Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-11-03
ANTITRUST LAWS.
They Have Been Euforced Wherever
Proper Cases Have Been Presented.

There are in the United States over
500 industrial trusts and organized mo-
nopolies. Their aggregate authorized
capital amounts to S21. 1885, 4T 1927. such
stupendous sum as TO make the petty
capitalist gasp in astonishment. But il
is not all tangible; Il good deal is mere
| figures, scratches on paper. Many Of the
companies are playthings for financiers
who require toys: others are dummies:
Others comatose affairs. These corpora
tons 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 it does take a
hand when these concerns undertake in
| terstate transactions in restraint of trade
or foreign commerce. 1t is nothing
against the Republican party that such
corporations have Il 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 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 a 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 the people" is entirely gratuStous UNI
| less he medtates 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 will permit. \ Republican Con
gress passed the Sherman antitrust law
and Republican President approved il
July 2. 1890. In 1903 a Republican Con
gress passed and Republican Presiden;
approved an act eXpediting antitrust lit.
| 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
| ell and approved III 1908, bore upon this
trust question and was the work of a
| Republican Congress and President.
| The government has not tlunked in en-
| forcing the antitrust laws where a pro
| per case could be made out. 1t knocked
the financial sawdust out OF the Northern
Securities Company in 1903. The MIS-
souri, beef trust case in 1903 ended
with heavy fines against the defendant,
who were found guilty Of violating the
antitrust law. In 1902 the President
ordered the prosecution of certain Illinois
| packers for violating the Sherman anti
trust statute, and a permanent injunc
ton was the result. These anti-trus,
suits are not the justice-of-the-peace az
| fairs the Democrats are trying to make
| them out to be. The government must
be sure it is right and able to carry its
points before it acts: the best legal tai
ent of the country is put up against It,
| and defeat for it would involve ruinous
| consequences.
What the Democrats might do in these
| trust matters no one, not even them
selves, can guess; they can't do any bet
| ter; they are likely to do worse