Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-02-11
Retains Conviction Expressed in Mes
sage to Congress Regarding Trusts
--Ao|ds important Conference
With Senator Adfich.

:.,: ~, mower of Congress which
ar ,,oot this situation, either in an
ticjuation to the supreme court ceci-
sion or subsequent TO IT,
.IrnJess pcrhaps, the repeal OF the
sherman law" the questloner suggest
cd ,rbe senator smiled grimly- 1t was
evident that he regarded that as out
side the domain of possibility
As for the SCOPE of the antitrust cases
hefora the supreme court, here is what
.+tornev General Wickersham said in
connection with his motion to advance the
c+,ndard Oil case to immediate hearing:
.vrhe tobacco case. just argued and sub
r,it+od 70 this court, and the Standard
oil case present to the court practically
the entire range of modern industrial or
ganizations in this country and substan-
tiallv every feature of the so-called trust
nrobIem' insofar as it is affected by the
sherman act 1t has been the
nolicv of the government to selece a few
extreme examples Of great combinations
apparently controlling the greater part of
trade and commerce in a particular line OF
industry and to make them tests of the
full meaning and application of the stat
ute The Standard Oil case is the most
important of all these cases, affecting, as
If does. the widest range of combina-
tiops and contracts which may be claimed
to offend against the act of Congress.
Under these circumstances, and as this
act in it's general scope affects an enor-
NOUS number of business and industrial
organizations throughout the country, it
is of momentous public Importance that
this court shall define and apply the act
in reference to this character of organiza-
ton"
The proverbially delicate relation which
''the market" "Wall Street" and the fl
nancial world generally bears to the news
and gossip of the three great branches
of the government make it supertluous
to point the effect which the decisions of
the supreme court one way or the other
in these great cases will certainly hit in
the field of finance. Industrially, as Mr..
Wickersham says to the court, practical
ly the whole scope of modern corporate
organization is in one way or another in
volved in these cases good trusts" and
bad trusts apparently have at stake in
the affair If the courts should sustain
the Judgment of the courts below, it
might call for industrial readjustments
of far-reaching effect. Political leaders
here, closely rejecting the mind Of leaders
of industry, expressed the more or less
vague hope that the court, should its
judgment sustain the government and be
hostile to the defendant corporations, will.
in handing down its decision, point out
some measure of that relief which from
any point of view appears outside the
possible range of legislation.
Politically the consequences of a de-
cision either way must be momentous,
especially so to the majority party in the
event of the defeat of the government.
This is the topic most discussed in Wash
ington just now. 1t is the subject upper
most in every quarter 1t has thus far
been discussed, as it were. in whispers,
but leaders admitted in Congress today
that it would be impossible much longer
to confine it to private conversation. 1t
was discussed last night by the President
and Senator Aldrich and will be further
discussed next week.