The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-08-25

the United States and prosecute a
great corporations; so difficult is it,
that although the Sherman antitrust
law has been in force for eighteen
years, no trust magnate has been sent
to the penitentiary for violating the
law, although in a few cases he court
has found corporations guilty of a
violation Of the law. In the enforce
ment Of a penalty, the government
must seek the defendant; by the use
of the license system, the corporation
is compelled to see the government.
A trust can best be defined as a
corporation which controls so large
a proportion of the total quantity of
any article used in this country as
to be able to regulate the price and
terms of sale, and as the proportion
controlled determines the power of
the trust for harm, it has seemed
best to use proportionate control as
the basis of this plan, and twenty
five per cen has been fixed arbitra-
rily as the proportion at which the
line should be drawn. A corporation
which controls less than twenty-five
per cent of the product in which it
deals, may, in extraordinary cases,
exert a perceptible influence in con-
trolling the price of the product and
the terms of sale, but Is a rule a cor
poration must control more than that
percentage of the total product be-
fore it can exert a hurtful influence
on trade. Under his plan, the small
corporations are left entirely free
and unhampered. This is not a dis
elimination against the larger corpo-
ration, but a recognition of the fact
that rules are necessary in the case
of corporations controlling a large
percentage of the product which are
not necessary in the case of smaller
corporations. Probably not one per
cent of the corporations engaged in
interstate commerce would be re-
quired to TAX out a license under
this plan-possibly not one-half OF
one per cent-and yet what a pro-
lection the remaining nfnety-nine per
cent would find in the law requiring
a license in the case of the larger
mes.
The license, however, would not
prevent the growth Of the corpora
tons licensed. 1t would simply bring |
them under the eye of the federal gov
eminent and compel them to deal
with the public in such a way as to
the public the protection nee
One of the restrictions sug-l
gested is that such licensed corpora
be compelled to sell to all pur-
chasers in all parts of the country
on the same terms, after making due |
for cost of transportation. |
Mr.. Taft attacks this restriction as
utterly impraeticable." He says: eff
1t can be shown that in order to
drive out competition, a corporation
owning a large part of the plant pro-
1uctng an article is selling in one
part Of the country, where it has com
at a low and improbable
price, and in another part of the
country, where 1t has none, at an ex-
brilliant price, this is evidence that
,ly and justiies conviction under the
law"
If such an act is now unlawful, why
s he so frightened at a plan which |
gives to the small competitor this
cry protection? The trouble with
he present law is that it does not re-
train the evils at. which it is aimed.
The plan proposed in the Democratic
,latform brings the corporation under ]
he surveillance Of the government
vhen it has reached the danger point, l
nd thereafter subjects it to federal |
crutiny. The present law simply pro- &
libits it in an indefinite sort of way, i
nd then leaves the officers of the
aW to scour b country and hunt up
of the laws provisions. Mr.. {
aft is unduly alarmed at this pro- e
osa1, or else he entirely fails to COM t
rehend the details of the plan. He C
avs: r
supervise the business Of corpo- b
atoms in such a way as to fix theI
commodities and compel the p