Milford chronicle., 1904-11-04
ANTITRUST LAWS.
They Have Been Enforced Wherever
Proper Cases Have Been Presented.

D
Proper Cases Have Been Presented.
There are IN the Unitel States over
500 industrial trusts and organized mo
nopolies. Their aggregate authorized
capital amounts to Sd. T9S 54I 81, such
a stupendous sum as 10 make the petty
capitalist gasp in astonishment. But IL
is not all tangible; a good deal is mere
figures scratches on paper Many OF the
companies are paythings for hnaneiers
who require toys; others are dummies;
others comatose affairs. These corpora
tions are born in every State. and state
laws are responsible for their creation
laws with which the national government
has nothing to do. and could not have,
unless by usurpation: but il does take a
/ hand when these concerns undertake IN
terstate transactions in restraint Of trade
or foreign commerce. II Is nothlng
against the Republican party that such
corporations have a being; their own
parents. the States that gave them birth.
are the parties responsible for their
wrong doing in those States No federal
court or officer can enforce the common
law OF a State as for the United States,
there is no common law, as Mr.. Roose-
welt has said Mr.. Parker takes issue
with this declaration and dismisses It
from his discussion by saying It IS a
question mot TO be determined by the
President or by candidate for the pres
idency" but by the judiciary, and It has
been judicially decided that common law
principles could be applied in United
States courts in interstate commerce
cases.
There are United States statutes for
such cases, so that Judge Parker's prom
Use TO favor such further legislation
within constitutional limitations as will
best promote and safeguard the interests
OF tie people" is entirely gratuitous uu-
less he meditates a repeal Of the laws
already existing. These laws are Of Re-
publican creation and safeguard the in
terests Of the people SO far as State stat
utes viii permit. 4 Republican Con
gress passed the Sherman antitrust law
and a Republican President approved u
July .. 1890. In 1903 a Republican Con
cress passed and a Republican President
approved an act eXpeditiug antitrust lu-
CATION. In the appropriation bill for
1903 was a paragraph providing funds
for prosecuting such suits, and the def
cheney bill FOR the same year authorized
legal aid The Elkins-ROberts law. pass
ed and approved in 1908, bore upou this
trust question and was the worS Of
Republican Congress and President.
The government has not au1ked in en-
forcing the antitrust laws where pro
per case could De made olt. Ii k1ocss-
the financial sawdusi ou- ~ the Northern
Securities Company IN 1915 TIE lis
souri, beef trust case IN 1893 ended
with heavy hnes against tie Defendants
who We're fouIC s---T II v.5-a-ls the
antitrust law. il -el- tl- F-as lsut
ordered the rros-c--.e- = -s--a-- ----lo.s
packers for violating -l= Sherman ana
trust statute and 9 1~--l-s-- --i ---- .
ton was The -e~a- L=== aE-----St
suits are NOT the i-s- s=--.---s--=l- AZ (
fairs the Democra-s z-= --.- 90 make
them out TO be- TIE ---s---s-- rl1st
be sure it is ri-t- All az O. elrcy lis
points before it lc-s --e le,- zeal tai
ent Of the country IS put up s=s-lsJ il, Z
and defeat fer il would involve rlluous
consequences.
What the Democrats ght do 10 these
trJst matters 10 one. lot even them I
selves. can guess; they can't do aly bet
ter; they are likely TO DO worse