, 1907-10-22
HEAD OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
ADDRESSES CONFERENCE
ON TRUSTS AND CON-
BINATIONS.
Meeting to Try to Shed Some Light
Upon Some of the Most Difficult
of the Present Time-His Own
Views Tersely Expressed.

Chicago, Ill, Oct, 22.-At the con,
ference ON trusts and combinations in
this city today, President Nicholas Muir,
ray Butler OF Columbia university was
one OF the speakers, a synopsis of his
address follows:
The Sherman Antitrust Law.
That the Sherman antitrust law
committed the nation to a policy whicn
is too extreme and that the time may
have come when the act should be
amended in a way to relieve some OF
the limitations upon business activity
which the act imposes was suggested
by President Nicholas Murray Butler
OF Columbia university, in an address
welcoming the delegates to the conven'
ton.
Amendment to Relieve People.
He said that the purpose Of such an
amendment would not be so much to
relieve the corporations as the people
themselves. He suggested that it
might thus be possible for the people
to secure for themselves the benefits
which came from cooperative activity.
as manifested in corporations and by
agreements between corporations, with
out in any way lessening the protec'
ton which all desire against the evils
which have followed upon the crea-
ton of great corporations and upon
agreements between them in restraint
of trade. He said in part:
A Cordial Greeting.
ION behalf of the National Civic
Federation, it Is my agreeable duty 20
extend a cordial greeting to the dele
gates who have assembled Il consti'
tute this conference. We have before
us a rare opportunity for the free aud
fair interchange of views, and for the
considerate discussion OF some of the
questions that are now, and for some
public mind. 1t is by bodies such as
this, representing the voluntary assem-,
bling of hundreds of interested citi,
zens, that public opinion itself IS
formed.
Effort to Shed Light.
I'VE are here to try to shed light
upon some of the most difficult econom'
ic and political problems of our time.
We do o expect to solve them, but
it is not too much to hope that we may
contribute something toward their So
luton. One of the most beneiicent re-
suits of the development of the nine
teenth century was the rapid growth
Of the corporation is an instrument
tor carrying on industry n COM
merce.
Success Not Certain Yet.
Experience has shown us, however,
that we have not been entirely success
ful as yet in adjusting our public a
m~inistration and our legal theory 70
the situation which the multiplication
and growth Of corporations has
brought about. Not only has there
been, in far too many cases, a sinister
alliance between those who have
sought governmental privileges for the
corporations which they serve and
those who as governmental officers
We're in position to influence the grant.
ing of such privileges, but corpora
tions themselves, although the crea'
lures of the state, have seemed to be
in some ways beyond the power of the
state to control and outside the reach
of its authority.
Public Service Corporation.
Particularly is this true of those
most important bodies which are
known as public service corporations
1t will hardly be denied that the power
which called the corporation into ex'
istence must, in self-defense and IN
order to sustain an equitable relation
to every citizen, so supervise and con
troll the operations of the public ser
vice corporation that the latter shall
not infringe either on the powers oil
just privileges of any individual citi
zen.
Opinion of Speaker.
MY opinion, which runs counter &C
that of many others to whom we are
bound to listen with respect, is thai
nothing is necessarily to be feared
from a corporation because of its size
The character of a corporation does
not depend upon its size, but upon tn,
principles and policies which actuat'
it's management. Corporations them
selves have no moral qualities; it il
corporate officers II managers whit
are good or bad, honest or dishonest
as the ease may be.
An Ever Present Problem.
The problem of creating and de
veloplng a public service corporation
that truly serves the public is simpl.
the problem, always and everywhes
present in our life, of securing for pc