The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-03-12
Conference Held fin White
House Results in Plans
to Aid Corpora
tons.
Supervision of Trade
Combines Rather Than
Restriction, to Be
the Keynote.

At a conference al the White House
last night. progress was made in the di-
rection OF drafting a bill for the com
plete reorganization OF the Sherman
antitrust law. The conference was the
eliminating one Of a series which has
been in progress for two months.
While no formal agreement has been
reached on the form Of q bill IL Is be.
lieved. that a measure will be intro
duced in a few days through Chairman
Hepburn, OF the House Committee on
Interstate and Foreign Commerce. The
purposes OF the measure are in brief
as follows:
To permit railroads 10 operate traffic
associations and otherwise to agree uDon
certain features Of the conduct of their
business, which would now violate the
Sherman law.
To permit proper cancellations OF con-
Meeting railroads.
To except labor organizations from
classification as cOnspiraciss in restraint
Of trade.
To permit Industrial combinations 10
be organized and those in existence to
be continued without danger of prose-
cution, provided they submit themselves
20 certain governmental regulations. Of
which the chief viii be q requirement
that all facts concerning their contracts
and combinations ana incorporate reIa-
tionship shall be made known 70 the
Commissioner OF Corporations. and sub
1ect 10 mis- approval
Government Not to Prosecute.
In consideration OF these concessions
Of publicity By the combination, the
Government IS not 10 prosecute. except
after notifying them that their con-
tracts and organizations are unsatis-
factory. and giving them opportunity to
make amendments. in short, IL is pro-
posed by the new law 10 aipe OF tie
slate and start the new order OF things
with clean bill OF health for every
body.
The proposed measure viii be. II it
shall pass. the great legislative achieve
meuI or this session. and probably OF
even greater importance than the Hep
burn bill or two years ago. Ii is in line
with the opinion and repeated recon-
mendation Of the President that combi-
nations should be regulated rather than
prohibited. Il is designed 10 put an
end 10 unrest and uncertainty among
industrial managers, and at the same
time strengthen the hand OF the Gov
erHment In regulating their affairs.
For more than two months efforts
have been made TO bring about an
agreement OF the widely scattered and
divergent interests regarding such Iegis-
lation. The list OF those who attended
last nights conference gave something
OF the measure Of cooperation that has
been secured In the effort 10 draft a bill
THAI will be agreeable all around.
Parties to Conference.
President Roosevelt, Secretary Root,
Secretary Garfield, Attorney General
Bonaparte. Commissioner Of Corpora
ations Herbert Knox Smith, Francis
Lynde Stetson. Of New York, one Of
the counsel for J. p. Morgan & Co; Seth
Low. OF New York, representing the
Civic Federation, which has recon-
mended this class of legislation; Victor
Morawetz, general solicitor of the Atchl-
son, Topeka and Sante Fe railroad. and
Samuel GOmpers, president CT the Amer
lean Federation OF Labor, were present.
In former conferences on the same
subject representatives OF numerous
other Industrial and railroad interests.
including Ebert II. Gary, head OF the
Steel trust; George ". Perkins. Of J.
MI ee--- - ~o-' anu a ipIl6 A4st OF Id
Dor organizations representatives, have
taken part. A bill was drafted some
weeks ago as a result Of several confer
ences and has been under consideration
since. Al enc time recently indications
were that no agreement could be
reached, but as result of last nights
conference a draft Of the bin viii short
ly be agreed upon, which Will have the
approval Of the President and his va
FiOus advisers ana will not arouse the
antagOnism Of the interests involved.