The Prescott daily news., 1910-02-28
measure Has Active Opposition
 Among Statesmen of Both Parties.
NOT LIKELY TO GO THROUGH
Little Probability That the BIII Will . Pass at This Standardization Wants Full Truth In Inves-
 tigation Into Cost of
 High Living.

washington. - The administration | Dill Tor the federal license of corpora | tlons engaged in interstate commerce finally is before congress. It has been introduced into the house by Repre-. | sentative R. w. Parker, chairman of the house committee on Judicial af. ialrs, and In the senate by Senator | clarence D. Clark, chairman of the corresponding committee in the upper | house
 mere Is little likelihood that this measure, in which President Taft's heart Is greatly engaged. will pass con- gress at this session. While there may not De great amount of opposition to the measure as a general proposition | there IS very bitter opposition in the ranks Of both the Republicans and Democrats to some of the bill details. The most of the Democrats do not like u. however, as a general proposition | because they believe it invades the | field of state rights.
 President Taft, because of his posi- tive refusal to agree to a plan to with draw the governments suit to dis solve merger of two great western | railroads, has been charged recently as being the foe to all corporation activ- tues. Word has reached the White House that the belief of some capital. ists Is that MT. Taft is going ahead with causeless prosecutions and that he Is ben> on securing legislation which will cripple industry.
 To offset this 1t has been charged that the president has been advocat- ing the federal licensing system for corporations because 1t will enable the | large concerns to carry on their af- | fairs with much greater license than ever was contemplated before, H. cense of which the country cannot ap- prove. So it seems that MT. Taft is charged with two diametrically op- posed offenses. He has let his friends know tha. he believes that he is stand ing on the middle ground and that when the country learns his position exactly it will approve what he Is doing
 Postponed Action Likely. Whether the country ultimately will approve of the presidents course or | not of course remains to be seen, but the consensus of Republican official | opinion Is to the effect that the fed eral license law will not pass congress until next winter. but that the way will be paved for it's passage at this ses- sion.
 President Taft in framing his fed eral license recommendation called into daily consultation for weeks the great lawyer members of his cabinet. Secretaries Wickersham, Dickinson. Nagel and Ballinger. and brought the bill into a condition which he thinks to be proof against any fault finding on the ground of unconstitutionality The cabinet official who is considered perhaps to be the best lawyer in the presidents official family. has this to say concerning the main proposition of the federal license bills intention. which Is "The proper control of cor porations and a prevention of monopo- lies:"
 ''I regret very much the process by which a decision was reached by the lower court in the Standard oil case; 1; not the result, mind you, but that the decision was predicted upon the fab ric of the Standard oil Company, and not on its operations. Relatively speaking, the fabric is of little impor- tance.
 "The real question is not whether corporation controls other corpora tions or establishes branches in the va rious parts of the country-that Is to say, is a combination. The point is whether or not, in the process of build ing up its combination. 1t has crushed legitimate competition.
 The Real Question.
 What we want to know of our corporations is whether or not they are a monopoly and are exercising mo- nopolistic control to the injury of the public.
 "The great trade combination to- day is often the result of varying state laws and regulations which render 1t difficult for the independent concerns to do an interstate and foreign busi- ness.
 "The fedora. charter will relieve