The Washington herald., 1909-08-23

Beverly. Aug. 2. - The three Cabinet
members came back to the Presidents
cottage again this afternoon to take up
their conference where they were obliged
to leave or yesterday
They were with Mr.. Taft for more than
an hour, and at the end Of that time the
questions which they had come to talk
over had been discussed satisfactorily
enough to let the President climb into
an automobile with his family for
thirty-mile ride before dinner.
It remains for Secretary Macvsash to
complete his hunt for suitable tariff ex-
perts before his return here next Thurs
day and it is up TO Nr. wickersham and
his co-visitors at the conference IN New
York. August 80, to whip into convenient
form the ideas which he has collected
from the conversations OF the last two
days on the subject Of changing the IN
terstate commerce law.
This is the subject on which the meet
ing will have 10 expend energies first.
and the other problems-chiehy the anti
trust laws amending-will have 10 wait
until this is finished
Task Is Tedious.
Mr.. Wickersham agrees with the Pres
ident that getting the right kind of
amendments for this law is going TO take
a lot Of work The great difficulty. IN
the Attorney Generals opinion. Is that
the change Of the slightest part OF the
law as it stands will throw the whole
thing out Of plumb
The more Mr.. Wickersham has thought
over H. the harder # has appeared to
alter The Attorney General illustrated
his position BY citing the experience OF
Don Quixote. who mended BIS helmet for
week and then tested II only 10 find
that a weeks work stood for nothing
against one blow Of his sword. The
mex time he repaired the helmet he was
a little chary about testing its strength.
Mr. Wickersham realizes that the law
forbids monopolies IN the accepted sense.
but at the same time he believes that
there are many combinations in trade
which cannot be described strictly as mo-
nopolies. yet which must be classed as
such under a rigid Interpretation OF the
law The dinculty in separating the
sheep from the goats seem to lie, the
Attorney General believes, in the fact
that there are a great many good goats.
FavOrs Incorporation Law.
The Attorney General told the Presi-
dent to-day that he had long been in
favor Of Federal incorporation law. He
goes on the theory. apparently. that just
as the government has exercised control
in the past over bridges. turnpikes. and
other national institutions. so ought il to
control corporations engaged IN inter-
state commerce. Most OF these bodies
would rather be subjected to one master.
he thinks. than 20 forty-six Along this
line. the Attorney General expects with
Mr.. Taft that there will be fight en-
forcing the corporation tax. but he be-
Heves that the law VIII be able 10 stand
up under opposition. particularly mas
much as it follows out the ideas OF the
Supreme Court.
The big question in altering the Inter
state Commerce Commissions functions,
Mr.. Wickersham is convinced, viii be 70
separate its investigatory and prosecut-
ing phases from its powers as a quasi
judicial body.
Secretary MacVeagh has been asking
the counsel Of the authorities at Har
ward, Yale and Princeton in making his
tentative selection Of the foreign tariff
board. They have been requested to
submit "a the Secretary OF the Treasury
the names OF such tariff experts as they
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