Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-07-28
SENTIMENT IN SENATE IN FAVOR
OF INVESTIGATION BEFORE
NEXT SESSION..
RESOLUTION OF AUTHORITY
TO BE PRESENTED SOON
Congress- May Have Opportunity to
Enact Important Law at Next SEES
sion-FeoIing General That Sherman
eiIl Should Not Be Impaired in Any
Enactment.

of the recent discussions in the senate
committee Of interstate commerce
over the Newlands bill, for an inter-
stale commission to regulate industrial
corporations, and the discussion of the
Kenyon bill, for the strengthening OF
the Sherman law, along with the mat
tiers that have arisen for consideration
with relation to such legislation, there
| is practically no longer any question
7! that the committee will conduct i'm
portant Investigations in the recess
between the end Of the extra session OF
congress and the opening OF congress
next winter.
! The committee will bring out n reso-
luton that will give it the necessary
authority to go deeply into the vast
problem Of how TO control the couh-
trys industrial corporations.
Members of the committee have
been talking about this for some time.
While no formal action has been taken,
| it was declared today in authoritative
quarters that the resolution would be
brought out. 1t will doubtless pass
the senate.
The Importance Of broad inVest1-
cation by the senate committee on IN
terstate commerce into the problem Oh
how to grapple with the trust and IN
dustrial corporation problem can not
well be over estimated. In some re-
spects such an Investigation might
well prove as important as the inaulr
les Of the Industrial commission some
wears ago. The mere fact there is a
disposition in the committee to lnVes-
tisate the subject shows that senate
sentiment is getting up to the point
of dealing with the trust problem.
Senators who talked about the mat
ter today said that in all 1kellhooo
unless tariff matters baked it the COM
ing session would prove an important
one with respect to consideration OF
how to deal with the countrys great
corporations
When Senator Newlands introduced
resolution the other day to cominlt
the senate to program OF important
lie gislation this session. following re-
cess. on such subjects as control OF
cornorations. control OF railroad stock
and bond issues, physical valuation or
railroads and the like, he stirred up a
situation that might otherwise nave
remained fairly calm for the time be-
ing. But there Is strong sentiment, IT
has developed. to commit the senate TO
q. program that includes corporation
control not this session but IN the
regular long session. Senators VINO
will not consent to adopt such pro-
gram this session, either with or with
out a recess will consent to adopt IT
if IT is made to reach over to next SEES
ion.
IT is Impossible to forecast what
legislation dealing with the great
trusts and corporations is going 10
grow out OF the situation which mas
developed In the senate. But the dis
cussions in the interstate commerce
committee have shown clearly what is
going to be the most important line OF
division Of sentiment. 1t is not whether
there should be regulation of the great
Interstate corporations by the govern
ment, but whether, in bringing ABOUT
the regulation, the Sherman law is 10
be preserved and made more drastlc
or wiped out. One element in the
senate will seek to get rid OF the Sher-
man law Another element will seek
to make the law stronger and at the
same time provide for regulation:
The probability is that 1t will be
found impossible to get thru any
N easure which impairs the Sherman
law. When national Incorporation
le gislation was attempted several
years ago, the senate Judiciary COM
mittee insisted the Sherman law was
a good law and must not be weakened.
Those who believe in 1t and also In
regula ton think the Sherman law
should be kept as the club to crush any
refractor combinations or monopolies
that refuse to submit to regulation or
evade it.
How far to go in regulation has been
discussed in the committee. On this,
opinions widely differ. 1t does not ap-
pear there is much support IN the
committee for the idea Of price-f1xing.
Senator Cumn1ins. who is on the In
terstate commerce committee. is pre-
pairing a bill for the control Of corpor-
ations that will provide for an indus
trial commission, this commission to
have power to regulate the capitaliza-
ton of corporations in interstate bust
fncss. Further, it will provide limt-
;tation on the amount Of capital that
may be employed in q given business.
III this is done, Senator Cummins
thinks prices would adjust themselves.
The house committee on interstate
commerce is not showing as Keen an