Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-04-08
Friday, April 8, 1904:
DEMOCRATIC LEADERS FOR TRUSTS

seems to have thrown CONSIDERATION
into the Republican camp not antIcl-
pated. Mr.. Roosevelt began this pros
ecution with evident intention of push
ing it to legitimate conclusion, but
no sooner has the decision been an
nounced and some real work been
done, than his spine doubled up, and
his valor oozed out. According to the
trust idea the Supreme Court had al
ready rendered the Sherman Act i'm
potent except in so far as it restrained
interstate trade and comm cree. 1t
therefore had no scope, being only
applicable to railroads or steam ships,
as they are the only agents engaged in
such trade or commerce. The Coal
OIL trust, the Beef trust, the Coal
trust, and other similar trusts and
monOpolies do not come within the
provision of that statute, if their ideas
be true, because they do not restrain
interstate trade or commerce. MIR.
Clev Gland has recently stated that he
was very anxious to prosecute some
obnoxious trusts, but his Attorney
General, Mr.. Olney. showed the dis
tinction drawn by the Supreme Court
and no action was taken. 1t is difficult
to conceive that the Sherman bill only
contemplated railroads and steam
ships and not such mOnopolies as the
Steel trust, which is aimed at lndivid-
ual enterprise; or the Beef trust,
which seeks to fix and control both
the price of beef on foot-in the hands
of the farmer, and the manufactured
article in the hands of themselves; or
the Sugar trust, which buys its sugar
at it's own price. because it has des-
troyed competition,' and forces our
merchants to not only pay certain
prices, but puts them under oath as it
were, not to sell at any price but
that fixed by the trust. Is it not
absurd to say that the Sherman bill
did not intend to include such VAN.
pires as these? If it did not, and does
not, and it is claimed the Supreme
Court has held it does not, there ought
at once to be law passed which
would include them. Congress should
begin this without delay.
But even when there is one object
left at which the Sherman Act was
aimed, and only one, the much ma.
ligned railroads what do we behold
We find Mr.. Cleveland and his two
Attorney Generals, Mr.. Olney and
Mr.. Harmon, obeying with alacrity
their idea of the Supreme Courts de.
cisien, and making not the slightest
effort to test the sentiment of the court
in any real case against any of these
combinations. and we find Mr.. Foraker
introducing bill to exclude railroads
from the effect of the statute. We
have, however, one case which arrived
at the bar Of the U. s. Supreme Court,
tO-wit: this Northern Securities case.
What do we see when it has thus ar
rived ? The most humiliating scene
in the annanls of the Democratic par
ty. 1t had been supposed that the
Democrats held to views which ought
to curb If not render such hitherto
legalized robbery impossible. But no.
The court was divided on this the only
real case that ever reached that tribu-
nal. Five judges said the attempt by
the Northern Securities Co. to control
two railroads under one management
was unlawful. Justice Harlan who
delivered the majority opinion said:
mo scheme or device could more GER
tainly come within the words of the
act"
Justice Brewer, however, whilst as.
senting to the conclusions in this case,
read an opinion which blazed the way
for making the act entirely nugatory.
He held that it might be impossible to
get the assent of the court to such a
conclusion when the combination in
restraint of interstate trade was ''rea-
sonable.n
But where the humiliation to Dem
Oerats has arisen, is in the fact that
every Democrat on the bench, Chief
Justice Fuller and Justices White and
Peckham, dissented. If their views be
correct and should hereafter prevail,
al indeed with Justice Brewers aid
they would, then the Sherman Act
would be void, worthless and meaning
less, because it would apply to moth
ing in existence now or likely to exist
hereafter. 1t is just such actions as
these which render the Democratic
party impOtent and turn it into mob.
At the crucial point, when it should
manifest itself and show independence
of thought, and due regard for party
doctrines as understood from platforms
and teachings. those who are supposed
to lead in those views and who have
the power to solidify and emphasize
party creeds, are found to be masque
rading with the enemy and ready and
willing to turn the party bag and bag
gage over to those it was supposed
were their most implacable foes. This
was the only opportunity so far given
these judges to do something Demo
cratic, but instead they went further
thar the Republicans and it was only |
through the Republicans that the
country got any promise of relief. |
How then can the Democratic party
now talk against trusts bow can the
platform at st. Louis contain such q |
plank How could Mr.. OIney, or
Judge Parker, or Mr.. German, all
we'll known advocates of monopoly, |
stand On such platform as should be
framed there?
Instead of opposing trusts it really
looks as if trusts must get their pro-
faction frnro he .z-+- 7