Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-12-06
THE SHERMAN LAW.
Should Be Amended to Permit Proper
Combinations In Business.

So"Uh0tAUNo DuSluCSSs
Moreover, in my judgment, there
should be additional legislation looking
to the proper control of the great bust
ness concerns engaged in interstate
business, this control to be exercised
for their own benefit and prosperity no
less than for the protection Of invest
ors and Of the general public. AS
have repeatedly said In messages to
the congress and elsewhere, experience
has definitely shown not merely the
unwisdom, but the futility, of endeav-
oring to put stop to all business COM
~binations. Modern Industrial condi-
tons are such that combination is not
only necessary, but inevitable. 1t is
SO In the world Of business just as it is
SO In the world Of labor, and it Is as
idle to desire to put an end to- all cor
porations, to all big combinations Of
capital, as to desire to put an end to
combinations Of labor. Corporation and
labor union alike have come to stay
Each If properly managed Is a source
OF good and not evil. Whenever in
either there is evil it should be prompt
ly held to account, but it should re-
cetve hearty encouragement SO long as
1t is properly managed. It is profound
~ immoral to put or keep on the stat
ute books law, nominally in the in
serest Of public morality, that really
puts premium upon public immoral
ity by undertaking to forbid honest
men from doing what must be done
under modern business conditions, SO
| that the law itself provides that its
own infraction must be the condition
precedent upon business success To
aim at the accomplishment OF too
much usually means the accomplish
ment of too little and often the doing
Of positive damage. In my message to
the congress a year ago, In speaking of
the antitrust laws, said: ss$ :g@:. N
/ 's'rhe actual working Of oar 10 w saar
shown that the effort to prohibit all
combination. COED or bad, Is noxious
where it Is not ineffective. Cotnbina-
ton Of capital. like combination DE la
Dor, Is a necessary ,ele s,ant Ii: slr pres
emit industrial system 1T Ia not pos.
aibie completely to prevent 1t. and IL
Iits were possible such complete proven
lion would do damage to- the body
polite 81 What we need is not vainly
to try to prevent all combinat lion. hut
to secure such rigorous and adequate
control and supervision Of the COM
binat lions as to prevent their injurfng
the public or existing In such forms as
inevitably to threaten injury. Y - 81
Is unfortunate that our present laws
should forbid all comb ions Instead
Of sharply discri mating between
those eombinat Ions / which do good and
those combfnat lions which do eviI. n q 4
Often railroads would like to combine
/ Tor the, purpose Of preventing "a big
shipper from mai aiming improper adj
Yantages at the expense Sof small ship,
ners and of the general public. Such d
continual ion, instead of being forbid,
den by law should be favored n s.
sIt ia.E a public evil "a have on the
statute books q law inca pable OF ffull
cement, because both Judges and
5J ries realize that Its ffull enforcement
would destroy the business of Tie
country, for the result Is To- make de.
cent men viola tors 81 the law against
\ their VIII and 70 put u p,Taniium Oh the
I behavior of the rongd oers.
Such q result h ttlrn tends to throw
the decent ma ana the Full wrong
t1oer into lose associa tion and iii the
END tos sirags down the tto the
Slafter's legel, Tor man t,ss
comes d aaWhraak er wa,
happily tends sto lose al respect FOR
and #to be ling, break it la
man III ore con
5sieSnna tioa could ~ lied sll,E.sa d 10 II