the committee bill goes beyond this and
requires their publication.