The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-04-04

President Taft's administration has
broken all records for prosecutions
brought and won under the Sherman
antitrust law. Without fear or favor
it has brought to the bar of justice
corporations and persons engaging In
illegal combinations in restraint of
trade, the ultimate purpose OF each
combination being to create monop-
oily and to raise the prices on its
products. In two years and eleven
months of his administration Presi-
dent Taft has caused to be brought
four more civil suits and fifteen more
criminal prosecutions than Mr.. Roose-
velt brought in the seven and one,
half years of his administration.
Until Mr.. Taft became the president
the administration Of Mr.. Roosevelt
held the record in both particulars.
Thus has President Taft, who was
Mr.. Roosevelt's right arm during his
last administration, kept his pledge to
the American people to uphold and
mairtain the policies Of his predeces,
sor in Furnishing the criminals and
undesirable element in the big bust
ness Of the country.
In the Republican national platform
Of 1908 reference was made to the
prosecution of evil trusts and monop.
olies as one Of the great accomplish
ments of the Roosevelt administra'
ton, and the platform declared that
the Sherman antitrust law had been
a wholesome instrument for good in
the hands Of wise and fearless
executive. In his speech of accept
ance Mr.. Taft pledged himself to the
enforcement of this law. How faith.
fully he has kept this promise the rec
ord of his administration shows.
Problems Confronting Taft.
Stripped of controversy as to the
exact meaning Of certain language Of
the Sherman antitrust act, the ques.
tions that had to be determined by
those in administrative authority and
those who judicially determine their
acts, were, first, how effective the law
was to reach the great aggregations OF
formerly competitive producers and
dealers, individual and corporate,
who, through inter-corporate stock
holding mergers, consultations and
otherwise, had acquired so great a
control over a particular line Of indus
try as to enable them to innate 1t,
and to exclude or admit competition
as they might choose upon their own
terms.
Secondly, to determine whether
that construction of the law was cor.
rect which had been given to 1t by
some of the judges Of the circuit
court in New York in the tobacco
case, and in the opinions Of some of
the Justices of the Supreme Court in
other cases to the effect that any
combination, which in any respect
operates to restrain to any degree a
pre-existing competition in interstate
commerce, was necessarily condemned
by law.
In the three years Of the Taft ad.
ministration all of the sixteen cases
left pending by the previous admins,
tration have been disposed Of except
two which have been argued and sub
mitted to the Supreme Court Of the
United States and are now awaiting
decision. OF the remaining cases, the
Standard OIL case was argued early
during the present administration
and, after an appeal, decided entirely
In favor Of the government. The same
was also true of the tobacco cases
with the ultimate result Of the disinte.
grafton Of that big trust into fourteen
separate and distinct corporations
This, It is believed. will effectively
prevent . continuance Of the monopo'
listic conditions complained Of.