The Washington times., 1905-08-11

our discredit as a nation If we fail TO
take advantage of this chance; for IL
will be of damage to ourselves. and,
above all. it will be of incalculable dam
age TO Santo Domingo. Every consid-
Grafton of wise policy, and, above all
every consideration of large generosity.
minGo as we are now trying to meet II.
SO much for one feature of our for
eiGn policy. Now fog one feature OF our
lures of our national governmental
policy should be the effort TO secure
adequate and effective supervisory and
pnratons doing an interstate business.
Much of the legislation aimed to pre-
vent the evils connected with the enor-
nous development of these great cor
pOTatioRs has been ineffective, partly be-
cause II aimed at doing too much. and
parity bc~e 1t did not confer on the
Government really efficient method of
holding any guilty corporation 10 ac-
count
Efforts Judged.
The effort to prevent all restraint of
competition, whether harmful or bene-
ticial has been Ill-judged; what is need
ed is not so much the effort to prevent
onhination as a vIgilant and effective
control of the combinat tions formed so
as to secure just and equitable dealing
on their part alike toward the public
generally. toward their smaller COM
petitors, and toward the wage-workers
IN their employ.
Further Legislation Advisable.
Under the present laws we have in
the last four years accomplished much
that is of substantial value: but the
difficulties in the way have been so great
as to prove that further legislation is
advisable. Many corporations show
themselves honerably desirous to obey
the law; but unfortunately, some cor
porations, and very wealthy ones at
that. exhaust every effort which can be
suggested by the highest ability, or Sc
cured by the most lavish expenditure of
money, 10 defeat the purposes of the
laws OF the statute books.
Not only the men IN control of these
corporations. but the business world
generally. ought to realize that such
conduct is in every way perilous. and
constitutes a menace to the nation gen
orally, and especially to the people of
Il earnestly believe that this is true
Of only a relatively small portion of
the very rich men engaged in handling
the largest corporations in the country;
but the attitude of these comparatively
few men does Undoubtedly harm the
country, and above all harm the men
OF large means, by the just but some
times misguided, popular Indignation to
which II gives rise.
Status of Trusts.
THE consolidation in the form Of
what are popuIarly called trusts of cor
pGTate interests of irn-I,otse value has
tended to produce urfsi- restraints of
trade of an oppressive character, and
these unfair restraints tent to create
great artificial monopolies. The, viola
tions of the law known as the anti
trust law. which was meant to meet
the conditions thus arising. have more
and more become confined TO the larger
combinations. the very ones against
whose policy of monopoly and oppres-
sion the policy of the law WIS chiefly
dirA~ted.
N any OF these combinations by Sc
cret methods and by protracted Etiga-
ton are still uuwisely seeking TO avoid
the consequences of their Illegal ac-
tiou. The Government has very prop
ery exercised moderation in attempt
ing to enforce the criminal provisions
of the statute; but IL has become our
conviction that in some cases, such as
that OF at least certain of the beef
packers recently indicted in Chicago. IL
is impossible longer to show leniency.
Moreover, If the existing law proves
to be inadequate, so that under estao-
lished rules of evidence clear violations
may not be readily proved, defiance Of
the law must inevitably lead to further
iegisla ton This legislation may be
more drastic than ! would prefer II
so il must be distinctly understood that
il viii be because of the stubborn de-
termination Of some of the great com
binat!ons In striving TO prevent the en-
forcenent Of the law as 1t stands, by
every device legal and Illegal.
Very many OF these men seem To