The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1912-04-13

President Iatt'S administration has
brohen all records for prosecutions
brought and won under he sherman
antitrust law Without fear or favor
it has brought to the bar of Justice cor
pofatlonS and persons engaging IN lille
gal combinations in restraint Of trade
The ultimate purpose of each cumhinu
ton being to create monopoly and TO
rdISe the prices on its products In
two years and eleven months of his
caused 10 be brought four more civil
suits and fifteen more criminal prose
eutlop~ than Mr. Roosevelt brought in
the seven and one half years of his nd
miHiStration
Until Nj Taft became the president
the administration of Mr. Roosevelt
held the record in both particulars
Thus has President Taft. who WAS Mr.
Roa>eyelt's right arm during his Hast
administration, Kept his pledge to the
American people to uphold and main
tain the policies of his predecessor in
publishing the criminals and uudrSiru
bic element in the bic business Of the
country
In the Republican national pla form
Of zoos reference was made to the
prosecution of evil trusts and monopo
lies rs one of the great accomplish
mcntS Of the Roosevelt administration
and the platform declared that the
Sherman anti trust law had been n
Wholesome Instrument for good IN the
hands of Il 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 tie
exact meaning of certain language OF
the Sherman antitrust act. the ques
tious that had to be determined 10y
those in administrative authority and
those who judicia!lN determine their
acts were. Grst. how effective the law
was to reach the great aggregations
of formerly competitive producers and
dealers, individual and corporate. who
through intercorporate stockholdine
mergers. consultations and otherwise
had acquired so great a control over
a particular line Of Industry as to Ell
able them to dominate it and TO eX
elude 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 OF
| the Judges of the circuit court in New
| Yort; IN the tobacco case and in the
| opinions of some of the justices of the
supreme court in other eases to the
| effect that any combination which In
| degree a preeXiSting competition in
| interstate commerce was necessarily
| condemned by law
| In the three years of the Taft al
| mtniStratiop 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 disin
tegration of that big trust into four
teen separate and distinct corpora
tious This. It is believed. will effec
lively prevent a continuance of the
monopoliStic conditions complained of
Taft Antitrust Record.
During the Taft administration up tc
February. 1912. twenty-five civil suits
have been brought and forty crimina
indictments found under the Shermar
law. making in all sixty two proceed
fngs. As a result there were ifteer
indictments, and eleven of these In