The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-03-31

might be filed with the bureau Of cor
porations or other appropriate execu-
tive BODY. This would provide public
ity. Within, say, sixty days of the FL
fhg-whieh period could be extended
by order Of the department whenever
For any reason did not give the de-
partment sufficient time for thorough
examlnation thtp executive department
having power might forbid the con.
traet, which would then become sub
EbsSf I'd sNhe broIfslohs of the antitrust
law fiat all in restraint of trade VI
liability Should BE- Redueed....-.-
If no such prohibition was issued,
ythsg eoptEacA would then only be liable
to dttack On the ground that it consti-
.sht&dsSaha unreasonable EsstfaInt sdf
trade, Whenever. the period of filing
kad passed without any such prohibit
ton the contracts or combinations could
hsp6 aRPy9yed or forbidden only after
notice and hearing with reasonable
Sol SfSf Cor summary review on APP
peal by. the. courts. Labor organiza-
tfoSris4,! FARMERS organizations and other
organizationsr,pot organized for pur-
| poses Of Profit Should be allowed to reg.
lister under the law by giving the loca-
ton of the head Office, the charter and
bylaws and the names and addresses
of their principal officers. In the in
terest of all these organizations bust
ness, labor and farmers organizations
alike-the present provision permitting
the recovery of threefold damages
should be abolished, and as a substi-
tute therefor the right of recovery al
lowed for should be only the damages
sustained by the plaintiff and the cost
of suit, including reasonable attor-
ney's fee.
The law should not affect pending
suits. A short statute of limitations
should be provided so far as the past
is concerned, not to exceed a year.
Moreover, and even more in the inter-
est of labor than of business combina-
lions, all such suits brought for causes
If action heretofore occurred should
De brought only if the contract or COM
oination complained of was unfair or
unreasonable. 1t may be well to re-
member that all of the suits hitherto
brought by the government under the
antitrust law have been in cases where
he combination or contract was in
'act unfair, unreasonable and against
The public interest.
Should Encourage Just Agreements.
1t is important that we should en-
courage trade agreements between en-
ployer and employee where they are
lust and fair A strike is a clumsy
weapon for righting wrongs done to
abor, and we should extend, so far as
possible, the process of Cancellation
Ind arbitration as substitute for
strikes. Moreover, violence, disorder
md coercion, when committed in con-
aection with strikes, should be Is
promptly and as sternly repressed as
when committed in any other connec-
ion. But strikes themselves are and
should be recognized to be entirely
| egal Combinations of workingmen
have peculiar reason for their ex-
stence The very wealthy individual
employer, and still more the very
wealthy corporation, stand at an
enormous advantage when compared
Ito the Individual workingman, and,
while there are many cases where 1t
may not be necessary for laborers to
form union, in many other cases 1t is
Indispensable, for otherwise the thou
sands Of small units, the thousands of
Individual worxingmen, win be left
helpless in their dealings with the one