Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-02-14

farmer at fixed price. An assoeia-
ton of ministers Of the gospel woula
be committing a criminal act in re-
solving that all churches shall ray
their clergy a fixed minimum salary,
and school teachers organizations
making agreements regarding salaries
would be outlawed. An amendment
seeking to exempt labor has been g t
the last minute inserted, but 1t is very
doubtful whether it actually aeom-
plishes this purpose, so doubtful IN
deed that it need hardly be taken
into consideration. Two or more
newspaper publishers would be I'm
able to agree with each other regard
ing the price of their publications.
their job printing and probably also
of their advertising, and the time
honored press associations would have
little further excuse for existence.
Furthermore, no farmer, merchant,
laborer, newspaper. man, or other pro-
Queer or tradesman could legally sell
his commodity at a lower rate to one
person than to another, or in one COM
munitv than in another community,
the cost of transportation being con-
sidered.
"By these bills what before was
honorable and right, even encouraged.
will become d!shonorable and crimi-
nal Furthermore, every director of
a New Jersey corporation is held
criminally responsible for the. viola
ton of any of these provisions by
any proper official of the corporation.
no matter whether such director has
personal knowledge of the violation
or not; that is, director of small
corporation may go to jail If his
business manager, without the di
rector's knowledge. combines with an
| individual In a competing business to
fix the prices or limit their output.
Another amendment, also of very,
very doubtful efficiency, has been
adopted, the alleged purpose of which
| is to hold the director responsible
only for his own acts. A proposed
amendment which would have surely
accomplished this result has been re-
! jeeted. / have always held that cor
porate guilt is personal, but unless
the amendment is indeed effective. the
| bill holds a person guilty for some
one else's crime.
1T is saying that the innocent prin-
cipal shall nevertheless be adjudged
| guilty of the crimes of his agent, and
| is tantamount to saying that a father
/ should be held guilty for the crimes
| of his son.
II could go on thus describing these
| bills for hours. Enough has been said.
| | think, to show to the people Of New
Jersey that they will completely revo-
lutionize business methods within the
| State; that they place wrong where
right stood before and make crimes OF
| that which has heretofore been re-
| garded as virtues.
Twill they prevent monopolies? l
think not. Lawyers representing large
| corporations tell me they will not.
| Such lawyers have even pointed out
| this fact to the Legislature. ] can
| myself Indicate many ways whereby
they will actually promote monopo-
lies. can see wherein the large corr
| poration for monopolistic purposes
will be benefited by these bills, but l
cannot see how small business, if the
| laws are enforced, can survive. Small
| business will have to be completely
reorganized, and I beliey on monop-
olistic lines. Herein, in my Judgment,
| lies the reason why there has been
so little opposition to the bills. Large
business seems generally satisfied
with them, and small business, think
ing they affected only monopolies, ia
vored them.
Apparently few have even read the
bills, and fewer still have understood
their meaning after reading them.
was myself hardly able to trust to
my own Judgment regarding their tre-
| inendous scope. But at the hearing
in Trenton on Monday I found that
my own view was not only concurred
in by those present, but that the in
PRODUCER of the bills, In answer to
my questions, confirmed my worst
/ fears. I say my worst fears because
was representing small business.
was, and am now, representing
| small tradesmen, small producers and
| small corporation directors who must
have freedom of trade to survive. We
| must have what these bills promised
to give. We must have an equal
chance. BY these bills fear we have
actually no chance. / am positive we
at least will have to revise our entire
business methods at great cost. then
| urged the committee, as did Others.
4 to give the small business man a
chance to digest these bills.
ut was also explained that the pub
lie was only just now beginning to
get a little intimation of what the
bills sought to accomplish, and that
in view of this fact undue haste in
their passage was exceedingly I'M
wise The committee, however,
seemed unable to reassure US, and
even while we were yet speaking,
newspapers were being circulated
among us containing an interview
| with the governor in which he Is al
legged to have summarized the pro-
ceedings at the hearing by saying
that nothing new had been presented,
that there would be no necessity for
further hearing, and that the bills
would be promptly passed. Though
the governor would seem to have pos
sessed prophetic powers, he was prob
! a bly, correct. There was presented
probably nothing new to him. He
doubtless already understood and APP
proved their tremendous scope. He
/ accordingly naturally desired their
passage before further hearings could
be had. He probably realized that
/ If the public understood what the
bills did, they would be defeated. The
next day the executive whip was
,cac1xad o11r modest request that the