Newport daily independent., 1913-06-18
PRESIDENT WILL ASK NEW LEG
IsLATION TO STRENGTHEN
SHERMAN LAW.
M'REYNOLDS WILL GET BUSY
Department of Justice Has Investisa-
tors at Work Securing Evidence 10
Be Used in Many Cases-To Force
Competitive Conditions.
By GEORGE CLINTON.


son and the Democratic leaders III
Congress think that if this countryS
manufacturers and producers Wouio
change their methods Of work they
would have no reason to lear ap
preaching tariff changes. The Presl-
dent has expressed himself as belleV-
Ing that because high protection has
afforded such good shelter for Amerl-
can concerns they have neglected
opportunities to conduct their busl-
ness in a way which would make nigh
protection unnecessary and "hlch
would enable them to sell things at
a lower price and to earn as much
dividend money as they earn today.
This is the expressed Democratic
viCw.
It 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 II certain
and sundry articles are put upon the
free list.
For New Trust Legislation.
When t'-e tariff bill is passed and
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 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 nave
had experience. When the Sherman
law is amended in accordance with
Mr. Wilson's view of what proper
changes should be, the Attorney Cen
eral probably will have to go into
court or send others into court for
him. to present cases under new con-
ditions. MI Wilson's thought, as he
has expressed it veral times, is that
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.
1t 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 il 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
~
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 Democratic tariff
and 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
party's 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
progressive-Republican demands for
changes looking to the initiative and