Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-07-01

with corporate abuses. They fear to
give the commission power to prevent
unfair trade practices. Indeed. their
measure. would hardly give the COM
mission, power really to investigate,
much less to destroy by proper ad-
illustrative order, monopoifes based
on the exclusive possession of factor
essential to production. To the powers
of investigation and recommendation
which the bill proposes to give to the
commission, so far as they go, we
have no objection. 1t is the made
quacy of the commissions power to
destroy monopoly which we condemn.
Progressive congressman voted for the
bill, not because it represents an ade-
Quate attempt to deal with great
problem, but in the hope that day
will arrive when the so-called Trade
Commission will be given sufficient
power to make it a real Trade Com
mission. such as our national plat
form promises and such as the bills
which we have introduced would pro-
vide
THE House of Representatives has
also passed a bill supplemental to the
Sherman Antitrust Act Many of the
provisions of this bill deserve COM
mendation, especially those which
prohibit certain forms of unfair
trade competition which the courts
have not as yet clearly condemned,
but which upright business men
everywhere recognize as wrong and
tending to monopoly. Similar provis
ions will be founde in the Progressive
antitrust bills.
But the Clayton bill goes hopeless
ly wrong in that it forbids specifically
any combination, or agreement in in
terstate commerce, between any two
or more corporations. firms or even
individuals, which in any way lessons
or restricts Ne competition between
them. This Is the hug of their whole
position. They propose that two farm
ers selling milk across State line
cannot cooperate; and that two men
doing any business across a state line
cannot form a partnership or a cor
poration They insist that there must
be no big business power, concentrated
power, or large enterprise anywhere,
and that our business must go back
to the period of not merely 1850, but
1850; to the cobbler's bench, the grist-
mill and the blacksmith's forge
This is economic absurdity. ." Tn
limited competition has proved one of
the greatest curses OF modern civiliza-
ton. 1t was unlimited competition
which created the great trusts, exactly
as 1t created the sweat-shop and is
chiefly responsible for child labor The
New Freedom is merely the exceeding
ly old freedom which permits each
man to cut his neighbours throat.
q Sf1yn ,In
er hand" said Colonel Roosevelt, will
allow business concentration insofar
as such concentration gives social and
economic efficiency and good service.
But 1t will also give the government
full power to see that business con-
centration does serve these necessary
ends, and that it is not used for un-
fair competition or for monopoly, or
for the unfair treatment of labor or
for any other anti-social end
This is the only tenable position on
the trust problem, for it faces the facts
and does not try to turn back the
hands of the clock. BY long and dis
| appointing experience we have had
several cardinal facts hammered into
us. 15rast=
First we cannot. and do not want
to destroy all corporations: we must
nave large units to do our work
Second, We cannot make every
man compete with every other man;
we cannot go back to 1850. still less
to 1850.
Third, we cannot destroy monopoly
by attacking all forms of concentra-
ton whether monopolistic or not
Fourth cannot raaI
monopoly by attacking its legal form
We must find out and take away the
real economic basis of monopoly,
which is a very different thing
Fifth, we can get no effective re-
suits through the courts, with their
slow and restricted procedure.
Sixth, we must encourage honest
business, and allow that business con-
centration which will give the power
necessary to serve us. This policy of
the encouragement of decent business
is as important to the welfare of our
people as is our other policy of eff
| fective warfare against corrupt and
unfair business.
Seventh, there must be co-opera-
ton among business men, among
wage workers. and among farmers.
We have had now twenty four
years experience with trying to reg
ulate business by destruction" the
| Colonel concluded. The result has
been nearly fiat failures. The admin
istration proposes policy of ufrther
destruction, even more unintelligent
| in conception, and certain to be more
| futile in performance, than the ex-
listing policy which it amends.
The only alternative is the Pro-
gressive plan. From all of this
it follows that we have right to ask
good citizens to join against the pres
emf administration. The policies of
the administration should be rebuked
| by the people and senators and con-
gressmen returned to Washington who
will strive to end these policies"
ncFAN Point