Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-04-28
CONTROL OF conpeRATloNs
Reasons Advanced for Strengthening
the Antitrust Law.

law is demanded upon both moral and
economic grounds. Our purpose In
strengthening 1t is to secure more eff.
fective control by the national gov
eminent over the business use of the
vast masses OF individual, and special
ly of corporate, wealth, which at the
present time monopolize most of the
interstate business Of the country. AMI
we believe the control can best be ex-
ercised by preventing the growth of
abuses rather than merely by try ing 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 safe middle
course, which alone can save us from
plutocratic class government on the
one hand or a 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 by
which interstate commerce is chiefly
carried on, and the evils which flow,
from the riot and chaos-of unres ricted
ipdiyidualism. There is ave DANCE
to our free Institutions in the cor
rupting influence exercised by greas
wealth suddenly concentrated in tn,
hands of the few. We should in some
manner triy 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 W..
require them to deal rightfully with
others.
When with steam and electricitv
modern business. conditions vert
through the astounding revolution
which in this country began over hall
| a century ago there was at first muci,
hesitating as to what particular gov
ornamental agency should be used +,
grapple with the new conditions. Al
almost the same time about tweni !
years since the effort was made tn
control combinations by regulating
them through the Interstate commerce
| commission, and to abolish them by
means Of. the Antitrust act; the two
remedies, therefore. teng in part mu.
tually Incompatible. The interstate
commerce law has produced admira
Die 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 ,mischievous.
| Twenty years ago the misuse o..
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 for
them to exercise, but which neverthe.
less the national government itself
1failed to exercise.
Thus the corporations monopolizin. :,
commerce made the law for them
tselves, state power and common law
| being inadequate to accomplish any
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-
llation gave rise can excuse the well.
meaning persons who now desire Ia
labolish the antitrust law outright, OF
to amend il by simply condemning
unreasonable combinations.
Power should unquestionably ba
lodged somewhere in the executive
branch of the government to perm :,
combinations which will further tn,
public interests. but 1t must always
be remembered that as regards tn,
great and wealthy combination
through Which most Of the interstate
business of today is done the burden
of proof should be OH them to show
. that they have right to exist. nj
judicial tribunal has the knowledge OIL
the experience to determine in til,
first place whether a given coinbina
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