The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-09-18

of being at variance. it is in exact
accord with those decisions.
| Again, from those who have given
up free competition as an economic
force that ought to be encouraged or
enforced, and who are utterly opposed
to the spirit of the antitrust law, we
| have freqently heard the question,
We'll, suppose you convict those large
combinations under the statute, what
are you going to do about it? You can.
perhaps send some men to the peniten-
tiary for creating these combinations
which have cheapened the cost of pro-
ductiOn and given you most of your for
e1gn trade and much of your prosperity,
but what are you going to do with the
capital invested. the plant, and the or
ganization? You can cOnfiscate it and
ruin your country by panic, but you
can't divide such combinations into
their component parts again, for the
lines of division have disappeared into
a common ownership"
Court Met This Issue.
The court has met the issue and the
queries presented by the doubters and
the ScOffers. It has indicated the ma
jesty of the law has illustrated the
wonderful elasticity and adaptability of
remedy by INDUCTION in equity, and has
at the same time manifested due re-
gard for the welfare of the innocent
business men and the community at
large, who in a cataclySm caused by
the confiscation of such enormous CAPT
tai as are involved in these combina-
lions and a suspension of the legiti-
mate part of their business, would be
buried with them in a common ruin
The court has exhibited a courage in
facing the necessary results in en-
forcing the statute that, instead OF
prompting an attack on it, ought to
make every American proud that we
have such a tribunal. 1t is now en-
forcing its decree against the Standard
Oil co. and against the Tobacco Co,
and it is making those great combina-
tionS divide themselves into actually
competing parts under such provisions
in the decree that an injunction shall
be constantly operative to prevent by
contempt proceedings any assumption
of the old relations of monopoly
This was an easier matter in refer
ence to the standard Oil Co. because
it was easy to divide up the various
companies that were united by the
ownership of stock of all the COM
panies in a single holding company In
the Tobacco Co. the decree could not
be worked out so easily, and it will be
necessary to separate the properties
owned by single com panies and to dis
tribute these plants into different and
differing ownerships in order to Gre
ate competition between them and
maintain that competition by the
mower of continuing injunction
against any future union, or any agree
ment to avoid future competition It
needed these TWO great ueciSioAS u
teach the business public that at least
not in the supreme tribunal of this
country would the claim be listened to. |
that in this day and generation we
have passed beyond the possibility Of
free competition as consistent with |
Droper business growth, or that we
have reached a time when only regu-
lated monopoly and the fixing of |
prices by governmental authority are
consistent with future progress we
did get along with competitions: we
can get along with it. We did get |
along without monopoly; we can get I
along without it; and the business men /
of this country must square themselves
to that necessity Either that. or we /
must proceed to state socialism and I
vest the government with power to |
run every business. The decision OF
the supreme court is in the highest /
of the public. and I am glad /
to think that business men who have
been violating the trust law are now