The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-03
D|G QUESTION IS
 BEFORE SOLONS Must Decide On Regulation
 of Trusts CONFERENCE COMING Senate Committee and Great Trust Organizer Will Discuss Plans For Meeting the Present
 Situation
CONFERENCE COMING
By JONATHAN WINFIELD

By JONATHAN WINFIELD
 Washington, September 2.-(Special)- Much interest is being displayed as tc the probable outcome of the proposed conference between the Senate committed on intestate and foreign commerce apo the great trust organizers of the eoun- try. An invitation has been issued by the l committee to all of the most prominent 1 trust promoters to meet here In Wash ington during the next session of Con- | gress, and assist in framing the corpora ton laws so as to meet the business con ditions of the present day
 | Not only are the great organizers to meet with the committee and offer advice but also prominent labor leaders will be consulted Labor conditions will be the subject of thorough study and the rela- ton of the laboring class to the trusts will be gone into in detail The laboring class contends that the trusts are respon- sible for the high cost of living. In or der to be fair to both sides, before pro- posing any radical changes in the pres ent laws the committee will listen to the advice of the trusts and of the labor unions, and hear what they would pro- pose as a means of remedying existing evils.
 The men invited are to meet the Sen ate committee and suggest to 1t Ideas that may lead to the framing of law that will supplant the Sherman antitrust law and the interstate commerce laws. Doubtless many radical changes will be suggested by the labor element, and great interest is being manifested as to how the trusts will receive the proposed changes.
 | The question to be determined IS whether 1t is better for the commercial health of the country that combinations now existing in restraint of trade be le- galized, or whether they shall be dis solved making unrestricted competition It is well known that the men who have spent their lives in building up the trusts will oppose any legislation framed to dis solve big combinations. They claim that the dissolution of the trusts will not es- fish free competition to any greater ex- tent than now exists. The only differ ence they claim, will be that instead Of one large concern, dissolution would re- suit in number of smaller concerns, all owned and operated by the same parties that now own the stock in the big cor pora tions.
 John D. Rockefeller, J. Pierpont Nor gan. George w Perkins and Ebert H. | Gary representing the capitalists, and Samuel Gompers, president of the Ameri- can Federation of Labor and other labor leaders are to be brought together In | friendly way to discuss the problem and give their views as to changes needed In the existing laws. The Senate committee, in bringing these men together. hopes to gain much beneficial information and ad- vice concerning existing conditions and | the best means of remedyng them. | Senator Moses Clapp of Minnesota, | chairman of the committee which IS 10 conduct the investigation, has turned the details of the preparations already made over to a subcommittee, of which Sena- tor Cummins of Iowa is chairman. Sem ator Cummins has already taken steps | toward arranging for the conferences, which will begin in Washington on Nov | ember 15.
 This idea of bringing the trust organlz- CTS and the labor leaders together before a congressional committee is not orlgnal with Senator Cummins. Representative Martin W. Littleton of New York had a similar idea when he introduced in the House or ReDTeSSUldllNcS db bilC ieis'S SND sion his resolution providing for a special investigation by Congress of existing in dustrial conditions in the United States, that business might be relieved from all lleged hardships under the antitrust laws pointed out by Judge Gary and George w Perkins before the Stanley steel trust Investigating committee. The House of Representatives did not adopt the little ton resolution.
 Senator Cummins recently discussed his plans for conducting the investigation, which will prove to be one of the most i'm lportant and interesting ever held by a committee of Congress The principle question involved is:
 Shall combinations or trusts, said to be in restraint of trade, be legalized and per- mitted to remain intact, or shall compe- tition among all industries exist in the in lterest of the consumer?'
 As always there are two sides to the lquestion. One school of thought will maintain that the trusts work for the ul. innate benefit of the mass of the people and the other that they destroy competi- tion. The present antitrust law ha: lproven inadequate to maintain competi ton, and for this reason 1t has been bit terly attacked by the enemies of the com binations. There Is a clamor among tbt people for the establishment of free com lpetition which will only be quieted by making the antitrust laws more effective
 The contention of George W. Perkins and other capitalists that the day of com petition has passed will be inquired into by the committee. They insist that tho present antitrust law is not in harmop5 with the tendency and the development ol the times. It will be determined by thc committee whether competition must bt abandoned. or whether effective steps shall be taken for the regulation of the trusts or combinations they being al, lowed to continue in existence.
 There are many who believe that tt strengthen the present antitrust law vii provide an effective remedy. Others con tend that nothing short of a compler' revision of the antitrust laws will be O. avail
 It is the opinion of the committee tha these hearings will aid them greatly 1T orriving at their conclusions as to ,aha reforms are necessary. It will doubles. be one of the most fair and impartial in vestigations ever conducted.
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