The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-02-20

pledged himself to the enforcement of
that law.
Discussing the questions involved
in the civil and criminal suits begun
under President Taft, Mr. Wicker
sham declared that "they all involve
some variety of the same offence,
namely the efforts to secure and re-
tain control over business by methods
which are always unfair-sometimes
unfair to each other, always unfair to
outsiders and always unfair to the
public in general. One and all of them
involve the effort, more or less sub
tie, more or less brutal, on the part
of limited number of men to con-
troll as nearly as may be an entire
industry or the entire business in
particular part of the country for their
own benefit, and to destroy that
equality of opportunity in others
which is the birthright Of every Amer
lean. These were the evils to meet
which the Sherman law was enacted,
and the enforcement of that law by
the present administration has been
directed particularly against that sort
of unfair dealing which, when known
and understood, is condemned by all
right minded men, but which, working
in darkness, cloaked under forms of
law and surrounded with the mantle
of responsibility, is not so readily un-
derstood.'
The Attorney General made an ar
gument for a restoration Of the Amer
lean merchant marine in his reference
to the antitrust suit which has been
brought against the Hamburg-Ameri-
can steamship company and others in
New York, involving the question
whether the United States is power
less in the face of combination of
virtually all the transatlantic steam
ship lines authorized by the law of the
European countries where most OF
them are domiciled."
He said: perhaps no more useful
office could be performed by the De-
partment of Justice than to focus the
attention of the people upon the la
mentable absence of an American
merchant marine, through the enforce
ment of a decree in this case.
IF foreign steamship lines using
our ports can defy the laws we have
made to protect our people against
unfair restraints of trade because we
must use their ships or cease export
ing our products, it is high time our
Congress set about the enactment OF
Legislation to make possible the re
establishment of our own merchant ma
rine, and that American shipping once
more take its place in the front rank
of the worlds commerce"
The representatives Of some of the
foreign lines, Mr.. Wickersham de
clared, "have somewhat cynically ex
pressed their belief that our govern
ment is powerless in the face Of thi'
combination. One of the most valua
BILE contributions by the Supreme
court to the enforcement of this Law
was the adjudication in the tobacco
case that, II necessary, unusual RENE
dies would be invoked to carry out its
provisions; and l have no doubt thai
If the government shall establish on
the trial of this case on its merits the
facts averred In the petition, some
way will be found to enforce respect
of the laws of this country even by the
owners of foreign steamship compa
MES who use its ports"
Discussing the application of the
Sherman statute, the Attorney Genera
pointed out that four civil suits and
three criminal prosecutions had beer
brought during the three years re
naming of President Harrison's ad
ministration after the passage Of the
act; five civil suits and two criminal
prosecutions were brought during
Clevelands administrations; eighteen
civil suits, twenty-five criminal indict
ments and one proceeding by seizure
of property were brought under Roose
welt; and twenty three civil suits and
thirty seven indictments under Taft