New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-02-09
WASHINGTON

ground for suspicion that they have been
organized for purpose and are conducting
business on plan which is In violation OF
the antitrust law is having a most de-
pressing effect on the market. What are
you going to do about it," This. in effect
is the tenor of many Of the communlca-
tons which are reaching the members Oh
the administration. The reply OF the au-
mlnistration, III so far as II makes any Is
that it is going to do nothing further about
1t; that 1t has proposed scheme OF red
erai incorporation. which will not make
lawful any corporation doing business III
violation OF the Sherman law but will, IL
believes. tend to mitigate to a great extent
the results of the enforcement of that law,
ana 1t now remains for the people, through
their Representatives in Congress, TO decide
whether they will adopt that scheme.
There is an important phase OF the situa-
ton which many business men seem wholly
unable to comprehend. That is that Con-
sress set the antitrust movement in mo-
ton when it enacted the Sherman law
twenty years ago; that the administration
is absolutely powerless to control the SUI
preme Court to affect its decisions in
the pending cases under that act. and that.
IIOiecNcis the view OIL ITlS duIiiltllS II tioiI
regarding its duties as the executive branch
of the government precludes the possibility
OF its exercising its own discretion regard
ing the enforcement of the antitrust law.
It will feel compelled to institute prosecu-
tons and compel the dissolution Of all
trusts with respect to which there is any
reasonable ground for suspicion, etc, in
the light of the forthcoming decisions. as
was announced in the Presidents special
message dealing with this subject, and
which obviously failed to attract the atten-
ton it deserved
The statement of Clifford Pinchot. ex-
forester and now president of the National
Conservation Association. contained in a
circular letter he issued yesterday. that the
Forest Service had entered into IAN under
standing with certain railroads to prevent
the survey of railroad lands within the for
est reserves. is the cause of amazement to
many members of Congress, These I'M
surveyed railroad lands. aggregating more
than six million acres, pay no taxes so
long they remain unsurveyed, this saving
to their owners the railroads, taxes which
would amount to not less than 100000 a
year. and, OF course, depriving the states
in which they are located of that amount
Of revenue Many of these lands are under
stood TO belong to the Weyerhausers, the
chief owners of the lumber trust, and one
of whom, Frederick Weyerhauser, is a vice
president of the National Forestry Associ-
alton From Mr.. Pinchot's statement it
appears that the Forest Service has been
tricked into such an understanding on the
specious plea that the railroads would
some day accept In lieu of their lands
the right to cut an amount of timber equal
to that standing on their lands. Those
familiar with the conditions insist that the
expectation that the railroads will part
with the title to any land they now own,
practically without compensa ton, is wholly
unwarranted by the facts or by expert
ence and that on this specious pretence
the Forest Service, entirely without war
rant OF law, has entered into an under
standing whereby it has given to the rail-
roads a gratuity of 100000 a year in re-
turn for an absolutely unenforceable assur-
ance that some day the railroads would
reinquish title TO their lands. q. G. H.