The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-04
DR.. Seth Low Will Present
I Results of His Study
On Subject
MEETING WILL BE
HELD IN NEW YORK
Organization Is Non-Partisan and Is
Trying to Work Out System
Just and Fair
to All
by HOLLAND

by HOLLAND
New York, December 3.-(Special)
On December Il, the day of the annual
meeting of the Railway association, an
other organization to which the coun-
try is undoubtedly indebted In a great
measure for the federal law which made
possible peaceful and fairly satisfac-
tory arbitration of the issue between
railroad companies and their employees
will hold Its annual meeting in this
city. This organization is the National
Civic federation. 1t is now recognized
as an admirably directed organization
No accusation that 1t has attempted in
any way to influence partisan political
opinion has ever been made IL 1t
were made 1t would pass unheeded for
all intelligent persons know how skill
fully the federation has avoided even
the appearance of interest in partisan
politics The organization has sought
to accomplish its purposes by moral in
huences and by reasonable argument.
: 1T numbers in its membership men
who as partisans represent the chief
political parties and many of the pro-
fessional activities of the time educa-
tional, legal, scientific There are in
its membership men who have labored
with their hands and who have gained
nigh reputation for intelligence and
sincerity and particularly for their 10y
atty to American institutions The
chairman of the executive council of
the federation, Ralph NJ Easley. is now
an authority, recognized in this country
and in Europe, upon many economic
questions and particularly upon the re-
lation of economics to the public.
DIR. Low Studies Question
Since DR.. Seth Low retired from serv-
ice as mayor of New York city he has
been, for the most part, occupied with
the study of the regulation of Industrial
corporations.
Dr. Low. it is understood, will report
at the annual meeting of the federation
In this city on December IL, the re-
SUIT or some of his Investigations and
viii make certain recommendations
which. if they be accepted by the fed
Grafton, will be submitted to Congress
when that body has President Wilson's S
trust regulation measures under consid-
Grafton.
Anyone who discusses the sherman
law with business men and with men
| OF finance, the status of big business
under that law and the effect of a
lrigid enforcement of it will not fail to
discover that no two men think alike,
| or at least precisely alike, about it,
The other day one of the ablest of
the railway managers of the United
states, man of very high reputation
and of acknowledged integrity and sin
cerity. said: Il cannot understand why
so many insist that the combinations
OF capital which have brought about so
many conditions that are of beneficial
consequence to the American people
should now be torn to pieces and in
place of them there be established thou
sands of individual units"
Another man of big authority said
he was afraid that legislation would
be adopted in the near future which
would destroy the Interpretation of the
supreme court of the Sherman anti
trust law-namely, that the law was
intended to forbid and penalize unrea-
sonable organization of capital.
A Good Understanding Hoped For
All of the leading members of the Civic
federation, many of them men identified
in one way or another with very impor-
tant American business and financial ac-
tivities, are convinced that the time has
come when there should be good public
understanding of the issues involved in
one or the other of the interpretations of
the Sherman antitrust law-one interpre-
tation, which is that of the supreme court,
being that the law is not violated unless
there be reasonable combination in .'re-
straint of trade,' the other interpreta-
tion being that the Sherman law does
not admit OF any distinction such as is
implied by the words reasonable. and
unreasonable"
Fer instance, there seems to have been
IA test of public opinion upon the ques-
tion, Shall the size of industrial corpo-
rations be limited?' Nor has there ever
been any test OF public opinion respect
ing the limit of public opinion is in favor
of limitation. 1t is true that some of
those who have been prominent in public
life have fixed an arbitrary limit by des-
snating the percentage of the product
Of a corporation beyond which its mapn-
facturc' of commodities should be prohib-
tied by law. But there has never been
any public test of this question. 1t is
the understanding here that DIR. Low will
present to the Civic federation the re-
suit of his study of this particular ques-
ton. If he does. his report and his recon-
mendations will serve to enlighten the
general public.
Use of Word Restraint
Another question has often been asked,
but there has as vet been no command
ing expression of public opinion of a kind
which would show what the public an
sweri to the question might be. That
question is this: rs there any difference
between restraint of competition and re-
AMERICAN PLAN
In New York there are rrac.