Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-05
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
( TRUSTS AND COMBINATIONS.

nat the National Conference on
Trusts and Combination which is to
be held in Chicago in October will
create unusual interest already is APP
parent. Scores of letters from men
prominent in the various pursuits
have been received by the National
Civic Federation, under whose aus
pices the conference is to be held.
Almost without exception the expires.
sions OF the writer's are highly com
mandatory and the opinion that great
good will result from the exchange Of
ideas appears to be general Among
those who have written in this vein
are the Rev. Dr. Lyman Abbott, D.
D., editor of The Outlook; Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation Of Labor; Richard Watson
Glider editor of The Century; John
Mitchell president of the United
Mine Workers of America Judge
Peter G. Grosscup of Chicago; Bishop
Henry G. Potter; Charles G. Davis,
the Chicago banker; John M Stahl,
president of the Farmers National
Congress and Nahum j. Bachelor,
grand master of the National Grange
DR.. Abbott In his letter voices the
sentiment which goes through all the
communication when he says, This is
time when we need light, not heat y
Nearly all the writer's believe that
the greatest good will come from the
wide publicity which will be given
the trust question as a result of open
discussion by the leaders OF thought
who will take part in the conference.
soc ~
writes Dr. Abbott, that the interests
of the railroads, the shippers and the
general public are essentially one
and that 1t is of the utmost impor-
lance that men representing all these
classes should get together, compare
views and endeavor to come to some
agreement as to the general princi-
pies by which these common interests
can be best served" Mr.. Glider be-
lieves that This talk will help to
bring calmness and GOODNESS to the
public mind, and Heaven only knows
1t needs them" Judge Grosscup says
that it is full time that the corpora
tons (which have grown up as de-
velopments of our business life with
out much reference to their relations
to the people as institutions Of aud
for, the people. be looked into as In
situations Of, and for, the people"
Bishop Potter believes that by bring.
ing the whole subject of the admins
tration Of corporations into the light
we may be assisted by the best intel
ligence of the land" in clearing up
a subject concerning which there IS
$50 much ignorance and so much cur
ious misrepresentation That the COLI
ference will be productive of much
good in that it will allow all sides o
meet and freely express their opinion
on what he regards as one of the
greatest subjects the country has 20
deal with, is the opinion of President
Gompers. John Mitchell also sees
much possible good in open and free
discussion. Mr. Dawes regards the
calling of the conference at this time
as highly useful piece of work. He
believes that the industrial problems
confronting the country today de-
mand consideration by the best brains
of the nation. The questions to be
discussed at the conference are de-
clared by President stahl of the
Farmers Congress to be "the most
important pressing for solution before
our people today" Grand Master
Bachelor believes 1t is time "for SER
ious people to discuss the trust pro-
blem when President Roosevelt and
the law officers of the government,
whose duty in it is to enforce the
Sherman Antitrust Act, openly say
that under it the business of the coun-
try cannot be done today without
violating it,