The Washington times., 1911-06-22
TAFT AGAIN VOICES
OPPOSITION TO ANY
TRUST LAW CHANGE
FavorS Fair Test of Court
Opinions Which He
49,. Endorses.
By ]. FRED ESSARY.

NEW YORK, June 22.-President
Taft, who reached here from New
Haven late last night, has made Il
clear once more that he will not pro-
pose or approve any amendments to the
Sherman antitrust law defining the
reasonableness or unreasona bleness OF
monopoly in restraint OF trade. This he
old in his speech before the Yale alumni
Rt New Haven late yesterday afternoon
and the bag interests in this city con-
cerned have taken this speech as the
Presidents final word on the subject.
In spite of the Executives message
to Congress more than q year ago, in
which he declared that there was no
Justification for reading the word ''un-
reasonable into the statute as applied
10 monopolies, he, for the first time pub
ucly on yesterday, approved of the re-
tent Tobacco and Standard OIL decisions
of the Supreme Court.
This was not one OF the Presidents
prepared speeches. 1t was delivered at
a time when serious declarations were
unexpected, but he took the occasion
of Yale's comforting a degree upon As
sociate Justice Lamar, to give the
courts famous opinions In the two
trust cases his unqualified approval
Believes in Decisions.
ct believe those decisions" said
President Taft, have done, and will
continue to do, great good to all the
business or the country, and that they
have laid down a line of distinction
which it is not difficult for honorable
and intelligent business men to follow.
The court has said.' continued the
President, that this statute applies to
eonspiracies and attempts to restrain
trade, which are undue or unreasona-
BILE, because their Intent and effect is
partly or wholly to monopoliZe or ex-
tlude or suppress competition and to
control prices, and not to combinations
br associations in the normal develop
hent of business where there may be
Incidental restraint"
Then, too, the President declared in
smother part of his speech that "he
WAS willing 10 stand upon the record
pr the court as now made. short as 1t
were appointed
There is no mistaking the meaning
Of the President. He has now become
teconciled to the action of the Supreme
Court in reading the idea of unreason-
able restraint Of trade into the Sher-
tnan law, and he will not propose any
amendments to Congress.
Wants to See Test.
The fact is. the President has indi-
Gated to friends that he wants to see
the DEGREES of the court in the two
cases put into effect, and to observe
their operation toward actual, as we'll
hs theoretical, dissolution of these mo-
hopolies, before he reaches any conclu-
sion that may be contrary to the opfn-
ton of the court. If ii should be found
that oppI essive monopones cannot ex-
lst under the present Interpretation OF
Jaw, no further extensions of it. in the
Presidents opinion, will be needed.
On the contrary, If it should be deter
mined that combinations which destroy
competition and control prices, may live
Under the present Interpretation, the
Executive will make such combinations
Unlawful beyond all peradventure.
For the present, however ii is safe
10 assume that the Administration will
inspire no notifications of the act as 1t
stands.