Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-09-21
CHALLENGES HIS ACCUSERS
Announces His Opposition to
Amendment of Sherman Law
Designed to Overthrow
Rule of Reason.


speeches which may have a determin-
ing effect upon his future. Mr. Taft
chose the trusts" as the subject of
his first appeal to the people and out
lined at length his position regarding
that evcr-pregnant issue. In n second
speech he answered thu charge that
he has used patronage to further his
own ends, and boldly challenged the
men who had made the charge to come
forward and join him in an extension
of the civil service to practically all
of the appointiVc Offices under the
government. MIR Tafts free use of
the words Il challenge gave a cam
paign ring to his utterances which
seemed to delight his hearers.
The President announced his I'M
qualined opposition to any amendment
Of the sherman antitrust law designed
to overthrow the rule of reason" laid
down 10y the United States supreme
Court in the Standard oil ana Tobacco
trust cases and called upon william
j. Bryan and all other critics of the
court to cite a restraint of trade which
they would condemn and which would
not be condemned under Mr.. Justice
Whites definition of the law.
Mr. Taft told his hearers that the de-
parcment of justice at Washington Is con-
Quoting an investigation of all corpora
lions suspected of operating In defiance
of the antitrust law and added that the
statute AS interpreted by the supreme
court. would be found sufficient to cause
any Illegal combinations to break up.
The President entered into the defense
Of the supreme Court with more than his
usual vigor and his speech although read
from manuscript and devoid of oratorical
effort, was frequently interrupted BY APP
plause.
The trust speech came near the close
Of nine busy hours spent by the President
in and about Detroit. Wherever he went
to-day in Detroit proper-at Pontiac and
at the State fair grounds-Mr. Taft was
compelled to make his WY through dense
crowds. His welcome in Michigan. which
Is regarded as on the brink Of insurgency
seemed to please the President Immensely
and he was In happy mood when he left
at 4:30 p. m. for Saginaw. where a halt
hour stop was made and FOR Bay city
where he spent the remainder Of the even
| ing and dedicated the new armory.
| Michigan, going tomorrow up to Sault
Ste. Marie He was greeted here to-
day by both Senators Smith and Town
send. Cover Osborne. detained at
| Lansing, sent a warm message OF greet.
| ing
The Presidents day was Allied with IN
cidents He arrived in pouring rain hut
while he was breakfast,ng at the Detroit
t,.1,, r.
by the time he started for Pontiac on Ct
special trolley train the sun mad come ont
and the skies We're blue up TO the hour of
his final leave-taking in the late after
! noon. There We're crowds at the >tatior
as early as $50 o'clock ami neither tn,
rain nor the police. who drew a dead lin,
| half block away. seemed to damDor
| their enthusiasm. At Pontiac the nrrsi
dent was met by big throrg but 1t Wa
at the opening of the State fair later II
| the forenoon that he faced his largest au
dience. In the midst of a fine agriculture
display the President spoke OF the vllu,
OF scientific farming. as he did at syria
cuse last Saturday
After an introduction by Milton NJ
Rae, president OF the Detroit hoard o.
commerce, Mr.. Tat was interrupted 10y
an enthusiastic admirer who called out
Three cheers for tho next President o
the United States"
The President smiled indulgcnty an,
then with something Of a twinkle in hi,
eye he replied:
MY friend, fear you arr not {
prophet"
The five miles of streets leading int,
Detroit from the fair grounds were line.
with people and the President was givc'
a noisy greeting as he passed by
II was at the board of commcrc,
luncheon that President Taft took NJ
the trust question. He said
TRUSTS.
My Fellow Citizens: propose g
take up the question which has oc.
lcupied the attention of the American
people for now 20 years, that Of indus
trial combinations known as trusts
During the Inst year we have had tw,
great decisions by tho Supreme Cour
o' the united States They are epoch
making, and the public has not We
come 10 realize the effect that thos'
decisions are certain to have 1t f.
mot that the construction which tn,
court has put upon the net is differ
ent from that which most members %
the profession, and most subordinat
courts, and indeed the Supreme Cour
Itself had before indicated as tn
proper construction of the statute
but IT Is that IL is now finally settled
by two fully considered decisions II
respect to two OF the largeqt and mos
powerful of these combinations. wha
their illegality consists in. and HOY
they are to be treated, in view of tn
finding that they are Illegal and d
violate the provisions of the sp-calle,
antitrust or sherman act.
Persons who do not understand tn
effect of these decisions and really d.
not understand the law have n grea
deal to say which is intended to lea,
the public to the belief that in som
way or other the Supreme Court ha
emasculatcd the statute and prevente
Its operation against objectionabl
and injurious trade combinations an
conspiracies. Nothing is further iron
tho truth
"When the statute was passed In is!
the expressions used in 1t to define its OF
iect and what It was proposed therein I
denounce as unlawful were not new, br
they were sufficiently broad and indet
mite to require judicial construction