The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-11-16
Declares Sherman Antitrust
Law Is Too Uncertain To
Control Business.
PRESIDENT TAFT HAS
STRONGLY DEFENDED LAW
Criticizes Tobacco Trust Organ-
ization and Urges Complete
Fedora! Control.

NEW YORK, Nov. 16.-Urrinr
complete governmental supervisions
over corporations engaged In inter-
state commerce, declaring he was not
misled In permitting the Steel Cor
poration TO absorb the Tennessee
Coal q Iron Co., severly attacking the
United States circuit court of appeals
Tor permitting the Tobacco Trust 10
reorganize under the plans 1t pro
posed and criticising Attorney-Gener.
al Wickersham for his stand. Col.
Roosevelt, In a copyrighted editorial
In the current Issue OF The Outlook,
today demands a Square dear' for
big business corporations which re-
main within the pale OF the law.
His editorial is one OF the most
caustic he has yet penned. declaring
that neither the antitrust law, nor
any modification of IL, can meet the
situation that confronts the govern
ment.
In part, Col. Roosevelt says:
The suit against the Steel Trust
by the government has brought vivid
ly before the people the need OF re-
ducing TO order our chaotic govern
ment policy as regards business. AS
president, in messages to congress I
repeatedly called the attention OF
that body and OF the public to the
inadequacy OF the antitrust law by
itself TO meet business conditions and
secure justice to the people, and TO
the further fact that IL might, If left
unsupplemented by additional legis-
lation, work mischief with no com
pensating advantage and urged as
strongly as / knew how that the pol
Icy followed with relation to railways
in connection with the interstate COM
merce law should be followed by the
national government as regards all
business concerns"
Col. Roosevelt declares that he
went over the full trust situation with
Secretary OF the Interior James R.
Garfield and quotes from a letter
written to him by Garfield relative 20
the Steel Trust suit, in which Gar
| field said:
Nothing appeared before the
house committee that made me be-
lieve We were deceived by Judge
Gary. The position now taken by
the government is absolutely destrucs
| tive TO legitimate business, because
It outlines no rule of conduct for
business of any magnitude
Roosevelt then lines up fatty
against Attorney General Wicker
sham and the officers of the present
administration by declaring he was
rot deceived in permitting the I. C..
a |. merger, which Is one OF the
grounds on which Wickersham has
asked the dissolution of the United
| States Steel Corporation.
| One OF the grounds for the suit"
writes Roosevelt. alleged on the ai-
! thority OF the government officials
engaged in carrying on the suit, is
! that as regards this transaction / was
| misled by representatives of the Steel
Corporation, and that the facts were
not accurately and truthfully laid be-
fore me. This statement Is not cor
rect | was not misled. The repre-
sentatives of the Steel Corporation
told me the truth. Figures show that
the acquisition OF the Tennessee Coal
& Iron Co. did not in the slightest
degree change the situation. and that
during the ten years which include
the acquisition Of these properties by
the Steel Corporation and percentages
OF total output OF steel manufactures
by the Steel Corporation has shrunk
from nearly 6 per cent to a trifie over
"a per cent.
1T Is evident that the ANTITRUST
law Is not adequate TO meet the situa-
tion that has grown up because OF
modern business and the accompany
ing tremendous increase in the bush
ness use of vast quantities of corpor-
ate wealth.
1T is vitally necessary thing 10
have the persons in control OF big
trusts of the character Of the stand
ard Oil Trust and the Tobacco Trust
taught that they are under the law
lust as Il was necessary TO have tho
Sugar Trust taught the same lesson
in drastic fashion by Mr.. Eenry L.
Stimson when he was United states
district attorney in the city OF New
York. But to attempt to meet ne
whole problem not by governmental
action but by succession OF law
suits is hopeless from the standpoint
Of working out a permanently sat
is isfactory solution. Moreover re-
Suits ought to be achieved not by
extremely insufficient anG fragment
ary measures OF breaking up all big
Continued on PAGE Eight.