The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-06
1--WE HAVE LAWS ENOUGH
IF WE ONLY ENFORCE Them"
w. ID. Vandfver Declares 1t IL Not the
Lack of Legislation Which Fails
to Suppress the Trusts.
The Republic Bureau,

The Republic Bureau,
18th ST. and Pennsylvania Ava
Washington, March 5.-The main line OF
Mr.. Vandiver's address at the antitrust BAN
que. of the Boston Reform League was on
the proposition that what the country needs
is not SO much additional legislation as the
proper enforcement of the laws that are
now on the statute books. Mr.. Vandiver
pointed out the section of the interstate
commerce act of 1887, the Sherman law of
1880, the Nelson amendment TO the COM
merce law lately adopted and the Elkins bill
recently passed against rebates. And then
he commented, in part, as follows:
These later enactments of the Congress
that has just closed, when compared with
the interstate commerce act and the Sher-
man law. are discovered to be exceedingly
weak 1t is true there is some pretense Of
publicity requirements. but that Is about
the only thing that has been done by this
session Of Congress that makes any addi-
tional requirement Of corporations doing in
terState commerce business, and that re-
quirement is so weak that, in my judgment.
1t VIII operate to the advantage Of the trusts
and not for their restraint, because it will
simply enable them to make use of the
Government inspection and quasi indorse-
ment in order to more easily float their
stock. while they will not be required to file
returns or make exhibits. the publication of
which will prove to be hurtful.
IN short, the publicity feature, in nv
Judgment will yield little or no advantage
to the trust-Hdden public. You might as
Wen punish horse stealing by requiring the
thief merely to publish the fact that he has
stolen the horse and then let him 60 scot
Tree as to attempt TO stop the trusts by re-
curing them TO publish the amount of stock
they have sold and the amount they have
thus hlched from the public without proyid-
ing any other penalty for decentralization
and other methods of robbing the public.
But perhaps the most significant thing
ohat mas occurred In this connection is the
cause very adroitly inserted in the Eikins
blii, which has just become a law, by which
indirectly the SeSerest part of the penalty
prescribed in the interstate commerce act
y repealed. That penalty consisted of both
nne ana imprisonment, but now the i'm
portation companies or other organizations
can violate the law as much as they please
and II they are making money enough to
Justify them In doing So can pay the fine
and Keep on violating the law. just as
whisky dealer in some sections considers
II cheaper to pay the fine than to take out
license and obey the law.
MY main contention is that we already
nave laws on the statute books sufficiently
stringent to regulate the trusts and also
q me e., transportation companies. IL they were
Iairly and fully enforced.
The majesty Of the law deters the aver
age cltlzen from crime because Of the GER
Lainty OF punishment and all the United
states Marshals Of the country will be sum-
moned II necessary to hunt down the boot
that same majesty of the law ought to pre-
SIDE with equal dignity and power over the
mightiest millionaire coal mcgnate as we'll
as the humblest citizen of the land Let
the law be enforced-this should be the
motto Of the trust agitation and ali re-
executive shall feel the force Of public SEN
timent."