New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-13
COMBINATION NO EVIL
COMuERCE DEMANDS 1T.
Beck Tells Republicans Where the
Sherman Lac Has Failed.

Stories Of the times Of Abraham Lincoln at the
twenty-frst annual dinner OF the Republican Club
OF the City of New York al the Waldorf Astoria
last night gave the speakers the opportunity to
contrast the Republican party of that day with
the party to-day. and 70 point out what. in the
opinion Of each. constituted dangers IN the trend
Of affairs AZ present.
For instance, Congressman Samuel w. Mccall
Of Massachusetts, spoke strongly in favor Of states
rights. as opposed to the absorption Of some OF
thoee rights as suggested by Secretary Root Of the
State Department some weeks ago.
James ". Beck, eX-Deputy United States Al
torney General, speaking Of the Sherman Anti
Trust law and the Interstate Commerce law, said
that commerce was being slowly ground to pieces
Between upper and the neither milstones or fed
erai and state governments and that no one
recognized that truth more clearly dwelt upon
Il more persistently than President Roosevelt
who, though not a trained lawyer, has much OF
the clear sighted vision of his great prototype IN
the flesh Alexander Hamilton"
Speaker Joseph G Cannon. who was TO have Deen
the first speaker, has the grip and was kept in
Washington by orders of his physician
While the dinner was in progress. word OF the
death of Ex-Governor Frank w. Higgins reached
Charles Il Young, the toastmaster BEFORE an
nouncing the next speaker. Nj Young said:
Il have just received the sad news that Gov
ernor Higgins is no more The state has lost
tried servant In the name Of this CLUB nave
conveyed TO HIS family our deep sympathy
A hush fell over the six hundred diners and 1t
was some time before the POSTMASTER felt they
were ready to hear the next speaker.
Souvenirs Of the dinner were books containing
the most famous addresses Of Lincoln The eoroet
boxes were made In imitation of the ink we'll
accompanied by a quill pen, which was used ny
Lincoln in signing the Emancipation proclamation
Mr. Beck, in opening hts speech said that the
Republican party which had earned the right 10 be
called the greatest party that ever existed. should
be alive to the rising sun" Likening it 10 SNIP
he said the party must take its reckoning and see
how far it had drifted from the true course lie
said, in part:
Twenty years ago this ration made new and
stupendous departure in its public policy by Inc
enactment Of the Interstate commerce law. ! ms
followed three years later BY me Se s i
Antitrust law. and since then the policy OF led
eaeded Nth Tapf6itv This attempt to control nat
ursl forces by legislative enactment was fTa4 TT
experimental Much Of enduring value has oeeh
The Republican party must base its policy, upon
the fundamental postulate that that cannot De 20
The President has himself challenged our con
siderauon Of this important suDAs i Wal 1-or
ing Of our laws has shown that the effort to pro
Where it Is not effectve Combination capital
Ike combination Of labor. Is a necessary e-eiiei'
In hts last annual report and official valedictory
e w N Te @e2es 5 to ae wisdom Of the law
by frankly admitting thar after SIXTEEN years OF
Trust law remains unintelligble l am not cTit-
* tIg foTCa mis- law Its PRACTICAL results how
ever have made reconsideration Of its policy an
10 reasoning is more shallow or foolish than
that which ir3putes railway and Industrial com
binsticns 10 The ambition or avartce OF any capt.
falist or group Of interests. Such consoldeuon
an irresistible tendency TO eliminate wasteful ex-
ton is as inevitable in the business "oriq a. a.
tation is 81 the physiGa! universe eng It's fGTfs
VIII me SO l ~ a,er ineUitabIy give way
In the midcle OF the nineteenth century the Eng
ton Of railroads by legislative edict. hut the ANAL
gamation proceeded with undiminished speed, and
twenty years later this attempt to nuhfy natural
were but few Industrial combinations 'rior to 1880
nearly five hundred combinations with an aEgre-
snsIa{n sTe5 the Tntarstate
scSleI1 SLe- -, 5tetl.,- ~, c-,--oe
Court. Mr.. Roosevelt in his last annual message
well says that this means that he law, as CON
strued by the Supreme Court is such that the bust
ness Of the country cannot be conducted without
preferred against, any law: ,e -
conbinatlo1- whether reasonable or unreasonable:
therefore, IS little better than the cas-on Of
dom OF the world has abandoned the attempt TO
force competition where eompettion is impractica-
and his countryrnen a service when he conmeTds a
gress shall not abandon its policy Of absolute sup
publican party mus, not lag behind its progressive
UnquestionabIy the centripataI influence Of steam
ana electTiclty nave Led as was their inevitable
tie federal government. - commerce. the best
erorgi7s OF the American people are thwarted and
burceneG- not merely by division. but Unneces-
less directly engaged in Interstate conon1crce
New york corr'crara 7Gi1g 1,s,oss ~ "a
states is In the position Of the Chinese merchant
obliged to pay tribute to the curidifv and the
avaTloe Of the mandarin Of each province At pres
ent commerce IS, being slowly ground 10 pieces be-
tWeen the upper and rle neither mstones of fed
eral and state governments. To one and not forty
SIX coItllctlng governments should il be subject.
No one has recognized this truth more clearly or
oet upon II more persistently than the President
lawyer, has much Of the clear sighted vision of his
great prototype in the flesh. Alexander Hamilton.
Congressman Mccall said the time was ripe for q
warning against the tendency TO overthrow the
balance of the Constitution and 10 regulate each
and all Of Us from Washington" His principal
points along this line were follows:
The system Of government that Lincoln stood for
and that emerged victorious from the Civil War
was dual system, under d constitution which as
people as it granted others TO the national govern
ment. Modification by states of the action Of the
10 this system, but more repugnant than usur-
patton by the national government Of the powers
The states are ideally constituted to deal with
government They do not possess the war poWeri
they can have no foreign policies, and the most
OF dangerous ambition is thus taken away. They
conduct their operations under the very ewes OF
the people and there is far less temptation 10 thea
trio government than where actors are performing
20 very large and very distant galleries, and in
order to thrill them compelled make up
~ y ~ g iye for Upon aT1i S spec -
IN the opposite direction It should be rather
the Constitution and to regulate each and all Of ua
from Washington That there is such tendency
IS too palpable be denied.
Our citizens may be trusted TO learn how to spell
and to regulate their diets and their baths without
too muoh governmental assistance from washing
ton. The time may when the nuckraker shall
e6ag 5s take thee pace Of the statesms5 an
Ten We enn Who wd,IS nG he[saq OF
equal ana perfect by penal enactmenti but trust