Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-04-28
CONTROL OF CORPORATIONS
Reasons Advanced for strengthening
the Antitrust Law.

The strengthening of the antitrust
law is demanded upon both mora; 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
ly Of corporate, wealth, which at the
present time monopolize most Of the
interstate business of the country. And
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 safe middle
course, which alone can save us from
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 by
which interstate commerce is chiefly
carried on, and the evils which flow
from the riot and chaos of unrestricted
iDdiyidualism. There Is grave danger
to our free institutions in the cor.
rupting influence exercised by great
wealth suddenly concentrated in the
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 electricit,
modern business conditions went
through the astounding revolution
which in this country began over hal.
q century ago there was at first much
hesitating as to what particular gov
1 ernmental agency should be used t,
grapple with the new conditions. A
4 almost the same time about invent,
4 years since the effort was made {,
control combinations by regulatin.
them through the interstate commerce
commission, and to abolish them b,
means of the antitrust act; the tws
remedies, therefore, being in part mu
tually incompatible. The interstat,
commerce law has produced adnira
4 Bile results, especially since it we
4 strengthened by the Hepburn law tw
4 years ago. The antitrust law, thong
it worked some good because anythin
! is better than anarchy and complet
absence OF regulation, nevertheless Ia
!, proved in many respects not merel
inadequate but mischievous.
/, Twenty years ago the misuse {
corporate power had produced almos
\ every conceivable form Of abuse, an
j had worked the gravest injury to bus
ness morality and the public col
science. For a long time federal re,
ulation of interstate commerce ha
been purely negative, the nation,
judiciary merely acting In isolate
cases to restrain the states from e,
ert,ng power which it was clearly vi
constitutional as well as unwise fc
them to exercise, but which neyerth,
Tess the national government itse
failed to exercise.
Thus the corporations monopolizin
commerce made the law for then
selves, state ssswer and common la