Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-05-09
ON THE TRAIL OF
THE TRUSTS
tBoston News Burcau1

tBoston News Burcaul
Yesterday was certainly . field day
| IN Washington. with tn, trusts on
the defensive al along the line. ia.
dominant party 300 the mouse IL To-
carry the war into Africa IL cam
palgu II To- De SPECIFIC az we'll Is
general. Il rs not only To- lombard
the tarin ramparts, but also To- train
the searchlight OF Investigation aud
the shrapncl of the sherman law on
scparnt" trusts intrenched behind
those bastions.
Resolve for tho initial invcstiga.
tion has now been reported. that 10
| probe tn steel trust. Equally
searching inquiry into the sugar and
wooden trusts" is asked IN two kim
drod resolutions just introduced. In
! Cidontalk tho United shoe company
| is again under ire, before IN. som
| ate committee. the express company
! trust is To be prohcd by the COM
mcrcc commission. and the secretary
ol the navy H. asked II a Boston firm
has a monopoly IN supplying sailors
shoes
There - n close generic similarity
between the three major resolves for
! trust hunting iu regard to az least
! three main phases peculiarly apt 10
touch popular susccptihilities las To-
iniqnitics regarding competition.
prices ana wages. Tho rescue OF the
/ small business man. the consumer
ana the lnboror is shrcwdlY put TO
the fore. Then there rs OF course
the obvious lead as 10 "vcrcapitallza-
\ ton ana speculation and. as regards
steel the weird query as IA whether
I It runs banks, railroads "A other alien
enterprises and deals ~ times In pan
los IN securities and money
Conclus,voiy anar oxhaustivoly 40
ascertain an this. with the numerony
collateral issues involved. on So vast
and detailed a scope would he an
( appalling task. II means not only
getting. hut also Interpreting. my
] rlad of facts Tho Justice. fairness
I ur propricty OF innumerable corpor-
al, acts and lines OF policy are m
/ 'or-rclatcd with countless other facts
or conditions IN the count vs. midas
trial fabric. That H. the size and ar
uculty OF the undertaking
Il 4 b. to be carried through
within any reasouanl, time, by how
ever expert an agency II means that
only surface impressions can be had
tho hlga lights and shadows The
corporations in question may not be
| immaculatc or impcccuhl' but some
Of their deeds pr motives. which DIFF
tcrcnt Judges might write down a.
Cithcs sins 90 virtues, du not spring
So much from the individual Volt
ton as from the general evolution ~
the modern corporate structure Any
goqui,tal "r indictment must also
count in ihos, calculations
But u h. not experts. patient, skill
I'd. equipped. who are 10 attack this
lnhyrntl Tho quest H to be under
taken hy congressional committees.
u the momhcrs thereof are to- per-
form - tithc of The real task. 10 them
So novel and so difficult. they must.
night and day. abandon their ordi-
nary legislative duties They must
do thtir research at second hand,
through tho hearsay Of witnesses.
Some of the testimony may be as
uridly imaginative as that proffcred
NE other daN by the chief witness
heard against the steel trust much
more as fulsomely laudatory. The
committeeman must make snap iudg-
'n"nts some whore IN between.
II means another chapter of gen.
orally futile congressional inquiry adj
ded 10 an those that have gone be-
fore. whereof the cost. waste and dis.
iurhnnc" FAR outwoigh"d the tangi-
bio results The likelihood OF uncov-
oring any serious abuses Is now far
less than In the old days. when cor
poratc ethics were lower and when
corporate publicity was almost un-
known I'm fact. the present instance
snNors of muck raking a bit nclated
More than hat. II means dupli.
cation, conflict ana confusion. There
'Nlst SPECIFIC branches Of the general
government created aud equipped 90
pefi"m such functions. and these de. /
PHfth"hts ana bureaus have becn |
attending thereto. FAR more capably, |
W less loudly, than could committees
OF congress. The department OF Jus. |
tee has had lis slouihs In tho neid. /
with Vie VITO infractions Of law The
bureau of corporations mas been delv. !
inr into the great industries concern. |
ed notably steel. Tho bureau of IA.
Dor, at the direction of congress 81.
ser. has as patiently II not for 20
long been investigating LABOR condl-
TONS In the steel trade.
hut congress. called into session
To- enact a treaty must rush In 10
snatch Some Of the work and most OF
the capital AMI the glory away from
ls own agents. II has one eye on
We trusts II has the other on 1919
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