Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-09-09
WILSON MUST NAME
TRADE COMMISSION
PRESIDENT HAS IMPORTANT
BOARD TO SELECT IN NEAR
FUTURE.
NOT so EXTENSIVE
AS MANY DESIRED
Sill Creating Commission Likely to
Become Law Within Ten Days
Selection of Weak Membership
Would v;tiate Law-vaIue Of Board
Open to Ruin by Incompetents.
+ Snecial Correspon,lence.l

Washington. Sept. 9-President Viii
son Will soon have on his hands the
selection of a body which Will rank il
Importance with the federal reserve
board. the interstate commerce com
mission and with the courts. This is
the new interstate trade commission.
The bill providing Tor this commits
sion will soon become Il law house ana
conference committee report and the
bill viii then so TO the President for
signature. In ten days or two Weeks
the hill is likely TO be written into the
statutes.
The new commission viii not nave tS
any means the measure OF authority
which many thinking men are con-
WINGED it must have il the great indus
trial corporations are TO be successful
ly regulated. Still, it will have large
powers and ii viii find, in that part o.
the measure which prohibits unfair
methods of competition that il has a
weapon of great capacity. Senator
Cunmins, who led the senate fight for
this feature of the bill, declares that
this part Of the neW law viii prove
not only important. but Viii develop in
10 a more powerful preventive of mon
opoly than the Sherman law itself. He
regards II as a long step in advance.
Weak Commission Ineffective.
Much now depends on the kind of
men chosen for the commission. II
strong and able men are selected. men
OF progressive views and the courage
to put their views into force, this COM
mission will soon be heard from. More
over. the new law viii become the
basis from which stronger legislation
can be built up in the next several
years
If a weak and innocuous commission
is selected. however. the new body will
not merely make the existing situation
not better but will make il much
worse. Reactionary men placed on
this commission are certain to prove
serious TO public welfare.
The interstate commerce commission
in recent years is one OF the govern
menr agencies which has succeeded in
maintaining high standard and which
has been trusted by the public. The
ANooiS Aie1S CSOiA Liz sSAhObehA Niiioi
nent OF its powers. 1t remains to be
seen how long this situation Will con-
tinue. Latterly. there has been a
widespread belief that the railroads
were reaching out with some success
to surround the commission and gain
control OF it. If this conviction once
becomes general, the value of the COM
mission will be ruined. Some of the
recent appointments TO the commission
have been of men accused of leaning
too heavily to the railroad side for the
weel of the public generally. The ap-
pointrnent Of Winthrop NJ Daniels Of
New Jersey. was assailed because OF
his views regarding the valuation of
corporations and the criticism in anti
railroad quarters has not been les
sened since Commissioner Daniels in
the advanced rate ease came out for
full 5 per cent increase demanded by
the railroads Now, the commission is
under stress to do more for the rail-
roads and its course will be watched
closely by shippers and others who are
opposed to higher rates.
Will Be Under Scrutiny.
The interstate trade commission viii
be under a scrutiny as keen as the In
terstate commerce commission. If II
sets out to give clean bills Of health SC
great corporations and combinations
which the public believes TO be repre-.
| hensible, it viii get into not water i'm
mediately and so VIII the administra
| ton responsible for it. The task 81
! choosing men competent for the COM
! mission is going TO prove difficult
| one. 1t would be hard enough at hes
| but already the politicians are busy
and the White House win be under
| strong pressure to make the commits
| SION place for the payment os politi
| al delfs