Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-01-04

| eStlnS question at tQlS time is Wueluei
or not the majority of the people want
him to look after their interests OF
do they want to be humbugged by fic
| ttious promises, clothed in beautiful
metaphor, hidden in smile and
tropne, and uttered by false prophets
FEDERAL CONTROL IMPERATIVE
Federal control of the trusts is
urged by Secretary Nagel in his an
nual report of the department OF
commerce and labor. There is in
finite wisdom in his suggestion. which
by the way, has long been urged
by economists and students of indus
trial conditions as they exist in the
United States.
Americans face problem peculiarly
their own in handling the trust ques-
ton: The operation of the tariff elm.
mated foreign competition, and with
this out of the way it was an easy
matter for the larger concerns to
gobble up their smaller competitors
and put them out Of business. Now
that great industrial combinations
control the business of the country,
persons are wondering how to proceed
to change these conditions without
upestting the national welfare and
creating panic.
The Sherman antitrust law has
resulted in the breaking up of some
of these mammoth combinations. The
Standard Oil company was obliged
to resolve itself into it's integral
parts. If person owned a certain
per cent of the common stock in the
corporation, under the reorganization
plan, he was given a similar percent
age of the stock in each individual
company after the trusts dissolu.
ton. However. there Is no one. who
owns stock in thirty or more compa.
MES all engaged in the same line of
business, who would use his influ-
ence to compel them to compete
against one another. Hence, bust.
ness conditions are practically the
same as ever. What is the step
which the government must take to
assure reorganization plans which
which will better existing affairs,
and assure lower prices of commodi.
ties for the consumer?
A federal commission created for
the purpose of supervising the trusts
or rather, the separate companies
after the industrial combine has been
broken up, would do much gool. Let
it employ publicity as a weapon
against those companies which would
still cast envious eyes at the whole
loaf. Such a commission would do
we'll to study the methods employed
in other lands. and adapt them to
use in the United States
For instance in Canada any six re.
sponsible men who are convinced
that any corporation is acting in un-
due restraint of trade may appear
before an officer, who corresponds to
a United States district judge in this
nation, and set forth their reasons
for believing so. If their proof war
rants it, this officer orders an inves-
tigation. Three competent men are
chosen to investigate the complaint.
One Is selected by the six complain
ants. the second is named by the
corporation being probed. and these
two appointees decide upon their
own confrere.
These three men pursue their in.
vestigations and report thereon. III
they find that the corporation is act
ing unreasonably, or that prices are
higher than the cost of production
warrants, the government puts a sud-
den stop to such procedure. If the
corporation is carrying on its bust
ness in a reasonable manner, it is
fully protected by the government.
A federal corporation commission
which would study plans such as
tbs, and devise such other means as
would be necessary for regulating
the business of the nations great in
dustries would certainly be worth
while. The need of some such body
is imperative.
The Sherman law is perfect so far
4 r.. E. xfaA