The Washington times., 1904-03-15
The Decision.
No Harm Done by UNFOLDING the Anti
Trust Law.

Trust Law.
The Administration of President
Roosevelt is to be congratulated upon
its success in having the Supreme
Court sustain its position in the
Northern Securities ease. 1t Is the
GROWING achievement of a long
series of Republican efforts to curb
what an undoubted majority of the
people of this country thought con
stituted a menace to its future we!-
fare and political development. Be
ginning with the introduction by
Republican Senator of the antitrust
law in 1889, the enactment Of that
law by a Republican Congress IN
1890, the enlargement Of its scope III
1898, and its enforcement by a Re
publican Administration, the policy
which the Supreme Court now de
clares TO be constitutional must be
placed to the credit whatever credit
there may be-of the Republican
party. If Democrats have ever done
anything to restrain illegal combina-
tons except by shouting and calling
heaven to witness the iniquity. we
don't recall the fact. President
Roosevelt and Attorney General
Knox, therefore, can rightfully claim
that they dealt in deeds rather than
words And the country will not for
get It, either
Between the view expressed by Mr..
Knox that the decision Is Sound Law,
good sense, for the advantage Of ait
legitimate interests, and for the com-
tIy's welfare, and that II averts the
danger of uncontrolled personal pow
er in railway management between
that view and the somewhat intem-
perate opinion delivered by Justice
White, which characterizes the de
eision of a majority Of his colleagues
on the bench as destructive of gov
eminent, destructive Of human bb-
erty, and destructive Of every prin-
eiple upon which organized society
depends" there is a conspicuous diff
ference, Of course. Both views are
mere conjecture, however. Only the
future can determine what the result
of the policy deliberately entered
upon by the country will be- For, let
II be boJne III mind, the court simply
declares the antitrust law to be con
stitutional; IN other words, that Con-
gress had the power and authority To-
enact IT. Of its wisdom. Of the con
sequences which may result, II ex-
presses no opinion. The court did not
even consider what Congress IN
tended. 1t was guided only by tie
language Of the law, and anybody
who reads the act can see that tho
courts opinion puts upon it no
strained or artificial construction. II
may be that the act itself is, as some
people seem TO think, crude, ill-con-
sidcred. harsh, destructive, and dan
eerous, but if it Is, the country must
look 70 Congress for a remedy.
In the meantime we are bound to
confess that the rumored determine
ton of the defeated mergers" to CIR
cmnvent the decision Of the court bv
the adoption Of more or less dubious
meIhods-all Of them designed 10 vio-
late the spirit Of the antitrust law
does not strike us as calculated TO m /
spire public sympathy. The defense
set up by the representatives of the /
Northern Securities Company rested
on technical contentious; il will do no 1
good to substitute another set Of tech /
meal contentious for those shown to
have been futile. Ii principle there |
be involved IN the ultimate determine
ton Of this great question: We /
rather think it is-the honest. the |
straightforward, the only way 10 es-
tabhsh that principle is by appeal 20 |
the people And while that appeal Is
pending there j. no danger, as At |
tomey General Knox expresses it, of |
the Administration running amuck."
1t will execute the law, but It viii not
persecute anybody not violating il.