Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-09-01
TRUST HEARINGS
TO COVER A WIDE
FIELD OF DEBATE
Senator Cummins to Preside
Over Probe Which Will Hear
Views of Experts on Subject,

Washington Aug. 25.- A great con
elaYe OF trust magnateS, labor leaders,
economists and legislators is to meet
In Washington between now n the
RECOMMENDING Of congress to advise to-
gether on the economic crisis which
the nation faces.
John ID, Rockefeller, J. Pierpont Nor
gam, Ebert H.. Gary, of the steel trust;
George w. Perkins, Samuel Gompers,
John Mitchell and others will be cited
TO appear before n Senate committees
and give frank expression Of their
views on the operation Of the Sherman
antitrust and the interstate commerce
laws, whether they should be repealed
Or amended, and. if the latter howl
These labor chiefs and captains of in
1ustry viii be requested to discuss the
advantages and evils of competition
n combination respectively. They
will be asked to so into the question
Of the relations OF employer and en-
ployed. In brief, the question which
they will be asked to assist in deter
mining is whether it is better for tine
commercial health of the country that
combinations now in restraint OF trade
be legalized or that they should be
dissolved and free and unrestricted
competition be restored.
Cummins Talks of Inquiry.
Senator Albert y. Cummins, of Iowa,
at the head Of a subcommittee Of five
senators will conduct the investigation.
The investigation is intended primarily
to assist the Senate committee on in
terstate commerce in framing a law
to meet the business conditions Of the
present day. Senator Clapp, of Minne
sofa, has turned the matter of con-
Quoting the investigation over to Sen
ator Cummins, who is now arranging
for the interviews with the great cap.
tains Of industry and labor.
Senator Cummins has left Washing.
ton for Iowa, and will not return un.
til he ZONES to open the hearing which
is believed will prove one of the most
important and interesting investiga.
tons ever conducted before a commit
tee of congress.
Before leaving Senator Cummins put
lined his plan for the inquiry.
Shall combinations, or trusts, said
to be in restraint of trade. be legal.
lied and be permitted to remain intact,
or shall competition among all indus.
tries be placed on it's feet IN the i'm
terest of the ultimate consumer" said
he. These are the great questions
our committee will endeavor to settle
for all time.
Competition Issue Raised.
There are two great schools Of
thought" he continued. lone that
maintains that combinations work fol-
the ultimate benefit of the people and
h other that they destroy competi
ton. The antitrust law has failed tc
MAINTAIN competition and we must
make it effective or take some other
course.
Inquiry into this issue has been
raised by Perkins and Gary of the steel
corporation and many others who hold
and are now insisting that the day of
competition has passed; that the anti.
trust law, which was enacted solely
to preserve competition, is not in har.
mony with the tendency and develop.
ment of the times, and that we must
abandon competition. We shall writ.
these gentlemen to appear before "a
not as criminals, but in q friendly
spirit, as men from whom we are seek.
Ing knowledge. On the other hand
we shall ais invite those who are op.
posed to the ecoNomic ideas presented
by the gentlemen named"