Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1911-12-08


dependent companies have PISS per
cent, while the American Tobacco com.
pany will have 1903 per cent. the Lig,
gett & Meyers zoos per cent. the Loril-
lard company 22.s2 per cent, and the
Reynolds company :2s.66 per cent. The,
stock of the other thirteen companies.
both preferred and common. has been.
taken from the defendant American
Tobacco company and has been dis;
tributed among it's stockholders. All
covenants restricting competition have
been declared null and further per
Torrance of them has been enjointd.
The preferred stock OF the. different
companies has now been given voting
power which was denied it under the
old organization. The ratio of the pre-
ferred stock to the common was as IS
to 40. This constitutes il very decided
change in the character of the owner
ship and control Of each company.
In the original suit there were twen-
LYNNE defendants. who were charged
with being the consptrators through
whom the illegal combination acquired
and exercised its unla wful dominion.
Under the decree these defendants win
hold amounts Of stock in the various
distrfbutee companies ranging from Al
per cent as q maximum to 281k per
cent as minimum. except in the case
Of one small company. the Porto Rican
Tobacco company, in which they will
hold 45 per cent. The Twenty-Five in
dividual defendants are enjoined for
three years from buying any stock ex-
cept from each other, and the group is
thus prevented from extending it's con-
troll during that period. All parties to
the suit and the new companies who
are made parties are enjoined perpet-
ually from in any way erecting any
combination between any Of the COM
panfes in violation of the statute by
way Of resumption Of the old trust.
Each Of the fourteen companies is en-
joined from acquiring stock in any of
the others. All these companies are
enjoined from having common direc-
tors or officers. or common buying or
selling agents. or common Offices, or
lending money to each other.
Size Of New Companies.
Objection was made by certain in
dependent tobacco companies that this
settlement was unjust because it left
companies with very large capital in
active business and that the settle
ment that would be effective to put all
on an equality would be division of
the capital and plant Of the trust into
small fractions in amount more near
~ equal to that of each Of the fnde-
pendent companies. This contention
results from a misunderstanding Of
the antitrust law and its purpose. It
Is not intended thereby to prevent the
accumulation Of large capital in basi.
ness enterprises in which such a CON-
binatton can secure reduced cost Of
production, sale and distribution. It
Is directed against such an aggrega-
ton Of capital only when it's purpose
is that Of sitting competition, enhanc-
ing or controlling prices and establish
Ing monopoly. II we shall have by
the decree defeated these purposes
and restored competition between the
large units into which the capital and
plant have been divided we shall have
accomplished the useful purpose OF
the statute.
cen6seat;on Not the Purpose Of the
Statute.
II IS not the purpose Of the statute
to confiscate the property and capital
Of the offending trusts Methods OF
punishment by fine or Imprisonment
Of the individual offenders. by fine Of
the corporation or by forfeiture Of its
goods in transportation are provided.
but the proceeding In equity is spe-
cif1c remedy to stop the operation Of
the trust by injunction and prevent
the future use Of the plant and capital
in violation Of the statute.
Effectiveness Of Decree.
I venture to say that not in the his
tory Of American law has a decree
more effective for such a purpose been
entered by a court than that against
the tobacco trust As Circuit Judge
Noyes said In his judgment approving
the decree:
"The extent to which it has been
necessary to tear apart this combina.
ton and force it into new forms with
the attendant burdens ought to demon
strate that the federal antitrust statute
II drastic statute which accomplished
effective results. which so long a. 1t
stands on the statute books must be
obeyed and which cannot. be disobey-
ed without incurring farreaching pen:
alldles. AND, on the, other band, the
successful reconstruction Of this or
Ganization should teach that the effect
Of enforcing this statute IL not to de.
stroy, but to reconstruct, not to de.
molish, but to recreate in accordance
with the conditions which the congress
has declared shall exist among the
people Of the United States.":
Common Stock Ownership. =
It has been assumed that the pres.