The Washington herald., 1913-11-03
THE CONGRESSIONAL Cloud
by GRIDLEY BEDE.

Methods OF cooking an auriferous goose
without injuring its oviduet are staged
for performances In Washington this win
ter.
Looming on the December horizon is a
Congress eager 70 attempt all sorts OF
experiments on corporations and on rich
individuals.
The revision OF the Sherman antitrust
law Is In the Congressional mind. More
than half hundred outgrowths of this
mind are already expressed in bills, and
now lie in committees. Out Of them must
come something.
These bills are chiefly aimed at cor
porations. The stock capitalization of
these corporations Is over $4,000 900, 900;
the bonds OF these corporations amount
to more than $4,000, ,0O0.0O These vast
figures represent investments. small and
large. In the hands Of many scattered
tens OF thousands. Manufacturing activ-
ity enriches the United States by about
so .0oo, 900, 900 a year. Nearly all Of this
great output. amounting 10 more than
500 a head per year, comes from invested
capital, operating through corporations.
From the foregoing II must be ap-
apparent that Congress has one most
exacting task ahead. The substitution
OF q bridge without delaying trafiie Is
great The cutting on of an excreseencs
touching the vitals, without shocking
the patient to death Is greater: but to
bring caution out Of aggregated haste
is the greatest task.
Big problems lie just ahead Business
Big, or just big, or only little, Is to SO
into the legislative erucible.
Three Body Blows.
Three punches delivered quick on the
game vital spot by a hand that knows
not enough to know danger may pro-
duce a Knockout The three punches
are Tariff Revision. Banking Reform
and Corporation Control.
The tariff act just passed without
doubt has subjected business to re-
adjustment unequaled since the protec'
tive policy became American Unfor-
tunately, no science OF cutting was
shown, or IL II was in the House, then
there were SIG errors in the Senate, and
more than go double errors In the con-
ference rates. Business without a
weeks ieeway had to adjust itself with
out losing headway. Even a ship OF
state might get on its even keel in such
a test.
The banking and currency bill is now
approaching passage. The whole rescue
value OF the bill depends on business,
Big or big or littiei for its foundation
is commercial paper. purely a product
OF business. Yet how almightiiy have
men said to capital. Let there be twelve
great compulsory corporations" The
style Of some of these who have teet-
cred our pocket books over the bottom
less pit Of panic may be learned from
this direct quotation from a regular Sep
tember morn speech OF innocency: so
far as / am concerned, when the dis
cussion Of this great measure was begun
in the Democratic caucus / plead my
absolute ignorance OF the banking and
currency question, but ! do believe that
the able arguments made by those who
have devoted much time and study to
this great question have very greatly
enlightened the general membership of
this House and that now we are in a
position to calmly and coolly discuss the
proposition TO which ! desire to call
your attention" -
Trusts next is now the cry, with
some portion Of our men in Washington
so confused that their bills show them
quite unable to distinguish between trusts
and corporations. Both lie under the
ban with a suspicion that a taint at
taches to all business activity-much like
the Scotch woman who tore up the char
acters of all in the kirk" WELL" said
her auditor, sit seems as though there
was no one good except the minister and
you" LAY, mon," said she, ''and I'm no
so sure o. the meenister." ...
The sherman Law.
The storm center of the next session
will be the Sherman antitrust act. This
famous bill, now twenty-three years old,