Bisbee daily review., 1911-11-14
EVER PRESENT TRUST SCARE
 RISES AGAIN
Ii win Occupy a Foremost Place in Approaching SeS-
 sion Of Congress
THE SHERMAN ACT
 MUST BE AMENDED
The Difficulty of Doing 1t With out Disturbing Business of the Country Becomes
 Apparent
(By Victor Elllotu

tBy victor EtiotU
 1 WASHINGON. November 1S:-One
 of the most vital questions to the
 country which congress at it's next
 session will be forced to consider is
 the extent of the government regu-
 lation of the large corporations. No
 one questions the need of some strin- gent antitrust legislation. But up to the present time no adequate plan for such regulation has been adyanc- { ed. The administration has listened ' 10 the popular cry of trust legis-
 lauon' and has taken a step in the
 right direction by bringing to the i bar of justice the trusts which have ' openly defed the sherman antitrust ] law
 The problem is the greatest with ! which the government has to deal
 IL cannot be expected that the govern
 ment without some experimenting
 will be able to find some solution of
 The problem. The trouble with the
 efforts the government has made to
 cope with the trust problem has been
 that the underlying assumption of the Sherman antitrust law. under
 which act all steps taken by the gov. ernment have been actuated, is that unrestricted competition best serves ! the interests of the people.
 His Day Past
 There can be no denial that the steps already taken by the govern ment have not increased competition but to the contrary in most cases they nave established precedents which in the future will interfere with the con duct of business. The day of the sLal retailer Is past The business O; today is the consolidation of the small concerns What was good for the small ones in the olden days is decidedly bad for the large interests of modern times.
 lt is generally assumed by the pub lie that the present policy of the de Fartment of justice in attacking the large interests of the country un. der the sherman anti trust law is q uniform one. Regardless Of the state ment of the attorney general as to the method of procedure in the de- artment's future activities, the fact ( remains that it has just entered upon its field of activity and will be fore ed to change its policy as efrcum- stances alter. The field is a large one [ and will not permit the use of any fixed rule.
 Worse Is To Come
 The alarming feature of the situa. [ ton is that with practically nothing c demonstrated in the way Of the bet [ terment of the condition of the pubic $ the actions of the government in : 3 comparatively few cases, the indi. c rect destruction of values and the de. [ 5i essing effect which has resulted to ' business, point to a reater depression nd unsett ed state of affairs when ' once the department has fairly eR, ,, tered upon its fight against the :, rusts. H
 Many methods of regulation have !. been propCsed by the so-called rad fl calls and b. President Taft. Ac- S ,ording to the plan offered by the V 'adicals the Sherman antitrust law E 8 10 be so amended that fiexibili n ty given it by virtue of the recent of the United States su- 2 .reme court be destroyed, and any tC agreement in restraint of trade either ol easonable or unreasonable be held 1T egal. This plan is entirely imprac- ical and would result only in the de- uuction Of the industry Of the coun- ry. This plan is the work of rad N cal politicians who are confident that hey can appeal 10 the passions of he people rather than to their own ood judgement e
 Only Change of Form Il' The Taft method provides for the rII. lssolution Of the large combinations hl lto the constituent companies and - y such competition to restore the "t ormer condition Of competition be- L, ween them. The results of the suits az hus far brought by the government aa ,a gainst the corporations apparently t, as resulted only in a change Of the bs % In O eiship and control and not a fact of ownership or the sub - Jance of control The policy of the co oyernmeuI in these suits against d. consolidated corporations will result 1l nly in compelling the scattered con- -ituent coml anies still allied in com CT .On to interests of ownership and h -ntrol to conduct their business with nc somewhat greater cost which the le eople will Lave to bear, without re- tr oTing tbe former condition of com ha .ition. tn
 inefficient Sherman Law si Even thaugh the efforts of the ad- re are in no way accom- bi fishing what is intended it is doing ey De thing of importance. It Is dem to congress the inefficient tel r of the sherman law. Business gr en have become thoroughly alarm on and are busying themselves de lai sing means to divert the ruin of as IGUstry in this country which is as ne to come # the present policies Pu
 the government are continued. thl be recent decisions of the supreme to Iuft have written the word "unreas- ab .atla" into the sherman antitrust gr v and have destroyed what effec- ex reness 1t had previous to this. The IT, ieTmsu law is null and void under aci
 N