The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-21
Should Government Under
take to Regulate Prices
on Commodities
AGED TRUST LAWYER
TALKS ABOUT SUGAR
Takes Credit for Organizing
Big Sugar Company and
Says He Will Also
Take Blame

NEW YORK July 2o.--John L.
Parsons. more than eighty years old,
but as supple mentally and almost as
agile physically as his son, the eS-
congressman and former leader of the
Republican organization In New York
county, who sat by the paternal side
all through the veteran lawyers ex-
animation to-day by the special com
mittee OF the National House of Rep
resentatives that is investigating the
sugar trust. asserted proudly that he
was the father OF that giant Industrial
combine. that he had conceived it.
that he had legally naiured IL from
its inception until he had resigned
its general counsel eighteen
months ago. short time before he
and several other officers and diree-
tors were indicted rs the Federal
grand jury fer conspiring To violate
the Sherman antitrust law! that the
corporation Was not In contempt or
the laws, never had been. and that It's
operations had been for the public
good.
u am ready tn take the entire
credit or blame for the formation OF
what is now the American Sugar Re-
fnsng Company" he said. AT the
time OF its organization II was con-
sidered creditahle, and a good many
persons tried to share the credit with
me. Now IL seems to be considered
otherwise. and | arm left alone with
the bag TO hold. But ! am ready 10
stand hy IT and take the whole
blame"
Defends Trust.
THIS WAS the keynote Of Mr. Par
sons testimony. From the beginning
70 the close Of hts testimony he de-
Tended vigorously, at times vehem-
entity. not only the sugar trust. but
also the principles underlying and the
results attending industrial and capt.
talization combinations,
Representative Garrett. of Tonnes
see. who did most OF the questioning
asked Mr.. Parsons II he didn't think
the laws should protect the little fish
from the big fish--should the big
ones be allowed To swallow tho little
ones
The little fish are fools 10 he
swallowed by the big FISH, scowied
the dean Of the school of American
trust lawyers.
But sometimes the little fish can't
help themselves" tentatively sug-
gested the Tennesseean
oh, YES, they can. II the govern
ment will let them. returned Mr..
Parsons confidently,
How" asked the congressional
investigator.
The government should repeal all
the Silly laws now in tho statute
books and thus permit the little fell
lows to combine TO fight the big ones.
Then YOU would have healthy com
petition and no such thing as monop-
cIy."
Dumbfounds Inquisitors.
Throughout his testimony. which
consumed five hours. MIR. Parsons was
SO positive Of the. correctness oC his.
position, Of the verify OF his views
that his inquisitors appeared timid.
II not dunn hfounded. In broad strides
he reviewed the economic history or
the world. He quoted with facility
and felicity from Adam Smith. Rich
ardo, John Stuart Mills and all the
old masters OF political economy and
social science In support OF his posi-
ton. aud that OF the Industrial and
general business movement toward
concentration.
New York State. he said had put
itself on record as opposed to this
movement. and to corporate interests
In general This was shown In three
ways he declared:
First, by law prohibiting holding
companies volunteered Mr. Parsons:
second. by platforms, and. third, by
He said Il that Of the yken,y-three
sugar refineries in the country at the
time OF the organization OF the trust
In 1887. seventeen had joined the
combine.
AT whose suggestion was 1t tina,
these companies We're taken inta~ the
combination 81
II had known something of the
formation of the Standard OIL Com
pany. but the general idea OF the
sugar trust was mine"
who fret conceived the idea that
the combination would be a GOOD
business proposition
II think. that was apparent to ev-
ery one. / believe Theodore Have
never and Henry Q. Havemeyer first
talked it over with me and then
talked 1t over with John e. Searles,
who represented, the other interests,
All OF these gentlemen are now
dead" Il
Men Were Too Big.
Mr.. Parsons stoutly maintained that
the purpose Of the trust was not to
stifle competition. II think can
demonstrate to you" he said. that
the men who were behind this prop
osition were too big to think that
they could stifle competition. 7 say
frankly that We would have had no
objection to the elimination OF COM
petition, though that was not our
motive. think this combination was
formed for the general good. and that
its history has indicated our pur-
pose. / believe In the organization
OF capital; believe in the organiza-
ton Of labor; I believe In the organi-
cation OF ability. OF capacity. of spe-
cial skill"
The forerunner OF the present SUI
gar trust or the American Sugar Re-
fning Company was known under the
chartered name OF the Sugar REIN
cries Company. Not long after its
organization 1t was attacked by a suit
in this State. The action was brought
in tho name Of the people of New
York. Mr.. Parsons testified to-day
that the real plaintiff was Tammany
Hall. This litigation was aimed to
prevent the parent company from |
absorbing the North River Refining /
Company.