The weekly Corinthian. (Corinth, Miss.) 1894-19??, 1907-09-19
COOPERATION URGED BY CHAIN
MAN or iNr ERsTATE COM
MERGE COMMISSION |
SCORES THE SHERMAN LAW
And Denounces SuR
'T recreation Of f4Misohlev0us7
stasute-sas 'SaN
ra.,.Se Territory.

Sept. H. Cooperation,
Snleaso ktItion, is the future, de
nos eom II, rtin A. Knapp, chairman Of
g clafea w tate commerce commission,
lpe lnes Us he explained his attack on
SUNDAY .laa srman antitrust law, which he
We - fs.nischievous, at the meeting
esiieu Re American Association Of
q q VIZ TraHic officers Saturday.
1s,Efhat law. he continued, defeats
,xRe purpose for which it was passed,
and il the railroads Of the country did
nbt violate il as interpreted BY the
sunre,ne court. we would have a cha
otic condition suited only for savage
ny.
DAs an optimistic, ! hope to see
either the supreme court of the United
states come around to my way Of
thinking or congress pass a law pro-
yiding q legal statute to these traffic
associations all over the country.
They are absolutely necessary to the
conduct Of railroad business, if the
provisions Of the new rate with refer
ence to determinations are main
tanned"
He Opposes Pooling.
"Then you believe in pooling the
traffic Of the great systems?" Mr.
Knapp was asked.
mot at all. he replied. Ten years
ago this might have been a good thing,
but it is no longer necessary. The
mutual interest which one common
carrier has in another accomplishes
the same purpose with less confu-
sion'
What If one man or set of men get
control over all the railroads."
1T IL not far from that now, and it
, is my humble belief that the Sherman
antitrust law has been one Of the
agencies which caused the condition.
The small roads which, under other
conditions, might have retained their
Identity an dseparate management,
have been gobbled up.
1t was the obvious result, and to
complicate matters, the owners Of two
great systems reach at an agreement
which cannot be discovered by the
forces back Of the antitrust law. In
many instances this agreement is of
such a character that 1t cannot be at
tackled, and it serves the purpose even
better.
} Scores Theory Of Competition.
The law was founded on the ex-
ploded belief that competition. the
fercer and more bitter the better, is
best for the general public. In the
old days of stage coaches this may
have been so, bat the higher civiliza-
ton which has brought railroads,
steamboats,. telephones, electric lights
and all these modern conveniences
can never thrive on that kind of nour-
ishment- The ultimate end of such
competition is that one of the parties
to It must be forced to the wall. 1
cannot see that this is thing to be
desired.
How much better it would be If an
agreement not necessarily as to
prices, but as to territory, could be ar
rived at, That would not kill compe-
tition, the healthy competition which
says the man who can manufacture
his products at less cost may under
sell his competitor. We would have,
however more of cooperation, more
OF help and less Of this fierce desire TO
down the other fellow"
What about supervision?" Mr..
Knapp was asked.
Certainly, that is an essential, and
no one is greater believer in it than
l. Nowsthis is not Socialism or gov
eminent ownership, but, to my mind,
1t is far better"
BRIDEGROOM A SUICIDE.