Arizona republican., 1910-01-08
A Lively Message.

IL is not likely that MT. Ia1t VIII encounter serious difficulty in obtain ing from congress the legislation rec commended in his special message yes terday. The principle of federal reg ulation of railroads having become a part of the fixed policy of the coun- try. the conditions pointed out by the president call for further legislation in order to make regulation effective.
 It is especially desirable that all controverted questions in relation to rates should have speedy adjudication. It is known that the president and the attorney general have given many months of consideration to sugges- tions bearing upon this matter, and of course Mir. Taft's recommendations embody the views of the department of justice The creation of the pro- posed United States court of com merce." clothed with original juris- diction in the enforcement of the or ders of the interstate commerce com- mission. and in all injunction cases to suspend or set aside the orders of cumstances described by the presi- dent. would provide the machinery that is now recognized as necessary. As Mir Taft makes clear. the annoy ing delays which attend the adminis- tration of the law in its present form have the effect of giving little value to the orders of the commission. The Hepburn act, for these reasons. yet remains an experiment. MT. Taft is also entirely logical in asking that the interstate commerce commission be given power to act on its own initiative as well as upon the com plaint of an individual in the investi- gation of the fairness of any alleged rate or practice.
 On the question of trusts. MT Taft's message is likewise Illuminating Mr. Roosevelt. not being lawyer, was in the habit of pointing out that as pres ident he desired to punish only the bad trusts as distinguished from the harmless combinations of capital that he called good trusts" Mir Taft points out the difficulty of enacting a law which the courts will not nec- essarily apply to all combinations alike. He thinks a long step toward reform will be made, if we can se- cure law providing for federal in corporation of companies that propose to do an interstate business. To the objection that the bad trusts" all ready in existence would avoid avail ing themselves of the privilege of fed eral incorporation, MT. Taft answers in effect, that they will have another guess coming after they have been dissolved by federal authority for vio- lating the antitrust laws. The bad trusts" will object. of course, that MT. Taft's scheme lodges with the federal government q tremendous power that il enables the government to sus- pend over any corporation doing an interstate business a sword of Damo- that if its operations do not please the administration it may suffer pro- ceedings for its dissolution. Also. will be heard the objection that the gov- ernment has already gone too far in interfering with private business The answer to these objections is of course, the obvious one that the citi- zen prefers to have Uncle sam inter- fere with the business of some cor porations rather than have some cor porations interfere with the business of the citizen.
 The country will await with inter- est the presentation of the adminis- tration's antitrust bill. which MT.
 
 drawn shortly by Attorney General Wickersham.
 On the whole. it is safe to say that MT Taft's special message will attract far more attention than did his an nual message, for it deals with live issues, and it presents a definite pro-  gram. And to all fair-minded people MT. Tafts recommendations will com mend themselves as the suggestions of a patriotic executive who is pro- Goundly impressed with the duties of his office. And if congress is heedful of public opinion, it will enact the presidents recommendations into law.
 These crisp mornings give residents f.F slA Gs.I~ ms