The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-13
AMENDMENTS TO
ANTITRUST LAW
Conference at White House
Framing Up Work for
Congress.
PRESIDENT AGAIN ACTIVE
SETH LOW AND eoMPEHs CON-
SULTiNG ENGINEERS.

Washington. March 12.-An important
conference was held at the White house
last night and. in a sense, was continued
today. respecting amendments to the Sher-
man antitrust law. The changes in the
law, it is expected viii be proposed
along the lines suggested by the confer
ence of the civic federation held in Chi
cagO a few weeks ago.
No concrete results were reached ana
Il IS likely that further conferences VIII
be held. The president, II Is understood
is DESTROYS that bill embodying the
conclusions of the conference, If any be
reached, be submitted to congress Tor
passage at this session.
Participating in the conference we're the
president. Secretary Root, Secretary Gar
field Attorney General BOnaparte, Her
bert Knox Smith, commissioner Of corpo-
rations: Seth Low, former mayor OF New
York: Samuel Gompers. president of the
American Federation of Labor; Victor
MoraWetZ general counsel for the Atchi-
SON. Topeka & Santa Fe railroad, and
Francis Lynde StetsOn, of the firm of j.
=. Morgan a. Co. of New York.
Smith Presented a Bill.
Mr. Smith presented in tentative shape
some OF the ideas offered at the civic
federation conference in Chicago The
form IN which the suggestions were made
was in that OF bill, but il had not
been reduced to definite shape. 1t is said
that the proposed changes are OF sweeping
Importance and interest. inasmuch as, If
CTystallized into law, they would mean
practically a rejuvenatiOn OF the Sher-
man antitrust act.
While no agreement was reached the
trend of the discussion indicated that
common ground of understanding shortly
will be reached and that perhaps with
in week a measure viii DE drafted which
viii be satisfactory to all parties. The
particular interest of the labor officers
is 10 secure an amendment to the Sher-
man law which will exempt the unions
from the practical operation of the act
as COnspiTacleS in restraint of trade. a
proposition of that kind now is pending
in congress. but in the opinion of some
conference it would be unconstitutional
II enacted in its present shape
Permission of Pooling.
:. Amendments were proposed relating 10
the operation OF railroads. one providing
that pooling, under proper restrictions,
ought TO be permitted by law. IT also
was suggested that consultations and
traffic arrangements ought not to be per-
mitted by connecting lines under such
arrangements "a would permit of abuse
of that privilege.
An important amendment was also pro-
posed by which there would be further
regulation OF corporations doing an In
tefslAtS BUSINESS, ana providing Tor re-
ports from such officers to the depart
ment Of commerce and labor along the
lines of the reports now made by the
railroads to the interstate commerce COM
mission. Such an amendment il was
pointed out. would insure proper public
~ of the operations of interstate cor
pOTatious and insure the utmost fairness
in all dealings with the people
1t was pointed out that, with the en-
actment of the amendments proposed. the
government might begin anew Its work
or dealing with corporations. In fact il
was proposed that prosecutions now IN
contemplation by the government against
corporations under the provisions of the
sherman act be abandoned if the pro-
posed amendments should be enacted into