Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-12-27
Culsla,Ns m the MAGAZINES.

OoWssstvO w WE WvSSSS6ssSSSH 90
Albert B. Cummins, contributor to
the magazines
This will afford his enemies one
more opportunity to cry out against
the senator by pointing out the awful
crime of reaching the people thru the
magazines.
In the current number Of Pearson's
magazine, the January number. that
standard and always interesting maya
zine gives Senator Cummins' views on
'Competition and Combination 1t is
really q discussion of the trust aud
monopoly problem. 1t gives the views
Of the one senator who has given this
subject deepest study for many years
upon the greatest problem Of the day
The article was written by the senator
in his Des Moines office just before his
departure for Panama. It embodies very
briefly his platform, if it may be So
called, on the conspicuous feature OF
the progressive movement of today.
In introducing the article the editor
Of Pearsons says: Senator Cummins
has probably given more thought to
this matter than any other public man
In the following article he tells what
he thinks about combination and COM
petition, which offers the real answer tc
the big problem. and how conditions
may be changed by legislation. Better
read it thoughtfully. What he thinks
is very important to you whether you
are employer of employee"
The discussion of the subject by Sen
ator Cummins presents views with
which the Iowa people are somewhat
familiar. 1.-The antitrust law" he says
lis the only effort which the federal
government has made to preserve and
maintain competition. l gladly join in
the almost universal tribute TO the
motive which led to it's enactment
agree that it has been of incalculable
service to the country. 1t has not
however, maintained competition as i
ought to be maintained. nor viii it &C
compIish that end under the mos;
rigorous enforcement. 1t is menace
to the evil doer but it is incapable OF
certain application, in advance of any
judicial aScertainment. that men who
desire to do business in big way dc
not. and can not, know what they may
lawfully do. Whatever system we en-
ploy mupst be such an one that bus!-
ness men can determine, without 2
shradow of doubt, whether a given en-
terprise conducted in given way is
lawful or unlawful"
Senator Cummins in his Pearson's
article suggests that it would have been
better if the original law had been
passed as it was written so that de-
struction of competition rather than
restraint OF trade" would have been
the thing struck at, thus avoiding the
1.-The words when they came into the
common law" he writes, were not in
tended to apply to any such condition
as the statute is expected to govern
When, however, the rule of reason
was invoked in the Standard Oil Com
pany and American Tobacco Company
cases, and it was declared that there
were some restraints of trade tha
were unreasonable and forbidden by
the law, what was misty before became
an impenetrable fog thru which M
| human eye can see to steer straight
and lawful course"
| take issue with the court as to the in.
! depreciation of the law, it will be seer
from the above that he differs from
President Taft as to whether the IN
terpreted statute is all sufficient and {
complete remedy for monopoly.
| Senator Cummins, in this article
written before the recent extensive
hearings of the interstate commerce
committee on the subject, presents ;
definite program of constructive legis
| lation on the subject. I'VE must con
struct system" he says, that will
first, safeguard the people by insurin.
it fair competition; second, Safeguard
business enterprises by making it pos
sible for business men to know in ad
vance whether they are about to d
right or wrong" Among his suggestion
are:
Limitation on the amount Of capita
that may be employed in any bushes
by corporation or association engage
in interstate business, such limit to b
fixed by some competent tribunal.
No corporation to be permitted t
engage III more than one kind of bus
mess, and especially that the corpora
ton which manufactures shall not con
troll the sources Of supply of material
No corporation shall own the stoc
Of another and no stakeholder sha
own the stock of two or more comper
ing corporations.
A voluntary federal incorporate
law, and federal license law for stat
corporations engaged in interstate bus
mess.
An industrial commercial tribunal.