Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-06-12

PRESIDENT WILL ASK NEW LEG
ISLATiON TO STRENGTHEN
SHERMAN LAW
MREYN0LDS WILL GET BUSY
Department of Justice Has Investiga-
tors at Work Securing Evidence TO
Be Used in Many Cases-To Force
Competitive Conditions.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

pIalnIy apparent tnat PRESIDENT w II
son and the Democratic leaders n
Congress think that if this country s
manufacturers and producers would
change their methods of work they
would have no reason TO fear ap-
preaching tariff changes. The Presi-
dent has expressed himself as believ-
ing that because high protection has
afforded such good shelter for Ameri-
can concerns they have neglected
opportunities to conduct their bust
ness in way which would make high
protection unnecessary and which
would enable them to sell things at
a lower price and to earn as much
This is the expressed Democratic
I~vi-w
1t was in connection with his words
on pernicious lobbying that the Pres
ident allowed his views on business
methods to become known. He thinks
apparently that this country can COM
pete with the world and with itself,
continue to pay high wages and con-
tinue to make money even if certain
and sundry articles are put upon the
free list.
For New Trust Legislation.
When tie tariff bill is passed and
L signed, taking fer granted that the
law will read nearly as the bill reads
at present, American competition will
have an opportunity to show what it
can do when brought into the contest
against products which are manufac-
tured or grown in other countries.
Attorney General McReynolds, who
| under Theodore Roosevelt and Will
lam H. Taft had considerable expert
| ence as a government investigating
and prosecuting officer, is still on the
trusts trail, and when overtaken each
trust is to be led to court, in which
a good many of them already have
had experience. When the Sherman
law is amended in accordance with
Mr.. Wilson's view of what proper
changes should be, the Attorney Gen
eral probably will have to go into
court or send others into court for
him, to present cases under new con
! ditiOns. Mr. Wilson's thought, as he
l-c40 GA lJ1 CoSSo II S-N SI dl LLDIG0s 10 IICtL
every combination which is found to
be in restraint of trade can be dis
solved into integral parts and each
part forced to compete with every
other part for business, and that each
part can do it without bringing hard
! ships to holders of stock or to the
interests Of the business community
generally.
Want Actual Dissolution.
It is the intention Of the Democ-
racy, so the party men say, to make
| the dissolution of all combinations in
restraint of trade actual instead Of
merely apparent There are Demo
cratic leaders willing to say that the
great corporations which seemingly
| have been split up can be actually
split up, and that they can be made
to compete, to sell their goods at a
lower price and yet continue to make
| money and pay good dividends. To
accomplish these things is the Job
which the Democratic party in Con
gress and in the White House has
ahead of it after the tariff and cur
rency are out of the way.
AS things are now, the Attorney
General is busy. He has investigators
at work in the New England railroad
field to get all the facts not yet
| brought to light concerning the trans
portation monopoly there said to
exist. In Oregon and Washington
representatives of the Attorney Gen
| erals department are looking into
| telephone matters with a view to de-
termining if trust contrary to law
is there exploiting itself
Policy of Old Line Republicans.
Washington politicians of all parties
still continue to be actively interested
in the outcome of the meeting of the
Republican national committee which
will be called by Chairman Hilles at
any time that he chooses within sixty
days after the adjournment of con
gress, whenever that may be-
Republicans of the progressive and
conservative factions are still talking
about what was done when the exec
utive committee of the national com
mittee of the party met here and what
/ is to be done in the future, but it is
/ plainly evident from what they say
that the strongest belief of all of them
is that the regeneration of the Repub-
lican party will not come from a con-
vention, but from disaster which the
Republicans think and say is to be
| brought about by a Democratic tariff
and a Democratic currency system.
1t is the old line Republicans who
| are the more insistent that the party,
instead of holding a convention with
| the hope of getting the two factions
| together should wait on the other
! partys follies for the chance Of restor-
/ alton to power" The Republicans
/ known as standpatters apparently do
not want the national committee to
| call a convention. They seem to be
/ convinced that only few reforms in
/ party methods are necessary and that
! there is no need of giving heed TO
/ ogressive-Repubican demands for
| changes looking to the initiative and
/ referendum, suffrage. presidential pri-
! maries or any of the other things
/ which progressivism has demanded
| :or years and on tie denial of which