Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-07-28

state trade having control of 25 per cent. of the products in which they deal shall take out Federal license. This classification would probably in- clude great many small corporations engaged in the manufacture of special articles, or commodities whose total value is so inconsiderable that they are not really within the puryiew or real evil of the antitrust law.
 It is not now necessary, however. to discuss the relative merit of such prop ositions, but it is enough merely to af- firm the necessity foc 2ome method by which greater executive supervision can be given to the Federal Govern ment over those businesses in which there is a temptation to violations of the antitrust law. Construction of Anti Trust Law.
 Possible Necessity For Amendment. The possible operation of the anti trust law under existing rulings of the Supreme Court has given rise to sug- gestions for its necessary amendment to prevent its application to cases which it is believed were never in the contemplation of the framers of the statute. Take two instances: A mer- chant or manufacturer engaged in a 1 legitimate business that covers certain 1 States, wishes to sell his business and his good will. and so in the terms of the sale obligates himself to the pur- chaser not to go into the same business ! in those States. Such restraint Of trade has always been enforced at com mon law. Again, the employees of an ! interstate railway combine and enter upon peaceabie and lawful strike to secure better wages. At common law this was not restraint of trade or commerce or violation of the rights of the company or of the public. Nei- ther case ought to be made a violation of the antitrust law. My own impress sion is that the Supreme Court would hold that neither of these instances are within it's inhibition. but. if they are to be so regarded. general legislation amending the law is necessary.
 Democratic Plank to Limit Corpora
 tions to Ownership of 50 Per Cent
 of Plant and Product Faulty.
 The suggestion of the Democratic platform that trusts be ended by for bidding corporations to hold more than 50 per cent. of the plant in any line of manufacture is made without re. gard to the possibility of enforcement or the real evil in trusts. A corpora ton controlling 45 or 50 per cent. of the products may by well known meth ods frequently effect monopoly and stamp out competition in part of the country as completely as if it controlled 60 or 70 per cent. thereof.
 Compulsory Sale of Products at Fixes
 Price Impractical.
 The proposal to compel every corpo
 ration to sell its commodities at the
 same price the country over, allowing
 for transportation, is utterly imprac ticable. If it can be shown that in or
 der to drive out competition. a corpora
 tion owning a large part of the plant
 producing an article is selling In ont
 part of the country. where it has com
 petitors, at a low and unproftablt
 price, and in another part of the coun
 try, where it has none, at an exorbi
 tant price. this Is evidence that it Ii
 attempting an unlawful monopoly. ant
 justifies conviction under the anti-trus
 law; but the proposal to supervise th'
 business of corporations in such a wa!
 as to fix the price of commodities ant
 compel the sale at such price is as ab
 surd and socialistic plank as was eve
 inserted in Democratic political plat . form.
 Difference Between Republican an . Democratic Policies and Platforms Former Progressive and Reguiative Latter Radical and Destructive. The chief difference between tn Republican and the Democratic plat : forms is the difference which has here . tofore been seen between the policie of Mir. Roosevelt and those which hay been advocated by the Democratic car didate, Mir. Bryan. Mir. Roosevelt policies have been progressive an
 regulative; Mir. Bryan's destructiv' NIT. Roosevelt has favored regulatio 3 of the business in which evils hay grown up so as to stamp out the evil and permit the business to continu 5 The tendency of Mfr. Bryan's proposal !, have generally been destructive of tt e business with respect to which he I demanding Mir. Rooseveltwoul n compel the trusts to conduct their bus ness in a lawful manner and secure u s benefits of their operation and u - maintenance of the prosperity of Il ,. country of which they are an impo q tant part; while Mfr. Bryan would e e tirpate and destroy the entire hns,nei
 in order to stamp out the evils whic >. they have practiced.
 Advantage of Combination of capit, ,- The combination of capital in lart ,- plants to manufacture goods with u l. greatest economy is just as necessal l. as the assembling of the parts of " machine to the economical and mo Y rapid manufacture of what in O "a times was made by hand. The Go r. ernment should not interfere with oI .s any more than the other. whl such aggregatious Of capital are legi = mate and are properly controlled, f : they are then the natural results t modern enterprise and are benefci !. to the public. In the proper operati'
 of competition the public will sO'
 sha~n rwffh tha manufacturer tha a