The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-02
We are not ourselves, when NATURE DC
Ing oppressed,
Commands the mind to suffer with the
bodx. king Lear.
Dismiss the Suit

DlSutlSo titC Ouis
The United States Steel corpora
zion has from the beginning of its
organization pursued a policy of pub
licity. It is great corporation. Off
cials of some of the independent iron
and steel companies have called 1t
trust, but the Steel corporation al
ways protested that it was no trust.
Passing over technicalities, however,
the Steel corporation has, through its
officers and directors, made it plain
that it not only courted publicity but
that it would welcome government
regulation.
The trust probe in Conggess had its
inception in politics pure and simple.
During the Wall street panic of 1907
the corporation acquired control of
the Tennessee company. Its reason for
buying this property seemed good and
SulllCltuI dt tiic eiiiiC. icoioSho
Roosevelt was consulted and he told
the men who controlled the Steel cor
poration that they would commit no
wrong in taking over the Tennessee
company; would not violate. the Sher-
man antitrust law. And President
Roosevelt was right,
The Tennessee company has been
the crux, perhaps, of the political end
of the congressional investigation and
of the government suit for dissolution
now pending. Hearings in the suit
have been under way for nearly two
years. The testimony for the defense
has been strong and convincing-con-
vincing to the public that the Steel
corporation was not a trust in the
ordinary acceptance of that term.
Recently bill was introduced in the
House of Representatives instructing
the department of justice to withdraw
its suit to dissolve the United States
Steel corporation. The First National
bank of Birmingham in it's monthly
review, which appeared in yesterdays
Age Herald, after giving an analysis
of the situation and suggesting that
the suit was brought by the Taft ad-
ministration as a political expedient
to offset the prestige gained for the
democratic party by the Stanley in
vestigating committee, said:
"The effect of this dissolution suit
upon the Birmingham district, involv-
ing the status of our largest indus
I. trial corporation, has been depressing
If not disastrous, as proved by COM
pairing the activities of the Steel cor
poration in this district in 1908, 1909,
1910 and the first quarter of 1911.
with the moderate expenditures of the
past two years and by contrasting the
appropriations granted to its local
subsidiary in 1911, 1912 and 1913 with
those made to other subsidiaries in the
lake districts and in Canada.
LET those among US who approve
the dissolution Of large corporations
point out what advantage consumers
have gained from the government VIC
tories in the Standard Oil and Ameri-
can Tobacco cases; let them compare
living conditions of the industrial
workers in this district today with
what they were eight years ago; let
them explain the stationary payrolls
since 1911 as compared with the
steady Increase before that time, and
let them reflect upon the years that
must elapse before a final adiudica-
tion can be had; think of the re-
stricted expenditures required by or
dinary prudence in the meanwhile;
consider the possible consequences of
the segregation of our greatest local
industry from it's present owner and
ask themselves what good can come to
Birmingham or to Alabama from a
continuance Of this i'll starred litiga-
tion. We preach the need of capital
for the development of our resources,
and why should we advocate a policy
of repression? The activities of the
last administration against large cor
porations did not save it at the polls
last November, then why should a
false sentiment prevent the immediate
correction of an unfortunate mistake
Of that administration mistake that
retards our development and menaces
our present industrial position?"
The people of Alabama could well
afford to join in concerted move
ment for the dismissal of the suit. The
fact is that the whole country would
be benefited by the dismissal. If the
government were to drop the suit the
effect on the business world would be
immediate and wholesome. 1t would