The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1911-06-30
Trusts and the Public.

Just as cancer extends its roots
along the ducts OF the Emphatic sys.
tenn, SO the great combination in re.
straint OF trade extends itself along the
channels of commerce. The House
| Committee of Inquiry is doing bit Of
dissecting these days, and the ramifica-
tions Of the American Sugar Refining
Company are coming to light.
This is a composite trust, like the
American Tobacco Company it might
be called trust OF the second order.
The Michigan beet sugar combine is a
consolidation of many smaller COM
panies, with capitalization OF about
So, 900, 900; the American Sugar Re-
filming Company owns 81 per cent Of its
stock. The Utah-Idaho Sugar Com
pany is a consolidation also; the Ameri-
can Sugar Refining Company owns
nearly half its stock, the remainder of
it being widely distributed The work
of disclosing the further connections Of
this giant corporation, trust which
has superadded the arts Of the sneak
thief to the accomplishments OF the
buccaneer, goes on apace.
The attentive ear will catch one note
of pathos in the revelations by officials
Of the trust. Mr.. Havemeyer is re-
ported as having admitted his owner
ship OF 81 per cent Of the stock OF the
Spreckels companies, but to have plant
lively declared that he couldn t do any
thing with it" being unable even to
get desired information. Even cepha-
lopods with eight feet have their sor-
rows.
Meanwhile the most interesting de-
velopments of the present moment in
the realm Of corporate investigation and
control are not proceeding in Washing
ton and are not open to the observation
of the public The United States Cir
cult for the Southern District of New
York is now going about to obey the
command Of Chief Justice White, of the
United States Supreme Court, that it
ascertain and determine upon some
method OF dissolving the tobacco trust,
and Of re-creating, out Of the elements
now composing it, new condition
which shall be honestly in harmony
with and not repugnant to the law. /"
This paper has already commented
upon the remarble obscurity Of this
language; but the requirement itself is
no less remarkable than the somewhat
crytic form Of its expression.
To the casual observer it might seem
that a set of lawbreakers might equit-
ably be left to the mercy of the situation
they themselves have created by fragrant
disregard of law, without any concern
of the court beyond few broad and
sweeping directions. But such a view
S superficial The public interest is
here it is this that makes
OF the lawbreaker worth
while. 1t would be too dear price to
BAY for the hattening out of Samson to
rave the entire edifice Of great trade
brought down in ruins upon his head
Hence the lower court is directed to use
ii diligence to find the way back to
egality for the erring feet of the trust
on account of tenderness
or them, but in consideration OF the
'ublic interest
The question OF success is another
hing. VIII the court succeed in de-
clipping condition" which is not
in combining the ele-
cents of the trust-toxin into new and
armless compound? We are skeptical.
ind we rest under shadow of Doubt
neither the esteemed Chief Justice had
hen he wrote the decree, the faintest
lea how the miracle could be per-
,rmed. We wait in frame OF mind
to the temper of this great Z
st Louis Republic.