The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-15
SHERMAN LAW MAY
START An UPR0AR
Attempt to Wipe 1t Off the
Statute Books Will Re-
suit in Fight.
~ SIDNEY EsPEY.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.-As re.
suit of the verbal duel between Presi-
dent Taft and Representative Martin
w. Lttleton over the merits Of the
Sherman antitrust law, legislators
now returning to Washington believe
that a bitter fight may be precipitated
during the next session OF Congress
through efforts to amend the law.
1t may be stated in advance that any
effort to touch the Sherman law, or to
wipe it from the statute books as
demanded by Representative Little
ton, q Democratic member of the
House, will cause a legislative uphea-
wal.
The tilt between Representative
uittleton and the President, which &C.
Cured at the banquet rendered the
chief executive by the Pittsburg Cham
Der of Congress, came as a surprise
not only to official Washington and
the country. but to the banquet guests
az we'll. Representative Littleton was
especially severe in his criticism OF the
measure; President Taft just as stron-
ely defended the law as being ade-
Quate for all present day needs.
Clark For the Law.
On the heels of this rather sensa.
tional battle of words comes a dis
patch from Omaha to the effect that
Speaker Champ Clark, for one, does
not agree with Mr. Littleton, although
a fellow-Democrat, and that the Spea-
ker will oppose any effort to repeal the
Sherman law or to enact another stat
ute which may not be as effective after
trial.
It is also known that Representative
Henry D. Clayton. chairman of the
House committee on Judiciary, and
Representative William C. Adamson
of Georgia, chairman of the House
Committee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce, who would loom up in the
event of movement to repeal the law
are rather inclined to let we'll enough
alone; and that they would fight any
such radical proposition as that which
contemplates the undoing of a statute
which has been upon the law books
for twenty years.
probable that any change in the Sher-
man act will be made, especially upon
the eve of another presidential cleo
ton.
Now Has Interpretation.
As pointed out by the President in
his reply to the New York representa-
tive, the Sherman law has but recently
had real Interpretation. For a num-
Der OF years the business world has
waited for the Supreme Court to put
some definite construction upon the
law. and to interpret 1t so that there
could be no misunderstanding of its
potency and intent.
The Supreme Court in the Standard
OIL and Tobacco Trust cases has fur
nished such Interpretation. 1t is still
a mooted question among lawyers and
legislators as to whether the Supreme
Court acted wisely in writing the
words reasonable" and "unreasona-
BILE" into the statute but, at any event.
the Department Of Justice has seemed
satisfied with the Interpretation of the
act by the highest tribunal and that
department has gone ahead with other
trust.busting prosecutions.
Now comes Representative Littleton
who is forging TO the front as one Of
the best constitutional lawyers in the
House. Representative Littleton, look
ing the President in the eye at the
Pittsburg banquet declared that the
Sherman law was utterly unsuited to
the requirements of today, that big
business could not be regulated
through 1t and that the law ought to
give way to some substitute measure
Calls Law Poor One.
1T seems clear to me-" said Mr.. Lit.
Teton. who Is also member of the
House committee named to investi-
gate the steel trust, that the Sherman
law cannot possibly be made effective
in the determination Of the real evil
without carrying with 1t too large a
sacrifice of the entire industrial faab-
Tic, and that 1t should be absolutely re-