The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-11-01
ATTACK TRUST PROBLEM.
New Scientific Investigation Is to Be
Started.

ginning of a new scientific investigation
OF the industrial situation, under the di-
rection of President Wilson, which will
contribute to the administrations trust
legislation program at the session OF
Congress beginning Dec. |, was an
nouneed here last night by Commission
er Joseph Il. Davies of the bureau of cor
porations, in an address befire the Ma
tional Association of Hardware Dealers.
Whether competitive system OF
large units, or a monopolistie system is
the most advantageous to society is the
question the bureau will attempt to de-
termine.
ut is Characteristic of the quality of
mind of the president of the United
States that he should desire facts on
which to base his judgment" said Com
missioner Davies. There is now no gov
ernmental or other agencies engaged in
attempting to get scientific information
on this fact. We shall enter into this
investigation with the sole intent of
working out in a scientific and fair-minded
spirit the facts, absolutely as they are.
$50 vital and so fundamental is this
problem, that to attack it in any other
spirit would be criminal. What is need
bristles with difficulty. 1t will demand
an increased appropriation from Con-
gress. The results may not coincide
with all we hope to procure, but we can,
however, obtain facts that will contrib
ute toward correct Interpretation of in
dustrial conditions as they exist"
Commissioner Davies declared that the
ultimate solution of the trust problem
depended upon the determination of the
question his bureau is about to investi-
gate. That he believed to be funda-
mental behind whether the problem
might be solved by amendments to the
Sherman law; by an industrial trade
commission or by action looking to reg
ulation by the individual states. If the
monopolistic system should be found to
be most efficient, there would still re-
main, he said, in spite of that fact,
question whether the government should
maintain an attitude against monopoly
by reason of other and greater addi-
tional evils it induces.
Reviewing arguments for and against
monopoly, Commissioner Davies de-
clared that one of the chief concerns of
the great body of people for whom the
government exists is, which form of pro-
duction, competitive or monopolistic, can
produce and sell what the public buys
most cheaply, consistent with fair stand
ards of living for workers. He sketched
the business growth of the country and
the rise of the corporation.
within the last decade and a half"
said he, 1900 corporations have come into
property or more than $4,000, 100000. |
Two hundred artificial persons own three
times as much wealth as the country
owned in 1850. That sum is three and |
one-half times as great as the public |
debt. The gross income of one of these |
artificial persons is equal to the total |
revenue of the government from internal |
revenue and customs. Twenty-four of |
these corporations have three and one
half times the gross income of the fed /
eral government.
"These facts are not cited as an in !
dictment against the men engaged in |
these enterprises but simply to show |
the way in which we are growing. The |
period of greatest development in this |
occurred in the face of the |
Sherman law and prior to 1904, when |
it was first sought to be made an ac-
tive agency for the government.
tion. The unorganized many are de-
that law shall protect their
rights from the encroachment of the or
ganized few. Government or society is
with these tremendous indus
trial units on several different angles.
What effect have these gigantic concen-
trations had upon the question of rep
government and its perpet
uityY Is there danger of the child be-
ing greater than the parent What safe
guards must the state throw about it.
self so that the powers OF government
may not be subverted by the greed of
men and the inherent human selfshness?
An investigation only recently conduct
ed by Congress has given evidences of
certain insidious influences that attack
the integrity of government itself"
"The economic aspects of the problem,
the fair, just attitude of government to
capital invested and men interested in
and directing these great enterprises as
well as to the public at large, and
what shall be done to preserve freedom
Of opportunity for business, is the prob
lem to which congress will address itself
in the immediate future"
Commissioner Davies reviewed various
for amendment of the Sher-
man law many of which have been in
troduced as bills in congress, looking to
the prevention of the issue of watered
stock, interloeking ownership, common
directorates and other similar condi-
tions to which many economic evils are
attributed. He spoke particularly of the
that the government should
regulate and control prices.