Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1905-02-15
THE OLD Trust psoBlEM.

The country is talking about the rail-
way rate question az II u was some
thing new fora government 70 regu-
late rates AZ q matter o. fact, u Il
very old. In the States Of the Union
there are many laws regulating the
prices Of certain services and COM
mOdities For instance. there are nu-
merous laws in regard 70 usury, many
Of the States prescribing maximum
rates toibe charged BY leaders on loans
Of money. TO charge more than these
rates is puBlshableas q violation Of the
Law. There are similar laws prescribe
ing maximum Yates for gas. electric
light, street railway transportation,
passenger traffic on steam railroads,
elevator charges and other things. IN
fact the principle IA we'll established
that once an occupation is classed as a
public calling the Legislature and the
courts have the right 70 fix the price
that may be charged.
Centuries ago, a. WAS shown IN re-
cent article BY u. n. Frederikscn, gov
ernment regulation Of rates was the
common practice In modern law"
says Mr. FrederikteB. "these old pro-
visions Of forestalling. Fegrating and
engrossing have been comparatively
lost sight o. and have been evershad-
owed by the laws against combina-
iions and agreements in restraint OF
trade. In reality. they furnish a safer
ineans Of regulating the trusts, a. COM
binhtions and conspiracles are hard 10
prove and the iniunctious forbidding
them are. II possible, still harder TO
enforce"
The only difference between the
trust question OF today and that Of
centuries ago, u that now the combi-
nations and monopolies cover oonti-
nenis, whereas then they were con-
fined 20 counties. But, 80 for a. the
actual conditions OF life are concerned,
county centuries ago was az large as
continent Ia today. Any trust which
then controlled a trade within a county
was o. powerful so far as the people OF
that time were concerned as a trust 10
today Ia controlling the trade Of a ma
tlon. Mr. Frederiksen has made a
careful study Of the old laws, and he
hnda that prices Of almost al articles
Of necessity 20 the common people
were fixed not by competition, bat by
law Bread, beer, wine, meat. hsh
poultry, wax, candles, cloth, inn.
keepers rates, mill charges, ferry
rates blacksmith charges, welghes
ices. carriage charges. rates Of inter,
cs, and even rates OF wages were Ia
those days regulated by law and not
by contract
Indeed bo believes that che princi
PIE Of these old laws might be adopted
today in application 20 the modeu
trust problem Historical, ecouomi,
aud legal Development" be says
moves iu thc waves. aud swings from
one extreme 90 thr other. The deyel
opmeut Of modern Industry beginnin,
iu the audible ol iast century. When
steam and coal were applied 20 mod
crn machinery, rcyolui.ouiaed forme
methods 0t production and trade. am,
commenced "a period 0l iree compeli
uon aud Aistgl isiry' under vhlcl
our modern law hes rr0wp "a,
and developed uatu che law.
applicable 90 conditions wher
monopoly was .bt rule have been h
part forgotten The new trusts. world
wide la their power and extent. jnt
witch modern manufacturing and mer
camille business seems 90 be- rrsduau
conaoldat,ng, have sprung up IS rapid
that hry seem 20 have ouistrppei On
lawt o. their own slime, The ptndu