Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-11-28
ONE OF NEW JERSEYS "SEVEN
SISTERS" WILL BE USED BY
PRESIDENT WILSON.
SHERMAN ACT is TO STAND
Supplemental Legislation May In
cIude Mandatory Prison Sentences
for Men Found Guilty of Taking
Part in illegal Combines.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

intends to use the first of the Seven
Sisters" as model for the trust
breaking law, which 1t is expected he
Will recommend in his annual mes
sage that congress shall pass quickly.
Unless currency legislation is out OF
the way by the time congress meets
in regular session, the president may
say nothing in his message about
antitrust legislation, but in any event
he will do so soon thereafter and one
of the New Jersey laws which are
known as the Seven Sisters will be
used as has been said for the model
of federal legislation.
The premiere of the septet of New
Jersey sisters must be put through
course of physical training in order to
strengthen her for duty in the great
field of federal usefulness, but it is
understood that President Wilson, his
attorney general, and Chairman New
lands of the senate interstate com
merce committee and Representative
Adamson, chairman of the like com
mittee in the house, are convinced
that they can train the sisters to the
required standard.
The presidents general plan of the
legislation will be to allow the Sher-
man law to stand, to supplement 1t
and strengthen it with view OF see
ing that personal guilt in antitrust
law violations is driven home and
that criminal prosecution shall be GER
tain for all the responsible officials
of big corporations which insist on
| engaging in practices in violation OF
the antitrust laws.
The Sherman law as 1t stands
makes provisions for prison sentences.
but it does not make them mandatory,
and as a result 1t has rarely happened
that lawbreakers have been sent over
the road
personal Guilt" Doctrine.
1t is not know, of course, definitely
| whether Mr. Wilson will sanction the
/ Kenyon plan of mandatory prison SEN
| tences, but from the presidents doc
/ trine that guilt is personal it seems
! likely that the Iowans idea has ap-
/ pealed to the mind of the administra-
| ton. Men close to Mr.. Wilson say
that the personal guilt" doctrine is
/ to be followed and that the chances
are that men proved to be supporters
| against the antitrust laws will find
themselves facing prison sentences.
The New Jersey measure. the first
| of the Seven Sisters, by its title seeks
! 10 promote free competition. This
will be the keynote OF the presidents
message on federal antitrust legisla-
tion The New Jersey measure de
| fines trust as combination be
tween corporations, firms or persons
any two or more of them, for certain
purposes and such combinations are
declared to be illegal and indictable.
Among the things which are for
hidden by the New Jersey law are
combinations which fix any standard
or figure whereby the price to the pub
| lie consumer shall in any manner be
controlled on any article of commodity
or merchandise. or produce intended
dor sale. use or consumption in New
/ Jersey or elsewhere. Corporations are
/ forbidden to combine to limit or re-
duce the production, or to increase the
| price of merchandise They are for
bldden to make secret oral agreements
O. to arrive at IAN understanding
without express agreement by which
they directly or indirectly preclude a
free and unrestricted competition
among themselves"
| Under the Law which is likely to be
in part the model for federal legisla-
| tion individual directors of an incor-
porated company are deemed personal
| ly guilty of any violations of the act
! for which the Incorporated company
| itself shall be found guilty.
To Abolish Frankine Piviieae.
sion the majority in congress in
tends to introduce bit of legisla-
! lion which economically is appealing,
| hut which as a destroyer of time
| honored privilege is startling 1t is
the intention of the house commit
tee on postofiices and post roads to
recommend that the ranking privi-
| leges of members of congress shall
be taken away. and It is likely that
| in part the privilege will be taken
away from some of the other officials
of government.
The day probably is not far of
when every congressman who writes
a letter or who sends out public
document will be compelled under
| the law to affix enough postage
stamps to carry the parcels to their
destination. Lest the dependent fami-
Hes of senators and representatives
should fear on reading this that all
the loved protectors salary is to go
for stamps, it should be said quickly
that congress intends to give stamp
money to each Of its members, but to
so fix 1t that If he exceeds the al
lowunce he must pay for the extra
postage out of his own pocket
The contention is that as long as
the unlimited franking privilege is