The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-02-17
OPPOSE LICENSING
OF CORPORATIONS
Measure Has Active Opposition
Among Statesmen Of
Both Parties.
NOT LIKELY TO GO THROUGH
Little Probability That the Bill viii
Pass at This session--President
Wants Full Truth in Inves.
tgation Into Cost OF
High Living.

Hl0n Living.
Washington - The administration
bin for the federal license Of corpora.
/ lions engaged In interstate commerce
/ finally is before congress. II has been
| introduced into the house by Repre-.
/ sentative r. W Parker. chairman OF
the house committee on judicial az.
fairs, and in the senate by Senator
/ Clarence D. Clark, chairman OF the
corresponding committee in the upper
{ house
/ There is little likelihood that this
measure, in which President Tafts
/ heart Is greatly engaged will pass con.
/ gress at this session While there may
. not be great amount OF opposition to
/ the measure, as 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 Ike
II, however, as a general proposition
/ because they believe 1t invades the
field Of state rights.
President Taft, because Of his posi-.
I tive refusal to agree to 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 acty.
tiles. Word has reached the White
House that the belief OF some capital
lists Is that Mr.. Taft is going ahead
with causeless prosecutions and that
he Is ben, on securing legislation which
will cripple industry.
To Offset this It has been charged
/ that the president has been advocat.
Ing the federal licensing system for
| corporations because It will enable tho
| large concerns TO carry on their af.
fairs with q much greater license than
ever was contemplated before, n Ii.
cense OF which the country cannot ap.
prove. So It seems that Mr.. Taft Is
charged with two Numerically op.
posed offenses. He has let his friends
know tina. he believes that he is stand.
ing on the middle ground and that
when the country learns his position
exactly 1t 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 its 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 lallinger, and brought the
bill into n 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 muuo2o.
lies"
Il regret very much the process by
which decision was reached BY the
lower court in the Standard Oil case:
not the result. mind you, but that the
decision was predicted upon the fab.
ric OF the Standard on Company. and
not on Its operations. Relatively
speaking, the fabric is OF little impor.
lance.
THE real question is not whether
n corporation controls other CORPORA.
tons or establishes branches in the va |
rious parts of the country-that is 10 |
say, Is n 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 n 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 It
dificuh for the Independent concerns
% 40 IN interstate and foreign bust.
ness.
THE federal charter will relieve
the corporation from various local an.
1oyances to which II should not be sub.
.ect, What the government wants TO
Snow Is how that corporation is car.
Tying on its business. This II cannot
learn until the business Is done under
federal charter We want control J
Tor :he purpose of protecting the pub.
lie. NO, necessarily for the purpose OF
breaking up the combination
The administration has intlmated
sharply that it is its set intention in
securing federal Incorporation law. TO
provide in every possible way against
writing into the statute any pro.
vision which can be criticised ad.
vclsely by those who seem to be.