The Washington herald., 1911-09-21
SEEKING
To MAKE PEACE
WITH OFFICIALS
Anxious to Bring Concerns
Within the Law.
FEAR DRASTIC ACTION

There is evidence Of a general move
are threatened with suits by the gov
ernment, to dissolve and reorganize un
DER government approval, so that the
new organizations will not Contravene
the Sherman antitrust law.
The conferences that have been taking
place at the home OF Attorney General
Wickersham. between the attorneys OF
the International Harvester Company
and Attorney General Wickersham for
the purpose of finding a plan of disolu
ton and reorganization by the harvester
trust that will meet the requirements of
the government. indicate the general
trend among the industrial combinations.
Are Coming to Time.
Intimations yesterday at the Depart
ment OF Justice were that the steel trust
and some of the less important combina-
tions against which the government has
already instituted proceedings, or is
threatening to do so, are getting ready
to put their houses in order. Such ac-
tion is the logical sequence of the de-
cisions Of the Supreme Court in the
Standard Oil and American Tobacco
cases. AS soon as the courts opinion
gave a final definite Interpretation to the
sherman law, the Attorney General went
about the work of preparing actions
against every combination patterned
after the two that have been brought to
the bar of the Supreme Court.
The officers of these combinations could
lf1l nf ha
among the governments law officers.
Hence the disposition TO meet the gov
ernment representatives and try to agree
on a plan that would render 1t unneces-
sary to resort to the long, tedious, and
expensive litigation that would follow the
bringing by the government OF a fresh
batch of antitrust suits.
The men back of the so-called bath tub
trust, against which suits were instituted,
have conferred from time to time with
the Department Of Justice with a view
of conforming to the law and putting a
stop to the proceedings.
Fear More Drastic Action.
1t is said that the officers OF many in
dustrial combinations have been advised
by their legal counsel that the interpre-
tation put upon the Sherman law by the
Supreme Court is not likely to be rem
uereu less severe Dy anylnlnS lndI Is
TO happen in the near future In fact,
all of the evidence points In the direction
of legislation to make the law even more
drastic. The House is overwhelmingly
Democratic, and Democrats and insur-
gent Republicans voting together can put
through Congress at the coming session
and put up to President Taft some very
drastic legislation. And the indications
are that the forces are now moving in
COneress TO that very end.
Bills by Senator Kenyon, OF Iowa, a
Taft Republican, and formerly the ad-
ministratiOns representative in the De-
partment of Justice, specially commits
stoned to prosecute antitrust cases, and
by Senator La Toilette, insnrgent Repub-
Iican. are, now pending in the Senate.
Representative Martin Litteton and
other influential members of Congress
have antitrust bills pending in the
House. Furthermore, the advocates OF
antitrust legislation will get active on
October 10, when Senator Clapps special
committee will begin its hearings under
the resolution of the Senate to deter
mine what legislatiCh is needed to amend
the Sherman law and the interstate
commerce law.
With the certainty that Congress, at
its regular session, in December, Will
make an effort to rass more drastic anti
trust laws, and probably succeed, tho