The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-06-29
VIGOROUS SOLUTION BY MIS-
SOURI, AND OHIOOF THE
TRUST PROBLEM.

TRUST PROBLEM.
Missouri has set the pace in trust
prosecutions, says the Baltimore Sun
It hits the unlawful com bination in
vital point-its pocketbook. The trust
may sell its products in Missouri, but
it cannot invoke the aid of the law to
compel its Debtors to pay their debts
This is. in effect the decision rendered
by Judge Rysn, of the Circuit Court
of ST. Louis. The Missouri law, after
describing what constitutes trust,
makes bebts to trusts voidable in the
following provision
Any purchaser of any article or COM
modify from any individual, company or
corporation transacting busine SIS contrary
to any provision of the preceding sections
of this article shall not be liable for the
price or payment of such article or com
modify, and may plead this article as
defense to any soft for such price or pay
ment.
The Missouri law is not intended to
promote dishonesty on the part of any
of it's citizens. Its sole purpose is to
withdraw the projection OF the law
from those who have placed themselves
beyond the pale of the law. 1t is an
extreme measure-a desperate remedy
for desperate disease. 1t outlaws
the trust for the greater security OF
the people OF Missouri. Judge Ryan's
decision, if sustained by the highest
court of review, will mark an epoch
in the struggle to control monopoly.
1t will deal crushing blow to unlaw
full combinations as far as purely 5 att
business is concerned. No illegal corpo
ration can do business in States which,
by statute, relieve the purchasers OF
trust products from the payment OF
their debts to such corporation. Elth-
er the oiporstion must abandon un
lawful methods or it must ultimately
restrict its operations to very limited
field. For it is clear that the plan
adopted by Missouri TO destry monop-
oily will find favor in other States, if
it is upheld by the highest court.
Not only Missouri but Ohio also has
recently evinced determination to
break the power of monopoly. Eve
members of the Toledo Ice Trust were
convicted of restraint of trade in fix
ing schedule of prices. E ch was
sentenced to Imprisonment for ons-
year and ray $4,000 fine. The dis
patches state that all of them were
appointment citizens" In orr Frderal
courts the appointment c't'z.n' who
figures in the prosecution is usually
the head of the corporation under in
dictment. Prison walls were not made
for him, but generally for some hum
BILE employe or some third party, act
ing as go-between. The magnates OF
meat, coal, oil and other monopolists
of the necessaries of life are well
pleased to escape with fines. A few
thousand dollars means little to them.
If they knew that their fate would be
that of the prominent citizens" of the
Toledo Ice Trust they would hold the
law in much greater respect. Then
the Government Of the United States
would have less difficulty in convinc
ing The majority Of its citizeus that its
powers are greater than those of the
trusts.
Whatever may be the outcome OF
the proceeding which the Federal Gov
eminent is about to institute against
one Of the most powerful of all comb.
rations, the fact remains that two
States have not lost faith in their abil
y to protect their cltizhns from Ger
tain grave abuses. If it is in the pow
CT of these States to send leading Cit
liens to Jail for violation of State anti
trust laws and to outlaw the lllega
foreign corporation, there is no reason
why citizens of other S a:es should
lose heart. Perhaps in time the Fed
eral Government, by imposing ade-
q tate penalties on offenders in high
places, will bring them tie reaIizttion
rf its power. In the meantime tn
States will be justified in taking every
just, proper and and competent meas
urre Of their own protection.
Pennsylvania d ,nocrats Wcdnes
d.y nominated Lewis Emery, Jr., for