Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1911-12-06

D., Associated Press
WASHINGTON, d. C.. Dec. &c. The
following message of the President
on the Antitrust Statute" was sub
mitted to the two houses of CONGRESS
today
70 the senate and House o. Repre-
seutatiycs:
This message b. the first o, seN-
vral which | send &c Congress during
the interval between the opening oi
It's regular session and its ADJOURN
ment for the Christmas holidays. The
amount of information to be cont
inundated as to the operations OF
the Government, the Number OF i'm
uortant subjects calling for comment
hy the Executive and the transmits
sion To Congress OF eNhaustiv, re
ports of special commissions. make
70 impossible to include in one mes
eage OF reasonable length n Discus
Son OF The topics that ought to be
brought tC the attention OF the Ma
tinnai LEGISLATURE at ity first REGULAR
session
The Nn,i-Tiust Iaw-Thc Supreme
Court Decisions.
N MAY last the Supreme Court
landed down decisions in the suits
q equity brought by the t.nited
States 10 cnjoin the further uaintc-
nance of the Standard oil Trust and
~ the American Tobacco Trust. and
10 secure their dissolution. The de-
cisions are cpoch-making and serve
to advise. the business world authori-
tatlvely Of the scope and operation
of the antitrust act Of 1890. The
decisions do net depart In any sub
stantial way from the previous de-
cisions If the court In constituting and
applying this important statute, but
hey clarity those decisions by fur
Their defining the already admitted
exceptions 10 the literal construction
" the act. by the d"cree0 they
furnish a useful precedent as 10 the
proper method Of dealing with the
capital and property Of Illegal trusts.
These decisions suggest the need and
wisdom of additional or supplemental
legislation 70 make Il easier for the
entire business community To square
With the rule OF action and legality
thus finally established and to pre-
serve the benefit, freedom and spur
Reasonable competition without
loss OF real efficiency or progress
Va Change In the Rule of nrcision-
Merely In it, Form of oppression.
Tho statute in It's first section de-
Flares 10 be illegal every contract.
combination In the form OF trust or
otherwise, or conspiracy. in restraint
" trade or commerce among the
several States or with foreign ma.
tons" and In the second. declares
guilty Of misdemcanor every per-
son who shall monopolize or attempt
20 mcnopolze or combine or con
spirc with any other person Ia mon
onollze any part Of the trade or COM
mercc Of the several States or with
foreign nations"
In two early eases. where the sta
tlte was invoked 20 enioin a trans
portation rate agreement between in
terstatc railroad companies, II was
held that n was no defense 10 show
that the agreement as To rates con-
nlaincd 81 was reasonable 81 com
mon law because II was said that the
statute was directed against all con-
tracts and combinations in restrain
" trade whether reasonable M COM
non law or not Il was plain from
the record. however that the con
tracts compained oi In those eases
would not have been deemed reason
able NJ common law. In suhseQuen.
cases the court sniG that the sta
tate should he given n reasonable
construction and refused 10 includ.
within It's inhibition certain contrac-
"ual restraints CT trade which Il de-
nominated as Incidental or as Indirect;
These eases NJ restraint Of trade