Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-05-04
REMEDY FOR TRUSTS PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
PLAN OF KANSAS CITY PLATFORM
ENDORSED BY Mr.. GARFIELD.
Federal Control of all Interstate Cor
pOratiOnS, Properly Ma naged
Would Remedy the Evils now A.
legged Against Large Concerns.
Such a Law Well Enforced Would
Solve Problem.

"Public Opinion" OF April 90, contains
an excellent article on "A Remedy for
Trusts" by William j. Bryan, that con.
tains sound reasoning. After describing
the trust evil and the power Of the state,
Mr.. Bryan suggests the following as a
remedy:
"But the Sherman law does not cover
the entire field 1t only prohibits com
binations between separate and distinct
corporations or independent concerns.
The weakness of the Sherman law lies in
the fact that half.dozen corporations,
if prosecuted under the Sherman law,
can evade future prosecutions by selling
all Of the plants of the various separate
corporations to a new corporation, and
becoming the managers Of it. The steel
trust has done this very thing, and 80
far as the Sherman law is concerned
occupies more favorable position
than corporations engaged in the meat.
packing business. The Sherman law
needs to be amended 80 as to make it a
criminal offense for one person or group
of persons to attempt to monopo!ize any
product, whether the persons are con-
nected with several separate corporations
or are stockholders or directors OF sin.
gle corporation. But it is always diff
cult to prove conspiracy, and it would be
especially difficult to prove it where the
person charged with conspiracy were
directors of one corporation.
1.-THE abolition of railroad rebates and
determinations would 20 far toward
crippling the trusts. They have profited
largely by favors coaxed or forced from
the railroads; but some trusts might
possibly exist under the strictest regula.
ton or even under public ownership.
"There is remedy which, if enforced,
would not only exterminate all existing
monopolies, but would prevent the crea-
ton OF any monopoIies in the future.
This remedy was suggested in the demo-
cratic national platform adopted at Kan
sas City in 1900, and has since been en-.
dorsed by the present head OF the bureau
of cor oorations, Mr.. Garfield. The plan
contemplales a law requiring corpora
tions engaged in interstate commerce to
take out federal license upon terms and
conditions to be prescribed by the law.
Under this plan corporation organized
in state could do business in that state
without interference from without. The
people of the state could be trusted to
regulate such corporations in their own
interests and for their own protection.
The moment a corporation organized in
any state attempts to do business outside
OF the state it enters the sphere OF inter-
state commerce, and comes under the
scrutiny OF the federal authorities. A law
requiring license could be easily com.
piled with by legitimate corporations.
If, for instance, the law required a cor
poration applying for license to show
that there was no water in it's stock, and
that it was not trying to monopolize anv
branch OF business or the production of
any article Of merchandise, it would i'm.
pose no hardship upon the corporation.
because the evidence would be at hand
and the legitimate corporation could
we'll afford to take the trouble to secure
license in order to obtain protection
from corporations bent upon monopoly.
This plan strikes at the root Of the
evil, and it strikes in such way as to
disable the monopoly without injuring
any other corporations. To be sure, the
law must be enforced by individuals,
and the individuals intrnsted with the
enforcement OF the law might fail to do
their duty, but that is true Of all laws.
Where the law requires compliance with
certain specific conditions it is, however,
easier to hold the officials to strict ac-
countability."