The Washington herald., 1912-04-26
SHERMAN LAW IS
As VITAL AS EVER
-WICKERSHAM.
Attorney General Makes a
Vigorous Defense Of Rec
ord in New York.
REVIEWS TRUST SUITS

New York April ga vigorous ad.
dress was delivered by Attorney Cen
eral wickersham before the Staten Is
land Club tonight IN which he de-
Tended the attitude Of the Department
Of Justice In the American Tobacco
Company and the Standard OIL cases.
The claim that the Tobacco Corpora
tion has not been dissolved since the
Supreme Court decision was met by the
Attorney General and fully answered
Speaking Of the Sherman law, Attor-
ney General wickersham said that the
recognition Of the vital possibilities Of
the law really dates from the decision
OF the Northern Securities case. and he
detailed at length the whole history Of
that case.
No Injury TO Property.
In connection with the American To-
baeco Company case and Of the disso-
luton ordered by the Supreme Court and
carried out by the Circuit Court. Attor-
ney General wickersham said, in part:
The court laid emphasis upon the ne
cessity, while giving complete and EN-
cacious effect to the prohibition Of the
statute, Of accomplishing this result with
as little injury as possible to the inter-
est Of the general public. and with a
proper regard for the vast interests of
private property which might have be-
come vested In many parsons as a result
Of the acquisition, either by way OF
stock ownership or otherwise Of interest
in the combination without any guilty
knowledge or intent in any way to be
dumb participants in the wrongs found
TO have existed In bringing about the
result condemned"
This" said Attorney General Wick
ersham. was indeed q novel burden
laid upon a circuit court Of the United
States, and one which called for the
exercise by It Of great responsibility"
Mr. Wickersham also said in this con-
nection that the criticism of the Sher-
man act, whether friendly or hostile,
ignores the fact that the disintegration
OF every one of the great combinations
presents a different problem"
In conclusion, Attorney General Wick
efsham made a statement which was
broadly construed as indicating the ac-
ton he would take on the senate reso-
luton directing an appeal from the de-
clsion of the Circuit Court in the Tobse-
CO Company case.
New Legal Problems.
He said:
law OllGGTE OL lnC
government will continue to work out
these problems as best they may in the
absence Of more direct constructive leg
islation. and IT Is to be hoped that any
legislation which is enacted may be intel
ngentiy conceived with a view TO facili-
tatinE the termination of evils which
have been allowed TO grow up, without
injury to the legitimate concerns Of the
business world. without destruction TO the
vast property rights >inolved; and that
such legislation shall not be merely
nodded by partisan resentment at the
administrative branch Of the government,
which, with the aid OF the courts, has
successfully solved, in the difficult IN
stances which have thus far arisen,
problems which the legislative branch
has not even attempted to solve, and
with respect to which II has not yet pro-
vided any assistance or furnished any
guide
1T is comparatively easy to determine
when a combination has grown up to
monopolistic proportions in violation of
law; II is much more difficult to deter
mine TO what extent and in what manner
II shall be separated to harmonize with
law, and what measures shall be taken
to prevent a repetition Of the same H.
legsl efforts.''