The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1908-04-29
CONTROL OF CORPORATIONS
Reasons Advanced for strengthening
the Antitrust Law.

Reasons Advanced for strengthening
the Antitrust Law.
The Strengthening of the antitrust
law is demanded upon both moral and
economic grounds. Our purpose in
strengthening it Is to secure more eff
fective control by the national gov
eminent over the business use of the
vast masses of individual, and special
~ of corporate, wealth. which at the
present time monopolize most of the
interstate business of the country. Ana
we believe the control can best be ex-
ercised by preventing the growth of
abuses rather than merely by trying to
destroy them when they have already
grown. In the highest sense of the
word this movement for thorough con
troll of the business use of this great
wealth is conservative.
We are trying to steer a safe middle
course, which alone can save us from
a plutocratic class government on the
one hand or socialistic class govern
ment on the other, either of which
would be fraught with disaster to our
free institutions, state and national, We
are trying to avoid alike the evils
which would flow from government
ownership of the public utilities bv
which interstate commerce is chiefly
| carried on, and the evils which flow
from the riot and chaos of unres .ricted
| ipdividualism. There is e. ave danger
to our free institutions in the cor.
rupting influence exercised by great
wealth suddenly concentrated in TIC
hands of the few. We should in some
manner try to remedy this danger. in
spite OF the sullen opposition of these
few very powerful men, and with the
full purpose to protect them in all
their rights at the very time that we
require them to deal rightfully with
others.
When with steam and electricity
! modern business conditions went
through the astounding revolution
which in this country began over half
century ago there was at first much
hesftating as to what particular gov.
ernmental agency should be used to
grapple with the new conditions Al,
| almost the same time about twenty
years since the effort was made tc
control combinations by regulating
them through the interstate comm cree
commission, and to abolish them by
means of the antitrust act; the two
remedies, therefore, being in part mu
tually incompatible. The interstate
commerce law has produced admifa-
bic results, especially since it was
strengthened by the Hepburn law two
years ago. The antitrust law, though
it worked some good because anything
is better than anarchy and complete
absence Of regulation, nevertheless has
proved in many respects not merely
inadequate but mischieYous.
Twenty years ago the misuse OF
corporate power had produced almost
every conceivable form of abuse, and
had worked the gravest injury to bust.
ness morality and the public con.
science. For long time federal reg.
ulation of interstate commerce had
been purely negative, the national
Judiciary merely acting in isolated
cases to restrain the states from ex.
erting power which it was clearly un
constitutional as well as unwise fol
them to exercise, but which neverthe-
less the national government itself
failed to exercise.
Thus the corporations monopolizins
commerce made the law for them.
selves, state power and common law
being inadequate to accomplish an.
effective regulation, and the national
power not yet having been put forth
The result was mischievous in the ex.
IRENE, and only shortsighted and ut.
ter failure to appreciate the grossness
OF the evils to which the lack Of regu-
! lation gave rise can excuse the well!