Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-02-14
TERMS 7 SISTERS
DANGEROUS BILLS
Small Dealers" Lawyer Says
Danger Lies in
Passage.
DECLARES CHAOS WILL
REIGN THROUGH STATE
Attorney j. 3. r. Smith Asserts
Trust" VIII Be
Benefited.


Asserting that the enforcement of
the Seven Sisters'' would cause bust
ness chaos in New Jersey, ]. B. r.
Smith. of this city. an expert in cor
poration law, today addressed an
open letter of protest to the people of
the State
He claims that Governor Wilson's
antitrust bills, ostensibly in the
peoples interest. would outlaw labor
unions, farmers exchanges and CO.
operative stores.
In his arraignment of the proposed
measures he says:
It will be unlawful for any two or
more merchants to have any agree
ment. either expressed or implied, by
which the price of any commodity
may be affected
mo farmer, merchant, iaborer,
newspaperman or other producer or
tradesman could legally sell his COM
modify at a lower rate to sbne person
than another" q
His letter follows in. full9
Revolutionize Business.
ITO the People of New Jersey:
Il am addressing this letter to you
because I believe you do not UNDER
stand the scope or effect of certain
measures. ostensihly in your interest,
now pending In the Legislature. These
bills are popularity known as the
Seven Sisters and have for their
object the prevention of restraint in
trade. If they become laws they will
undoubtedly completely revolutionize
business methods, but by many, at
least, 1t is thought probable that they
viii increase. rather than reduce. both
trade restraints and monopoIles.
The bills not only affect all cor
porations, including insurance and
| trust companies, and corporations not
for pecuniary profit, including
churches, but every man, woman and
child in the State engaged in trade or
production of any kind. If passed, 1t
will no longer be lawful for two or
more persons engaged in competing
lines of business or OF production to
make any agreement whatsoever,
either express or implied. the effect
of which will be in any degree to
limit that production or affect the
price of any commodity.
Two or more farmers will no
longer be able to agree among them
selves what the price of their eggs,
their milk, their butter, their wheat,
their potatoes, their peaches, or any
other commodity of theirs shall be;
nor will they be able in any wise to
limit their production. 1t will be I'M
lawful for them to agree. for instance,
that inasmuch as the cost Of labor is
increasing, and the price of products
decreasing, they will no longer farm
on more extensive scale than can be
done through their own personal eff
| forts. Farmers exchanges, coopera-
| tive or grange stores, VIII, by these
acts, be outlawed. 1t will be unlawful
| for any two or more merchants, either
in the village or the city, to have any
agreement, either express or implied,
| by which the price of any commodity
may be affected. A tradesman, find
| ing the supply of a given commodity
| affecting its sale, cannot agree with
his neighbor to change its price. In
all trade associations and protective
societies existing among merchants
where the members thereof, either by
express or implied agreement, under
take to fix the price of any commod-
ity, such members will subject them
selves to indictment. All persons who
combine together for the purpose OF
| establishing a fixed scale of wages
| will likewise be subject to imprison-
| ment.
Labor Unions outiawed
Labor unions will be completely out
lawed. Two farmers will be liable to
go to Jail if they agree among them
selves to do a bit of work for third