Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-03-30

President Taft's administration has
broken all records for prosecutions
brought and won under the Sherman
antitrust law. Without fear or favor
1t has brought to the bar of justice cor
porations and persons engaging in lille
gal combinations in restraint of trade
the ultimate purpose of each combina
tion being 10 create a monopoly and t.
raise the prices on its products. In
two years and eleven months of his
administration President Taft has
caused to be brought four more civil
suits and fifteen more criminal prose
cutions than Mr.. Roosevelt brought il
the seven and one-half years of his ad
ministration
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 th'
American people to uphold and main
tain the policies of his predecessors IN
furnishing the criminals and undesira
BILE element in the big business Of the
country.
In the Republican national platform
of 1908 reference was made to the
prosecution of evil trusts and monopo
lies as one of the great accomplish
ments of the Roosevelt administration
and the platform declared that the
Sherman antitrust law had been q
wholesome instrument for good in the
hands of a wise and fearless executive
In his speech of acceptance Mr.. Taft
pledged himself to the enforcement OF
this law and has kept his promise,
Problems Confronting Taft.
Stripped of controversy as to the
exact meaning of certain language Of
the Sherman antitrust act, the ques
tons that had to be determined by
those In administrative authority and
those who %judicially determine their
acts We're. first, how effective the law
was to reach the great ag~gregations
Of formerly competitive producers aud
dealers, individual and corporate. who,
through in~tercorporate STOCKHOLDERS
mergers. consultations and otherwise.
had acquired so great a control over
a particular line of industry as to en-
able them to dominate Il and to ey
clude or admit competition as they
might choose upon their own terms.
Secondly, to determine whether that
construction Of the law was correct
which had been given to it by some os
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 iQ
any respect operated to restrain to any
degree "A pTe-existing competition in
Interstate commerce was necessaril,
condemned by law.
In the three years Of the Taft nd
ministration all Of the sixteen cases
left pending by the previous admins
tration have been disposed of exccp'
two, which have been argued and sub
mltted to the supreme court OF the
United States and are now awaitiug
decision. or the remaining cases the
Standard Oil case was argued EARL
during the present administration and.
after an appeal, decided entirely IN
favor Of the government. The same
was also true Of the tobacco eases.
with the ultimate result Of the dlsia
tegration of that big trust into four
teen separate and distinct corpora
tions. This, 1t is believed. will efsco
lively prevent a continuance Of The
m~OnOnOlfStic conditions pomploinad 9f
Taft Antitrust Record.
During the Taft administration up Il.
February, 1912, twenty-five civil suits
have been brought and forty crimin0
indictments found under the Sherman
law, making in all sixty-two proceed
ings. AS a result there were hfteau
indictments, and eleven Of these in