The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-05-19

nineteen subsidiary corporations were
declared today. by the supreme court
OF the United States, to be conspir-
acy and combination in restraint OF
Grade It also was held to be mono
POLLING interstate commerce in viola
don Of the Sherman antitrust law.
The dissolution of the combination
was ordered to take place within six
months.
Thus ended the tremendous struggle
of years on the part of the govern
nent to put down by authority of law
q combinations which it claimed was
a menace to the industrial and econo-
mic advancement of the entire coun-
try.
Limits Application of Law.
At the same time the court inter-
preted the Sherman antitrust law so
as to limit its application TO acts Of
undue" restraint Of trade and not
"ftevery restraint of trade" It was on
this point that the only discordant
aote was heard in the court Justice
Harlan dissented, claiming that cases
already decided by the court had de-
TERMED once for all that the word
<'undue" or unreasonable or similar
words were not in the statute. He
declared that the reasoning Of the
Hcourt in arriving at its findings was
II effect legislation which belongs in
every instance to congress and not to
Ghe court
Ever since the decree in this case in
sg3ohe lower court, the United States
circuit court for the Eastern district
81 Missouri, was announced, hope has
been expressed by the business world
chat the law would be modified so as
not TO interfere with what was de-
sjgnated honest business.
ANNOUNCED ny Cn1cl JuStiCS.
The opinion of the court was an
-nounced by Chief Justice White. For
NEARLY an hour the chief justice dis
e cussed the case from the bench. Be-
fore him sat distinguished audience
'sof The most famous men of the coun-
try. Senators and representatives
left their respective chambers in the
capitol to listen to the epoch-making
uiecision Of the court. Most eager
among them was Attorney General
i Wickersha4n and Frank B. Kellogg,
{ who had conducted the great fight
against Standard Oil.
None of the brilliant array Of ,oun-
sci for the corporations or individual
descendants was present in the court
during the reading of the opinion. To-
day, as on previous decision days for
months, rival brokers' agents, with
messengers in line to the various tele-
+ phane and telegraph instruments,
Were at hand, but to their dismay the
announcement of the decision was not
begun until an hour after the closing
of the stock markets.
Tobacco Decision Withheld
Many expected that the decision OF
the case against the American Tobac-
co company would be handed down
Immediately after the decision in the
Standard Oil case This was not done
The decision is now expected cu May
rs. The opinion of the court today
was construed to mean that the tobac-
T. 90 case, like every other case in which
cS~astrt talnIs of trade are alleged, mus!
s,srafl1 the test of "reasonableness."
By Iac the greater portion Of the
opinion u the chief justice was de-
voted to the justification of the court
IN requiring that the ''rule Of reason
De applied to restraints of trade be-
fore they were held to be violations o.
the Sherman antitrust law. The cour
found this justification in the common
Jaw of the forefathers and in the gen
.eral law Of the country, at the time
1:ha Sherman antitrust law was pass
1e6. I'm short, the court held that tht
technical words Of the statute were K
" be given the meaning which thost
words had in common law and th'
law of the country at the time Of tn
. enactment This meaning OF tn