The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-09-18
ANTITRUST LAW
CLEAR SAYS TAFT
Continued from Page oneA

Continued from Page One.)
uoclslon of the supreme court to use
their legal imaginations and state the
facts of case not condemned within
the rule of construction put upon the
statute by the supreme squirt, but in
cluded within their construction of IT,
which reasonable men would think it
wise or proper to make criminal
High Praise For Court.
The court has met the queries pre-
scented by the doubters and the scott
ers, 1t has indicated the majesty of
the law, has illustrated the wonderful
elasticity and adaptability of remedy
by Injunction in equity, and has at
the same time manifested a due re-
gard for the welfare of the innocent
business men and the community at
large, who i'm cataclysm caused by
the confiscation of such enormous cap
ital as are involved in these combina-
tions and a suspension of the legiti-
mate part of their business, would be
buried with them i'm n common ruin.
The court has exhibited a courage
forcing the statute that, instead of
prompting an attack on it, ought 10
make every American proud that we
have such a tribunal II is now enforc-
ing its decree against the Standard oil
Co. and against the Tobacco Co, and
II is making those great combinations
divide themselves into actually COM
III. A..
the decree that an injunction shall be
constantly operative To prevent by
contempt proceedings any assumption
of the old relations OF a monopoly
This was an easier matter i'm reference
TO the Standard oil Co, because It
was easy to divide w the various
companies that were united by the
ownership of stock Of all the compan-
les i'm a single holding company. In
the Tobacco Co. the decree could not
be worked out so easily, and ii will
he necessary to separate the proper
ties owned by single companies and
to distribute these plants into differ
ent and differing ownerships in order
to create competition between them
and maintain that competition by the
power of continuing injunction
| against any future union, or any
| agreement TO avoid future competition.
Return to Free Composition.
| 1t needed these two great decisions
| to teach the business public that at
least not I'm the supreme tribunal Of
| this country would the claim be lis
| 4
ton we have passed beyond the pos
siblity OF free competition as con-
sistent with proper business growth,
or that we have reached a time when
only regulated monopoly and the fixing
| of prices by governmental authority
are consistent with future progress
we did get along with compet tion
we can get along without it; and the
business men of this country must
spare themselves TO that necessity.
| Either that or we must proceed to
state socialism and vest the govern
ment with power 10 run every bust
ness. The decision Of the supreme
court is I'm the highest interest of the
public, and I am glad to think tnat
business men who have been violating
the trust law are now being made 70
see the necessity for putting their
houses i'm order, changing their orig
inal organizations, giving up the idea
That II is necessary to control markets
In order to make profits, and revertinp
to the old principle Of free competition
In which all limit upon IL 20 prevent
its being excessive must be self-im-
posed by the good sense of each COM
petitor and not by any Arrangement
or contract between competitors or Sc
cret stipulation or wink or nod
The decision Of the supreme court