Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-03
THE ANTITRUST BILL
Hearing by House Judiciary
Committee.
TO AMEND SHERMAN LAW
Changes Favored by Seth Low and
His Associates.
SOME IDEAS OF THE PRESIDENT
Opposition on the Part of the Rep
resentatives of Labor-Some
Employers Apprehensive.
SOME IDEAS OF THE PRESIDENT
Hl WILLIAM T.. GU TIS.

EY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondents" of The Star and The
Chicago Record Herald.
AUGUSTA Ga. April >. 1905.
In October last a conference was held
at Chicago under the auspices of the Ma
tional Civic Federation to consider meas
ures for the regulation of trusts. Dele
gates were appointed by the governors
of thirty-six states and by many of the
commercial. industrial, agricultural and
labor organizations of the country. After
a thorough discussion of the subject in
all its bearings committee of which
Seth Low. formerly president of Columbia
University and mayor of New York. Is
chairman was appointed to prepare sub
ktitute for the Sherman antitrust law,
which has proven awkward. ineffective
and. in some respects. absurd. This was
predicted of the measure at the time Of
It's passage. and 1t has fulfilled the pre-
dictions. 1t forbids all combinations. as
seeiations and organizations which are
intended to regulate or control prices and
rates. whether they are reasonable or I'M
reasonable. and. at the same time. it has
been found impossible for the officials of
the Department of Justice TO secure YER
diets against many of the trusts which
openly violate and defy the law. Il has
frequently been said that the Sherman
Antitrust act is worse than no law at
all. so far as the regulation of trusts
and the restraint of monopolies are con-
cerned. Everybody agrees that it goes
altogether too far in some directions and
not far enough in others.
Mr.. Low and his committee. after con-
suting all classes and all interests in
volved have prepared amendments which
have been submitted 10 the criticism of
several of the ablest lawyers in the coun-
try and the highest authorities on the
subject. and have received their approval.
They will be submitted to the committee
OF judiciary of the House of Representa-
tives Saturday. April 4. when Mr.. Low
end other members of the committee. in
Sluding Mr.. Samuel Gompers. John Nit
chell and other gentlemen representing
various interests affected by the BILL will
be heard.
In considering the subject the COMMITTEES
received many suggestions. They were
advised by some people to recommend an
entire repeal of the law, which was re-
jected injudicious because such action
would he misunderstood by the public.
They We're also advised by many authori-
ties that the simplest way would be to
insert the word reasonable in the law
and leave the courts to determine whether
trust was unreasonable. That Sug
gestion was also rejected because it would
he merely a makeshft. merely one
short step forward in the right direction.
II would leave the entire subject to the
Interpretation of the courts and courts are
not always infallible. and. what is still
more objectionable. 1t would be asking
u
uation and go into the future without
taking advantage of the experience of the
past.
The New Law Suggested.
Various new propositions were advanced
Mr. Bryan advocated system of nationa!
Interpretations Secretary Garfield recon-
meDded that corporations doing an inter-
state business be required to take out
licenses from the federal government
Serious objections were raised to both
suggestions and the President. with mis-
characteristic earnestness. urged d new
law which would authorize.
!. Complete publicity of the affairs of
all stock corporations for the benefit of
their shareholders their patrons and the
public generally.
2 An opportunity for the bureau of
corporations to make thorough investiga-
ton into the management and affairs of
interstate corporations upon complaint or
Whenever it is considered expedient.
- A special tribunal that can take
prompt action in dealing with interstate
corporations
The draft of the amendments which are
to be submitted Saturday carries out I'm a
large measure the ideas of the President
and makes provision for such SUPERVISION
and jurisdiction.
Labor's Opposition.
The only serious opposition that has
thus far been raised to the proposed
amendments comes from the Federation of
labor. Mr.. Gompers and his associates
demand that labor unions shall be ex-
cmpt from the law: and that they shall
Be allowed TO do as they please in pro-
tee ing and advancing their own interests
He Is perfectly willing that organizations
o. capltai and associations of EMPLOYERS
shall be restrained and restricted in their
operations. but objects to having similar
restraint and restrictions imposed on their
employees. The boycott has been de-
cared Illegal by the Supreme Court and
The unfair list unlawful. 1t has been
held that the labor unions in preventing
non-union men from securing employment
have been guilty of the -ma offense which
IS charged against the Standard Oil Com
pany when 1t crushed out small and fee
Die Competing refineries But Mr. Com
pers and other labor leaders insis, that
waee-earners should have rights and priv
HeSes that the rest of mankind NAV not
ENJOY. and therefore they object to the
proposed bill. They will present their OBJ
lectlons 10 the judiciary committee Sat
urday.
The new bill gives organized labor Ger
tam liberties which it does not enjoy
under recent decisions OF the Supreme
court. At the same time. it does not
render lawful any act that would have
been unlawful prior to the passage of
the sherman antitrust act Before that
law was passed in 1890 laborers had no
right 10 combine to contract for the
purpose OF effecting a boycott or to in
lure others. and the substitute which
ME- LOW committee proposes confers no
such right. At the same time il does
Nldual hrm or corporation from striking
or refusing TO work for any cause that
they may deem sufficient it does not
prohibit them from combining or con-
tracing with each other and with their
employers for the purpose of obtaining
satisfactory terms: but II does not legal
1ze boyCottinS. which will continue to he
lawful under the common law and in vio-
lation of the antitrust law if in restraint
OF trade. In other words IL recognizes
the right OF labor to organize and to de-
mand wages. hours and other terms de-
sired: the right to strike. If these terms
are not agreed 10. and the right to make
agreements that may seem Just and ex-
pedient TO those involved
But the Federation of Labor will not
accept this. Ii demands more. Ii insists
upon lcgalizing the boycott, the unfair
LIST and the closed shop
Employing Glass Apprehensive.
AT the same time some of the repre-
sentatives of the employer class think the
bill is too broad in its provisions in this