Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-07-28

age of all engaged in interstate bust /
ness. |
Would Provide for Classification.
with such classification in view,
Mr.. Roosevelt recommended an amend
ment to the antitrust law, known as
the Hepburn BILL which provided for
voluntary classification, and created
strong motive therefor by granting i'm
munity from prosecution for reasonable
restraints of interstate trade to all cor
porations which would register and
submit themselves to the publicity reg
ulations of the department of COM
merce and labor.
The democratic platform suggests a
requirement that corporations in in
terstate trade having control of % per
cent of the products in which they
deal shall take out federal license.
This classification would probably in
clude a great many small corporations
engaged in the manufacture of special
articles or commodities whose total
value is so inconsiderable that they are
not really within the purview of real
| evil of the antitrust law
THE chief difference between the
republican and the democratic plat
forms is the difference which has here
| tofore been seen between the policies
of Mr.. Roosevelt and those which have
been advocated by the democratic can
didate, Mr.. Bryan. Mr.. Roosevelt's
policies have been progressive and reg
ulative; Mr. Bryan's destructive. Mr..
Roosevelt has favored regulation OF
the business in which evils nave
grown up so as to stamp out the evils
and permit the business to continue.
The tendency of Mr. Bryan's proposals
, have generally been destructive of the
| business with respect to which he is
demanding reform. Mr.. Roosevelt
would compel the trusts to conduct
their business in lawful manner and
secure the benefits of their operation
and the maintenance of the prosperity
of the country of which they are an
important part; while Mr.. Bryan
would extirpate and destroy the entire
business in order to stamp out the
evils which they have practiced.
Combination Necessary.
THE combination of capital in large
plants to manufacture goods with the
greatest economy is just as necessary
as the assembling of the parts of a
machine to the economical and more
rapid manufacture of what in old times
was made by hand. The government
should not interfere with one any
more than the other, and when such
Iagsregations of capital are legitimate
and are properly controlled, for they
are then the natural results of modern
enterprise and are beneficial to the
public. In the proper operation OF
competition the public will soon share
with the manufacturer the advantage
in economy of operation and lower
lprices.
when, however, such combinations
are not based on any economic prin
ciple but are made merely for the pur
pose of controlling the market, tt
maintain or raise prices, restrict out
pat and drive out competitors, the pub
lie derives no benefit and we have
monopoly. There must be some ust
by the company of the comparatiyel!
great size of its capital and plant anC
extent of its output, either to coerct
persons to buy of it rather than o
) some competitor or to coerce thos,
who would compete with it to give vi
their business. There must usually
in other words. be shown an elemen
of duress in the conduct of its bust
ness toward the customers in tn,
trade and its competitors before mere
aggregation of capital or plant be
comes an unlawful monopoly. 1t il
, perfectly conceivable that in the in
terest of economy of production /;
, great number of plants may be legii
imately assembled under the owner
/ ship of one corporation. 1t is impor
, tant, therefore, that such large aggre
cations of capital and combination!
should be controlled SO that the pub
lie may have the advantage of reason
able prices and that the avenues O
enterprise may De kept open to tn
Individual and the smaller corporation
? wishing to engage in business.
Would He severe on Occasion.
!, unlawful trusts should be- restrain
ed with all the efficiency of injunctiv
, process, and the person engaged il
; maintaining them should be punished
with all the severity of criminal prose
cutions, in order that the methods pun
!, sued in the operation of their bus
ness shall be brought within the law
;, To destroy them and to eliminate tn
wealth they represent from the pro
ducing capital of the country woul
entail enormous loss, and would throN
= out of employment myriads of worl
Iingmen and workingwomen. Such
/. result is wholly unnecessary to the az
coinplishment of the needed reform
, md will inflict upon the innocent ia
greater punishment than upon tn
guilty.
/ THE democratic platform does nc
3 propose to destroy the plants of tn
J trusts physically, but it proposes to d
the same thing in a different way. Tn
L bus mess of this country is largely de
pendent on a protective system c