Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-06-18

Icrown and were illegal IL otherwise
Horned.
Rcverting to the trusts in the Unit
/ ed States, Mr.. Stuart declared that
whenever the Trusts are hailed into
court in a criminal or civil action de-
signed to curb them they make the
same defense. They cry that they are
good" Trusts and beneficial Trusts
and they have no other defense. Here
the speaker cited several eminent
authorities TO show that, as Justice
Brown all eady had ruled in this case,
that the question OF whether or not
a trust is a good one or bench
cent one does not enter into the mat
ter and that the law prevents
combinat on from acquiring power In
! restraint OF trade and competition and
to control the necessities OF lie
whether II uses that power or not.
The speaker declared that not only
had the Insurance Trust acquired the
power. bat that It had used the power
in Virginia.
Slap at All Government.
Section fifteen of the constitution or
the Insurance 1Nust, the speaker SAID,
is slap at the government OF every
city, State and country in which the
Trust operates. This Trust, he SAID,
has gotten so large thaC II thinks IT.
self above taxation as is shown by
the statement of Secretary Harris, oil
the Virginia committee, to Council
man L. l. Ford, OF the city finance
committee, when Mr.. Harris was here
discussing the increase In taxes.
when the tax first was put on
the Trust there were whisperings
from the trees and the very waits
! themselves that unless this thing was
taken off the Trust the people OF
Newport News might not be able to
get any insurance at all. but when,
after the arrest OF the DEFENDANTS,
the state tried to find out whence
these whisperings came there WIS "a
clam like silence"
Not Proud OF Witnesses.
The Commonwealth was not partic-
ularly proud of its witnesses In this
case. continued Mr.. Stuart II mad
been forced TO prove its case by those
agents who are satisfied with fifteen
per centum of commissions and who,
when on the witness stand, held the
Trust so close to their eyes that they
shut out the very sunlight of liberty.
They looked more to me like gradu-
ates OF a training school for mon
keys" continued the speaker. when
the Commonwealth wanted them TO
answer they knew nothing, but when
the defendants clapped their hands
they danced like monkeys on a string
and knew all about the goodness "a
this Trust and even went out of their
wsy to show what a benevolent
Trust this it. The Commonwealth
was compelled to use the m mons
and parasites of the Trust in order TO
prove it's case
The fact that man knocks an
other down on one corner and robs
him of 81 and then gives a beegar on
the next corner fifty cents Of that 81
does not excuse him from the crime.
His goodness to the beggar does not
enter into the case. Yet that is the
stock excuse of the trusts as the
courts decision will show" Mr. Stu
art then cited several cases where the
Supreme Court justices had referred
in their opinions against trusts TO the
argument of the defendants that they
operate for the good OF the people.
Council Had No Animus.
Mr.. Stuart told how the tax here
was increased on the insurance com
panieS. lie declared that the council
had acted in the best ghI as the
councilmen saw it, They took the
fire loss for last wear and compared
it with the profits OF the companies
and decided thst the companies
could AFFORD TO pay more taxes. The
committee had been sixty days making
up this ordinance and yet the Trust
said nothing Against 1t. There was
no animus in the action of the coun-
Gil. He then said that Secretary
Harris had come here and discussed
the situation and. although PROMISED
relief next year II the tax was Excess
sive, he sent beck the pink slip
without giving anyone here any idea
that the rates were 10 be increased
All of the companies complied with
the instructions of the Trust and the
rates went up ten per csnt
The speaker declared that this
Trust had been operating for twenty
years. 1t once had the name OF the
Southeastern Tariff Association. but
II cut cut the Tariff because that
word stamped the combination as IL
legal Mr.. Stuart then touched upon
the statements that the assoc. stion
was formed 70 fix insurance rates on
a scientific basis ard thea declared