Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-07-19
W|CKERSHAM IS
NOW A SOCIALIST
Even, Considers Fixing of
Prices of Commodities
by Law
MAKES SENSATIONAL ADDRESS
Interstate Industrial Commission
to Regulate Big
Business.
(By Special Leased Wire to New Mexican

Duluth, Mimi, July 19.-Attorney
General Wickersham before the Min
nesota State Bar association today
took an advanced stand on the further
federal regulation of corporations and
said a government commission to reg
ulate great industrial organizations in
the same way that the interstate COM
merce commission regulates railways,
was desirable and might be necessary.
To Fix Prices.
Mr.. understands speech was little
short of sensational in many of it's fea-
lures. He declared that was matter
Fof serious consideration whether it
would be practical to give to the pro-
posed Interstate Corporation Commits
sion the power to fix prices.
Many of Mr.. Understands declara
tons We're the most radical he has
made since his entrance into official
life. There was nothing in the speech,
however, to indicate how far the at
torney general reflected the views OF
President Taft.
On several occasions in the last
year he has been regarded as the
spokesman for the administration.
Save Big Business.
"That some further regulation over
corporations carrying on commerce
among the states may be necessary,
he said, ."is coming to be a matter OF
current comment. 1t has been openl.
advocated quite recently by represen
tatives of some of the largest combin
ations of capital, probably as a means
OF salvation and to preserve, under
government supervision, great organi
cations whose continued existence is
menaced by the recent Interpretation
of the Sherman Act, the disintegratior
of which would be necessarily attend
ed with much loss.
"To such it is a case of "any port ir
a ship wreck" Better continued co
operative life, even under a powerful
master, than disseminated properties
and segregated activities without con
stant governmental supervision.
Regulate Prices.
whether a federal industrial com
mission should have power to regulate
prices is matter of serious consider
alton. The interstate commerce Law
prescribes that prices for transporta
ton by rail or wire or pipe line, shall
be reasonable, and that no unjust dis
elimination shall be made between in
dividuals or localities similarly situat
ed. A similar rule might be declared
with respect to the prices of commodi
ties the subject of interstate com
merce.
Consumer Pays the Freight.
The fact seems to be that prices
Of standard articles sold in the Unit
ed States for several years have MOI
been fixed at all by the operation O.
the laws of supply and demand or O.
unrestrained competition, but by as
sociations of producers, without the
participation of the consumer or tn,
general public, that is, without thos.
who have to pay the bill, having an!
voice in fixing the price.
In this view, it is certainly not un
reasonable that the purchasing publ
should desire to have some part in dc
termining the price it is to pay, in lik
manner as has been recognized to b
just with respect to cost of transports
1 tion."
Mr.. Wickersham implied that fec
eral incorporation act, while it Nigh
offer some difficulties, would help t
lay the ak at the root of the trust evi