Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-01-13
KNOX ON TRUSTS.

1t IS somewhat to De reSfeueo
that Sehator Hoar was so anx oas
to place his impress on trust leg
islation that he made all haste 20
frame a bill and get it before the,
5 nate. Of course the bill Is
Hoar's and embodies his ideas of
legislation necessary to control
trusts.
Senator Cullom also prepared
and presented an anti trust bill
which many regard as more eff
cient than Hoar's, but which,
with strange thoughtlessness, he
permitted to be referred to
committee of which Hoar Isl
chairman, where it is pigeon
ho,ed.
1t is o. snail consequence, tor
neither OF these bills are OF real
practical value. Their authors,
although acknowledged to be OF
the ablest men in the senate fail
to comprehend the evils which
exist and which impend from
unrestrained trusts. The senate
rial habit of conservatism binds
them too firmly to deal at once
intelligently and efficiently with
questions and interests which
have led men to hold such ex-
treme views, pro and con, as are
held by intelligent men ON this
subject.
Attorney-genera1 Knox, au-
thorized by the president, de-
s,ribes the evils of the trusts, and
what the provisions of a law for
them should be, in letter to the
chairman of committees of the
senate and house having charge
of trust bills. He declares
"there should be a coinprehen-
sive plan to enable the govern
ment to get at all the facts bear
ing upon the organization and
practices of concerns engaged in
interstate commerce. !" The
purpose should be to control, not
to destroy nor hamper any 1egiti-
mate business of trusts.
He declares the worst evil OF
the great transportation trusts is
the giving of rebates, and this be
would prevent by inhicting severe
penalties upon both the carrier
giving and the shipper accepting
such rebates.
Here, for the first time, it is
proposed to punish the receiver
of special and discriminating
rates. Any one who has been
comparatively small shipper OF
commodities knows what fearful
odds are against him when he is
brought into competition with
shippers receiving heavy rebates
on freight rates which are denied
to him. Not infrequently the
small shipper is thus forced out
of business.
Mr.. Knox advises a special
bureau in the proposed Bureau OF
Commerce which should be au-
thorized to investigate the opera
tions of concerns engaged in in
ter-state or in foreign commerce,
and which should have power to
compel testimony, the produc-
ton OF books, papers, etc.
1t will be observed that his
recommendations are plainly di-
rected upon those evils which
are known to exist, and are in
tended to bring the most mis-
chievous trusts-the great trans
portation companies and mergers
Under government control.
But he also recommends provi-
sions which would control those
manufacturing combines which
produce wholly within one state,
but engage in interstate trade.
His scheme of control is clear
1y within the constitutional pow
ers of congress, and carefully
avoids any sort of interference
with whatever is rightfully the
subject of regulation only by the
Individual states.
He recommends the prompt
amendment of the present an
THRUST law so that the suits al
ready instituted by the govern
ment may be carried to a quick
decision.
The bills offered by senator's
Hoar and Cullom are largely ten
tative, experimental, like the
prescription of a physician who
is in doubt both as to what ails
his patient and the therapeutic
va1ue of the remedies he nre.