Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-12
ANTITRUST BILLS
HIT BY ECONOMISTS
Prof. Van Hise Says Measures
Discriminate Against Some
Industries.

d1Huhl convention OF INC OndIIlDeT VI
Commerce of the United States, the
whole day being given over to de-
bate upon this subject Secretary
Redf1eld, of the department of COM
merce, was the first speaker, who
was followed by others who have
given much thought to trust prob
lens.
Vigorous objection to the tentative
antitrust bills on the ground that
insufficient study had been given the
subject was voiced by Frederick P.
Fish, former president of the Ameri-
can Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany. Concluding a lengthy review
of the uses and abuses of trust COM
binations he said:
Business Would Suffer.
81 cannot help thinking that If the
bills. in their present form, were en-
acted into law, the conduct of our
business would suffer irreparably,
with disastrous results. But back OF
all these suggestions as to detailed
legislation Is the broad question OF
whether we are approaching the sub
ject of the proper control and de-
yelopment of our industries In the
right way. I believe that 1t would
be greatly to our advantage II that
underlying question could be studied
and we could be sure that it was
settled on sound basis before we
advance further into the regions OF
the unknown by adopting speculative
suggestions based on improved and
at least doubtful theories rather than
on the facts and necessities of our
business situation.
'The whole question is one of COM
promise. We must deal with our In
dustries in such a way as will best
promote our prosperity even If some
but surely not too great a sacrifice
of current social ideals Is involved"
IT do not believe that there is a
single particle of evidence that
prices to the consumer are now
greater, because of the existence OF
large business organizations, than
they would have been IL all bust
ness had been carried on by small
units. In fact, 1t seems to me that
the evidence Is all to the contrary
Guy e. Trip. chairman of the
board of directors of the Westing-
house Company, believed better re-
suits would be accomplished IL the
proposed trust regulation measures
were enacted one at time. Their
purposes were sound In the main, he
thought, but he doubted the effect If
the business of the country was COM
PEELED to accustom itself to them all
at the same time.
Must Reduce the Risks.
THAT public utilities should be
regulated" he said, land not given
the free hand that naturally COM
petitive business requires, is sound
doctrine, but If we restrict opportuni-
ties we must reduce the risks"
President Charles r. Van Hise, of
the University of Wisconsin, pro-
posed that the Sherman antitrust
law should be supplemented by an
act which would. forbid only combi-
nations and contracts in restraint OF
trade that arr, detrimental to the well
fare of the people. He charged thai
for political reasons laws agains1
monopolies and restraints of trade
are enforced only against "big bust
ness the small dealer, the farmer
and the laborer being permitted te
combine and monopolize at Will.
Under the enforced competitive
SYSTEM" President Van Hise said
1--WE are recklessly skimming the
cream of the natural resources of a
virgin continent, with no concern for
the future"
TO support this contention, the
speaker said that the coal mines
could produce 2O0,000.o0o tons more
coal per year than the market de-
manded, but that the operators. reg
ulated by the Sherman act, were COM
PEELED to handle their mines without
cooperation in limiting the output,
dividing territory or regulating
prices. Such practises result, he said
in mining in a wasteful fashion,
working thick veins and neglecting
the thin veins in order to get coal to
the market at the lowest possible
cost.
Industries Disseminated Against.
IT am willing to stand for enforce
mont of the law when it is enforced
alike for ALL continued the speaker,
but when some one is picked out be-
cause il is good politics to attack him,
and the others are allowed to escape,
| say 1t is a profoundly immoral sit
uation. To have a statute which re-
quires the officials of justice to close
one eye whenever they pass by the
men In control of some industries
men not one whit more guilty, is not
justice. And that is exactly the
existing situation in this country"
II confidently look forward to a
new era of social responsibility on the
part of both the well-to-do and the
POOR Mr.. Van Hise concluded, land
to a time when reason and science
rather than vested interest shall con-
troll aeonornie leqiSl1 tiOn"
Victor Morawetz. of New York, de-
clared unequivocally against the
proposed trust measures now under
consideration by Congress, asserting
that they impose additional prohibi-
tions which would give rise to ad-
ditional uncertainty and litigation.
He advocated, however, the estab-
lishment of a Federal Interstate
Trade Commission under an act
carefully defining its functions, pow
ers and duties"
Referring to the proposed meas
ures, Mr.. Morawetz said some of the
bills INSTEAD of furnishing safe
guards to industry against the forces
which have disturbed 1t, would place
shackles upon legitimate business and
enterprise" None of the bills, he de-
clared, would tend to make the pres
ent law more definite or certain.
1.-THE anti trust act prohibits in the
broadest language restraints of trade
and monopolizing," he continued,
"and 1t is now settled that the pur-
pose and policy of the act cannot be
avoided by any disguise or subter-
fuge l doubt that any statute can
be drawn that would really make the
act more definite and certain except.
either by limiting the scope of the
act and defeating it's purpose, or by
subjecting commerce to a set of cast
iron rules that would cripple it. Ger
tainly, neither the so-called bill to
define the Sherman law or the So
"a lied trade relations bill or any of