The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-12-20
CBy Winfield jones'

its ~ 44444"4u III JD44t0s'
Washington, D. c., Dec. 2O-Want
ed, a perfectly proper amendment &c
the sherman antitrust law
Anr one. man or woman, old OF
young, native or foreign born. who
has something to offer in this line,
or who even believes he or she has
suggestion which could be worked
up into a definite proposition will re-
ceive courteous attention and be as
sured of a polite and interested audi
ence If application is made to the
senate committee on interstate com
merce, which is presided over by
Senator Moses +. Clapp Of Minnesota.
or course the committee will not
guarantee in advance that II will ac-
cept any of the ideas which are offsr.
ed as panacea for business evils,
but il is willing 10 consider anything
which sounds like common sense.
The committee is seeking light and
information upon the trust question,
with the object Of perfecting the eX-
isting law so as to meet the require
ments OF modern conditions, 10 be
fair to business, and to oblige bust
ness to be fair with the public. Twen-
ty years ago the Sherman antitrust
law was enacted by congress, and it
has never been amended. Only with
in recent years has it been enforced
against big business meaning cor
porations in the nature OF trusts and
monopolies. Now it is claimed that
the decisions of the courts upon this
law leave a question Of doubt and
an uncertainty as to that which bust.
ness may do, and wnnt It may nor
do. There is a question as TO wIat
are the powers and limitations of cor
porations doing an interstate bus-
ness, and as TO what is legal and
what is illegal.
The demand for something definite
in this respect led Senator Clapp
during the extraordinary session of
congress to Introduce resolution
which was adopted empowering his
committee to conduct an investiga
ton into the subject for the purpose
of finding a solution 10 the trust
problem. The committee has been
in session now for more than a month
and has heard a large number of EN-
inent men, including lawyers, col
lege professors, business men, CAPT
taists, manufacturers, political econ
omsts and others. each with ideas
and plans some of them original,
some old and time Won, some pract'-
cal and others impractical
These suggestions have run all the
way from the repeal of the anti
trust law to recommendations which
closely border on socialism. Strange
ly enough, too, the man who, in
the opinion Of members of the com
mittee, has advanced the idea which
is regarded as akin to socialism j..
none other than Judge l.. II. Cary.
chairman of the executive committee
Of the United States Steel Corpora.
tion, and in reality the director in
chief Of that great concern. The
which Judge Gary adyanc- .
ed which is looked UPON us a close
approach to socialism is that Wdcc .
nrtain conditions and in times o. .
threatened financial disaster and pan
ic there should be provided a means /
the government might fix
prices. He believes that would give
stability to conditions which would
have the effect of stopping or pre-
venting a panic. The great steel
offered this remedy, and at
he same time disclaimed socialism
Is II is generally understood
Others have told the committee that
[ would have been better, that is
business conditions would have been
,etter, had congress never passed
he Sherman antitrust act, but that
nasmuch as it is now the law, j.
would be unwise to repeal it. Others
would allow it to stand a it is in
he light of recent court ilterpreta-
ion with the word unreasonable"