Evening star., 1911-01-12
SUES FOR $4,000 |ASSA|LED SHAM
Occoquan Workhouse Hurts Government Attitude Toward
Property, Says Howe Totten. the Trusts Attacked.
ASKS DAMAGES OF DISTRICT VICIOUS GROWTH ALLOWED
Bill Filed Today He Is Samuel Unmyer Addresses Ma
Forced Abandon tional Civic Federation
lC0NVICTS MAKE IT UNSAFE SAYS BIG CONCERNS ESCAPE
Advocates
Severely Crticises dent LowR the
System. Work of the Year.
Government Attitude Toward
the Trusts Attacked.
VICIOUS GROWTH ALLOWED
Samuel Untermyer Addresses Ma
tional Civic Federation.
SAYS BIG CONCERNS ESCAPE
Advocates Rigid Federal Regulation.
President Seth Low Reviews the
Work of the Year.

| NEW YORK. January 1o.-In an ad-
dress before the' annual meeting of the
| National Civic Federation today Samuel
Intermyer attacked the governments at
titude toward the trusts as "monstrous
sham" According to him, the large and
| vicious corporations go unmolested
| while ''the little fellows are being pur-
| sued with a brass band and the greatest
press bureau ever put in action"
| Mr. Untermyer first blamed the courts
and the government since the enactment
of the antitrust law in 1890 for failing
to suppress the crimes it was passed to
prevent and thus permitting the growth
| Of ''vicious" corporations. He then
| charged the present administration with
prosecuting only the small combinations
such as the window-glass and bathtub
| associations, which he claimed were in
| nocent of criminal intent.
Asks Reason for Leniency.
Those are the cases." he said. which
| the government is prosecuting and an
| nouncing in advance through the press
| that Jail sentences will be demanded
Now. very recently the government found
it necessary to enjoin the railroad asso-
citation from carrying out a conspiracy
to Increase rates. The governments
| proofs were so convincing that the rail-
ROADS had combined to advance rates in
violation of the antitrust law that they
promptly surrendered. Why. were they
not criminally prosecuted? The same
proof that entitled the government to It's
injunction would have answered for an
indictment.
WHO does not know how the unifor-
nifty OF prices and the shutting down of
factories and otherwise curtailing of pro-
ductfon in the coal. iron, steel and other
business is arranged? Why are these
transactions immune whilst the little fel-
lows are being pursued with brass
band and the greatest press bureau that
was ever put in action to keep up a
tempest in a teapot
MY point is that the pending criminal
prosecutions Of the who we are strug-
Cling merely to keep their heads above
water, In the light of all we know Of
existing conditions is a mOnstrous sham
administration of justice into contempt"
Rigid Federal Regulation.
AS resolution for the trust problem,
the-4speaker advocated rigid federal regu-
| lation. asserting that state control was
confusing and inadequate. He also MAIN
tanned that the expression guilt is per-
sonaf was merely a political catch
phrase and really had no bearing on the
question. Federal regulation. he believed.
would preserve all the benefits Of COM
bination, such as the elimination of de-
structive competition, while avoiding its
evils. The most essential feature of such
control, in Mr.. Untermyer's opinion,
should be the power to prohibit both
business oppression and the exaction of
excessive profits.
THE real alternative" he concluded,
lis between forcing regulation of corpo-
rations or permitting them unbridled
license and trying to temporize with the
people from time to time by uneven spas
modic enforcement of the law against the
weaker. more vulnerable ones whilst leav-
ing the most powerful and dangerous
offenders undisturbed from fear Of pre-
cipitating financial panics. The time is
close at hand when we must choose.
Which shall it be-"
President Low Reviews the Year.
Seth Low. president of the federation,
in his opening address reviewed the work
of the organization during the past year.
He said:
II am glad to be able to report that
the National Civic Federation has had
successful and useful year The move
| ment which was begun last January by
the convention, held under it's auspices
at Washington, to promote uniform state
laws upon matters of common interest,
has made great progress during the year.
| Principally through the exertions of
Mr.. Ralph NJ. Easley, chairman of the
| executive council. and Mr.. John Mitchell,
chairman Of the trade agreements de-
partment. twenty-four state councils
have been organized in twenty-three Of
| the states 1nd in the District Of Column
| bia
Seeking Uniform Legislation.
, lied in harmony with the general scheme
of the National Civic Federation. They
are to keep in touch with the executive
committee of the federation and to do,
each one in it's own state. what it can
| to further uniform legislation by press
! ing for the adoption of laws which have
been approved by the executive COM
mittee
| 1T is not too much to say that this
| movement represents very great in
crease of influence and power for the
| federation. 1t is the purpose Of the Ma
| tional Civic Federation, in moving along
this line of uniformity in state legisla-
| ton on matters of common interest, to
cooperate with all organizations already
in the field. The federation does not claim
to be the originator of this movement,
which began twenty years ago in action
taken by the American Bar Association.
u
4 popular interest and influence to bear in
securing definite results.
| Compensation for Accidents.
THE year has been marked also by the
| exceedingly valuable work done by the
committee on compensation for industrial
| accidents. OF which Mr.. August Belmont
| is the chairman, especially the subcom-
mittee appointed to prepare the draft
| Of q law to provide compensation for in
1 dustrial accidents, in the hope that such
draft would serve as a basis for reason
ably uniform legislation in the various
/ states OF the Union This subcommittee
favors a bill frankly based upon the po-
| lice power Of the state for it's constitu-
! tionality. Their report will be discussed
| at this meeting.
I'm looking back upon the work Of the
year, 1 think 1t may fairly be said that
il is one Of the most useful years which
the federation has ever had. Everything
| points to She continuous growth Of in
terest in the work of the federation and
| to its expanding influence
New North State County.
RALEIGH. n. c.. January 1c.-In