The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-11-17

Il
ard on and ths Tpyscss trust saiisht
lfhat they AIRS und 1 the law Just as it
WAS heeessary 30 Lave the Sugar
trust taught the s3ine lesson in dras.
itic fashion BY sif Henry 1. stlmson,
lFhen he vas U. 81 district attorney In:
Ithe city or New York. But attempt
| 70 meet the whole problem not BIZ ad.
Iministratise governmental action. hut
| by a succession OF law suits Is hope.
Hess from the standpoint of working
Tout permanently satisfactory solu.i
lHon.9 Moreover. the results sought to
be achieved are achieved only In ex;
ltremely ainsutficieht and sfragmentary
| measure BY breaking uJl all big corpo.
fations, whether they have been
paved well or Ill, into number Of lit.
ltle corporations which 1t IS perfectly
certain will be largely and perhaps
gltcgethct under thes same control!
Such action5is harsh and mischfevons
1it the corpofationF Is guilty Of nothing
except It's size; and where, as in the
case oftlle5 standard soil and especial.
~ the Tobacco strus.. the corporation
has been guilty OF immoral and anti;
social practices, there is need for far.
more drastic and sthorough.going ac-
ton than7a any That has been taken, I'm.
dertihe recent decree of the Supreme
Court. w "a "a
''In the case of the Tobacco trust,
for instance, the settlement in the
Circuit Court, in. which the represen-
tatlves Of the government seem In.
clined to oncuTtpractically leaves ali
the companies still substantially un.
der the control of the 80 original de-
PENDANTS Such d result is lamentable
from the standpoint Of Justice. The
decision of the Circuit Court, II allow.
led to stand, means That the Tabocco
trust has merely been obliged to,
lchange Its clothes, that none Of the
real offenders have received any pun.
ishment, while as the New York
Times q pro.trust paper says, the To-,
bacco concerns, in their new clothes,
are in possession OF ease and luxury
and immune from prosecution under
the law =
Surely, miscarriage Of. justice is
not too strong term 10 apply to such
a result when considered in connec.
tion with what the Supreme Court
| .,t,l 10 th;, facet II q "A 49,, 81 ,,,,i1
ty OF such conduct should be absolute.
is disbanded, and the only way to
prevent the preparation Of such con-
duct is by strict government supervl
sion, and not merely by law suits.
The antitrust law connot meet the
whole situation, nor can any modlflca.
tion OF the principle OF the antitrust
law avail to meet the whole situation.
The fact is that many men who have
called themselves progressives, and
who certainly believe that they aio
progressives, represent in reality in
this matter not progress at.,all but a
kind OF sincere rural toryism. These
men believe that 1t Is possible by
Strengthening the antitrust law to re.
store business to the competitive con.
.dltloI of I the middle century Bust:
Eness cannot be successfully conduct,
ed in accordance With practices and
theories of so years ago unless we
abolish steam, ;,electricity, big cities
and. in short, not only all MODERN Dusi.
ness and modern conditions. but all
modern conditions OF our civilization.
Our purpose should be, not
to strangle business as an incident Of
strangling combinations. but to regu.
late big corporations in thorough.go-
ing and effective fashion. SO as to help
Legitimate ,businesssas an incident to
thoroughly and completely safeguard.
ing the interests Of the people as a
whole. = o a SdDs
Few will dispute the fact. that the
present situation is not satisfactory,
and cannot be put on a permanently
satisfactory basis unless We put an
end to the price Of rooping and de.
clare for a fixed policy, policy which
shall clearly define and punish wrong.
doing, Which shall put a stop to the
iniquities done in the name. Of bust,
ness, but which shall do strict equity
to business We, demand that big
business give the people square deal;
In return We must insist that when
.any one engaged in big business hon.
cstly endeavors to- do right he shall
himself be! given a square deal; and
the first and most elementary kind OF
lsquare deal is to give him in advance
full inforpation as 70 just what square
deal is you give him II he can, and
what he cannot, legally and properly