Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-08-18
Entered at the Postoftice at Staunton
Va. as second class mail matter.
friday. August IS 1911

friday. August 18 1911
TIMELY TREATMENT OF the An
THRUST LAW ~ GEO. w.
George w. Perkins of New York,
was to have delivered an address be-
fore the Michigan College OF Mines
recently on the topic, WANTED, a
Constructive National Policy" Mr..
Perkins, however. was called to testi-
fy before the Stanley steel investi-
eating committee at Washington, and
in his absence President McNair read
the paper.
Mr.. Perkins's paper, in part. fol-
lows:
While many of our members OF
Congress have been loudly calling for
q literal enforcement of this law 1.-THE
Sherman law1 by the executives, our
people have been told that what
they were suffering from were evil
practices by large corporations, and
that one of the chief reasons why
the practices were evil was because
the corporations were very large. At
last this question reached our Su-
preme Court, and that court has held
that a company is not necessarily
illegal because it is large. Our bust
ness men East and West, North and
South, in constantly increasing num-
bers have expressed their opinion
that our country cannot prosper and
develop as it should while this old
law is in existence.
millions for Destruction"
While our executive officers have
been in the attitude stated, while our
Supreme Court has found as it has,
and while our business men are al
most unanimous in their positions,
Congress has refused even to take
up a study of the question in such
q way as to ascertain whether there
is anything good and worth while
In the business mans contention.
Congress has steadily called for the
destruction of our great business en-
terprises. 1t has appropriated money
to find out what crimes these con-
Germs have committed and what evil
practices they have INDUCED In, but,
30 far as common knowledge goes, it
has not taken one step to ascertain
what good these concerns have &C
complished, and whether or not
there is anything of benefit and value
in them that should be preserved to
the people. Its slogan has seemed
to be, Millions for destruction, but
Why this strange, inconsistent sit
uation? 1t seems to me that the
reason is found in the men we have
sent to our national Congress. Up
to the close of our War of the Re
bellion American business men seem
to have taken a keen interest in pub
hc life and affairs. Merchants were
governors of states, mayors of the
cities, members of state legislatures
and of our national Congress. The
close of the war seems to have seen
a diminution in this practice, and we
have seen less and less of such men
In the public service; and while
many OF our public servants in re-
cent years have been broad-minded
statesmen, we find our city govern
ments, our legislatures, our Congress
to considerable extent composed of
men having no business training or
experimentation who have made a
profession of public life-men who
have sought the job rather than, as
In olden times, having been called to
take public Office as public duty.
There is no question but that evil
practices have been INDUCED in in
corporate life. Men have done
things they should not have done,
and it is the duty of state and feder-
al government officials to investigate
and find out what these evil prac-
tees are, that they may be eradi- |
Gated.
On the other hand, scarcely a man
IN public life has had the courage to |
say even word by way of excuse for
the existence of large business con-
Germs, and SO a plain business man
may perhaps be excused for saying
that these are at least a few-just
q few-self-evident advantages that
could be urged as excuses for the ex-
lstence Of some of our so-called
trusts, and which might be fair ques-
lions for investigation by our poll
ticians. For instance, a Congress
'ional committee might find it of ad-
vantage to the people to inquire:
Ffrst-Has the cost of articles
made by the so-called trusts increas-
I'd or decreased?
Second-Have wages increased or
Third-Has labor been more
teadfly employed and better housed
more generally employed and bet
er satisfied?
Fourth-Have there been fewer
ailures in the lines of business in
7olved?
Fifth-Have the so-called trusts
increased or decreased our foreign
rade balances?
Sixth--Have the so-called trusts
devised ways and means and pro-
'ided the capital for saving and
Utilizing waste products, which could
lot have been done by smaller con-
,erns?
seventh-Is the tendency to have
he ownership of these large COM