Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-01
AIM TOPASS TODAY
THE clayton BILL
Senate Democrats Hope to
Reach a Vote Despite
Amendments Pending.

When the Senate met today the Clay
ton antitrust bill was taken up i'm
mediately, the Senate proceeding under
| the unanimous consent agreement pro-
viding that senators should speak only
once and for not more than fifteen min
utes on any amendment offered or on
the bill itself The democratic leaders
confidently predicted that the bill would
be passed before adjournment, though
large number of amendments still re-
manned to be disposed OF.
! The Senate rejected an amendment Oh
Senator Reed proposing that the attor-
| ney general of any state might, at the
cost of the state, bring suit in the
name of the United States to enforce
any of the antitrust laws.
1t also defeated overWhelmingy an
amendment offered by Senator Reed
providing that no corporation except a
common carrier, whose capital and sur
plus exceeded 100000, 900, shall be per-
mitted to engage in interstate COM
merce.
| The Senate then adopted Reed
amendment providing that any cor
poration known to be monopoly IN
violation of the antitrust laws could
20 into the hands of receiver LOT the
dissolution of the monopoly.
Enforcement Weak.
L
enforcement of the antitrust act In
previous administrations was the fail
ure to insist upon real dissolution
of monopolies and combinations which
| the courts had adjudged unlawful.
| ia a statement contained in review
| of the work of the Department OF
Justice under the present adminlstra-
ton prepared by agents OF the depart.
ment and forwarded to Senator Reed
of Missouri
Senator Reed today submitted the
statement to the Senate in course OF de-
bate on the CLAYTON antitrust bill, to-
gether with letter from John 7. Suffer-
Mr.. McReynolds' private secretary, as
sorting that the review had been pre-
pared recently by the department and
| was forwarded to the senator to make
such use of as he desired.
I'm the principal case in the Roose.
welt administration" the Department of
Justice review continued, Northern Sc
| curities case-and in the principal cases
| in the Taft administration-the Standard
Oil case, the Tobacco case, and the
Powder case-the parts into which the
unlawful monopoly was divided were left
in control of the same persons.
Change in Form Only.
"The only effect of this was to change
the form of the monopolies, since, of
course, competition in any real sense
cannot exist between corporations COIL
trolled by the same persons. The law
was thus virtually nullifed by reason
of the defective manner of its enforce
ment.
ION the other hand the present admin
istration has insisted in every case,
notably the Union Pacific-Southern Pa
cif1c merger case and the harvester
case. that the parts into which the I'M
lawful combination or monopoly was or
may be divided must be separate and
distinctive ownership and must not be
| left under the control of the same set of
men. In this way only can real COM
petitiye conditions be brought about
Scope of Provision Broadened.
Efforts to make more stringent pro-
visions Of the Clayton antitrust bill
against holding companies failed in the
Senate yesterday with a single excep-
ton. The bill prohibits the organization
of a holding company or the purchase OF
stock by one corporation in-another en-
gagged in Interstate commerce when the
effect of such may be to substantially
lessen competition The amendment ac-
cepted struck out the word substantial
ly,'' broadening the scope of the pro-
vision somewhat.
Senator Reed sought to prohibit all
holding companies and stock purchases
| in competing companies, but was voted
down Senator Cummins offered a sim
| liar amendment. but excepting banks and
railroads, which also was defeated.