New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-02
ROOSEVELT'S TRUST IDEAL
Ex-President Calls Sherman [ aw
vitality Defective.
OIL DECISION HIS SUBJECT
Argues for Control Of Industrial
Corporations az That Over
Interstate Railways.

Fx-president Roosevelt discussing The
Standard or Decision-apd After" in hts
Outlook" article this week declares the
antitrust law is vtallv defective ss a
rneane Of graphing with the problem Gre
sts4 b. the great industrial combinations
Of nnoncpclis'ic trend
Instead, he argues for legislation 70 put
such corporations under control end regu-
lst,on bv governmental bodv as Is the
case uith RAILWAYS that fall under the
Jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce
Commission
our prime object, concludes Mr..
Roosevelt. must Re 70 have the regulation
accomplished b. continuous administrative
action and not by necessarily intermittent
lawsuits
The article is in part, es follows
The decision of the Supreme Court IN the
STANDARD oil case has of course, brought
out MANY proposals for altering or amend
ing the antitrust Ia" mere are tWo
in reference ~ this law are in theory
dianetricallv opposed, and IN results al
most idenucalv the same. those who wish
no Interference whatever b, the govern
mon. with any coubina tons or corpora
tons. and those men who; under me pea
of being against all combinations and big
cOrporations propose ahsolutel" 80 pro
hihit their existence
dismAtricailv opposed In practice the 2.
ti,.ities of the second class. who wish totally
70 prohioit all CORPORATIONS can result
nnlv in practically fulflling the Wish OF
tho Nrs' cass by leaving the present SIT.
uation Fundamentally unchanged Actual
experience with tn" antitrust n" eXtend-
dc.s not and cannot 10y any possibility
le made 10 do what the extreme antago-
nis-s Of corporations desire or assert that
they desire
antitrust law accomplshes certain
amount 81 good. and IL has been good
thing 70 obtain the decision that has been
btsinod against the STANDARD Oil COM
psnv Bur a. a means of enectuaily
Graphing on behalf Of the whole people
with the problem created by what arc com
monty called trUsts-that IS or enormous
combinations Of corporate capital engaged
IL Interstate bIsness-the antitrust Law rs
radically and vitallv defective, ana any
effort 10 strengthen IL would hs worse man
futile. and would result only IN prolonelng
the time during which the corporations VIII
escape control ~ the kind demanded In the
interests of the people.
The antitrust law was framed on me
theory thai II vas possible 10 turn ba'K
tho wheels nf progress I'm industriaism
and In IN age Of combination to put a
stop TO the combinations under Which Dust
ness was carried on. While, as nave
said. the antitrust law AS no" 'oilN'l"',
does accomplish a certain amount OF good'
i, was out II the question that framed as
il vas in such a spirit and with such
purpose Il could achieve in any but the
smallest degree what its trainers hoped'
and any effort TO achieve this purpose SIM.
lily by making the law more stringent VIII
result either In nothing or in changing the
situation for tho worse.
What is urgently needed is the enact
ment # drastic and tarreachlng leelsla-
ton which shall nut the great Interstate
business corporations If the type OF the
Standard OF Company. The sugar trust
the steel Trust and tho like at least as
connletolv under the control and regulation
OF the government I'm each and every re-
spect as the interstate railways are now
put -,
To break no the Standard OIL Company
as the recent decision has broken u Wy
docs a certain amount of good. hut u does
not do anything like tho amount or soon
that would be achieved from the standpoint
of the public II the proper governmental
bndv were given the same supervision ana
control over n az the Interstate Commerce
Commission mas esta blished over certain
~ the railways Of the country
n may we'll ne that in tho end govern
mont control Of these great interstate cor
nora lions nav have TO 20 much further
than ia indicated by the present govern
mont control over tho railways, but in any
event. the only possible satisfactory method
81 dealing with these great corporations OF
a ronopolistic trend which arc not ran
WAYS is 10 follow the lines along which
the nation has gone I'm dealing with those
Of them which are railways. altering ana
developing the policy as conditions ana
events shall justify -
Our prime object must be 10 nave me
regulation accomplished by continuous al
ministrativa action and not by necessarily
Intermittent lawsuits