The Washington herald., 1911-10-29
THE SHERMAN LAW ALWAYS IN LEGAL STOI

nous wealth by extortion, which make
the people poor"
1T is a sad thought" said Senatol
George, of Mississippi, man learned II
the law. ito philanthropists. that TIN
present system of production and ex
change is having the tendency to crust
out all small men, all small capitalists
all small enterprises
The famous Edmunds, of Vermont
George F., suppressor of polygamy, mem
her of the electoral commission Of 1877
living in Philadelphia, now, at the age o
eighty-three, was heartily in favor oi
breaking up ''the great monopolies which
get hold of the whole or some parts Of g
particular business in the country anC
are enabled therefore to command every
body, laborer, consumer, producer, and
everybody else, as do the sugar trust
and the oil trust
In the House of Representatives, where
the Sherman bill was debated and passed
IN single day, Gen. Henderson, OF Iowa
afterward Speaker, asserted that "a few
men in Chicago have been able to reduce
the price of Western cattle from one
third to one-hah, controlling as they dc
the stock yards, the cattle yards, and the
transportation to Chicago; and at the
same time they have been enabled to
keep up the pprice of every beefsteak that
is used in this country" He thundered
in his tremendous voice that he wanted
the damnable system" brought to an
endS
The Sherman law was enacted by the
Fifty-1rst Congress. Thomas B. Reed
was Speaker Of the House of Representa-
tives. William Mckinley was chairman of
the Committee on Ways and Means and,
as such, helped to write the tariff meas
ure that bore his name. Sherman intro
duced a bill in the previous Congress Ito
declare unlawful trusts and combinations
in restraint of trade and production. "
The bill did not reach a vote. A number
of bills of the same character went to
committees in both Houses, but were
ever, was up. Discussion had begun in
the newspapers and elsewhere. Some of
the States had enacted antitrust laws.
The Fifty-first Congress met on De-
cember 2, 1889. Two days later, Sherman
reintroduced his bill. He called II up on
February q, 1890. Senator George ap-
proved the objects of the proposed leg
islation, so he said, but in a long tech
nical speech showed wherein he thought
1t to be unconstitutional Sherman then
wrote substitute and, describing 1t with
unusual heat and vigor, said that ut was
to arm the Federal courts within the
limits OF their constitutional power, that
they may cooperate with the State
courts in checking. curbing, and control
ling the most dangerous combinations
that now threaten the business, property.
and trade of the people of the United
States
Sherman's Challenge to Wealth.
And for one" he declared, do not
intend to be turned from this course by
any fine-spun constitutional bubbles (re-
ferring to Senator George and others) or
by the plausible pretexts OF associated or
corporate wealth and power.
The bill" ne went on to explain, does
not in the least affect combinations in
aid of productions where there is free
and fair competition. II is the right of
every man to work, labor. and produce
in any lawful vocation, and to transport
his production on equal terms and con-
ditions and under like circumstances.
This is Industrial liberty"
There were numerous speeches and
amendments. The whole subject was re-
ferred finally to the Committee on the
Judiciary, that cosmos might result from
chaos, peace from conflict. The question
was new, but thoughts and words flowed
abundantly. Suggestions were made that
trusts be deprived of the power to en-
force StheIr contracts; that the mails be
closed to them; that their products be