The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-10-23
ANTITRUST BILL
UNDER HOT fire
Democratic Senator Flags Own
Party For Apologizing to
Monopoly.


ministered by Senator Reed, of Mis-
souri,, in his recent discussion of the
administration antitrust measure
At the outset the Missouri Senator
declared that the title of the bill
should read IAN act to apologize &c
unlawful restraints and monopolies.
$50 far as its antitrust features
are concerned" said Senator Reed
this is a dough-bullet bill. The pow.
erful and intrenched monopolies
cannot be driven from their fortifi.
cations with that kind of ammuni-
tor. The task requires solid shot.
This measure has been loudly
heralded as the Clayton antitrust
bill 1t should be known as the
conferee's capitulation bill. Pressum-
ably it was brought forward as the
legislative specialization of the years
old Democratic promise that the
trusts should be exterminated root
and branch. The people were led
to believe that the Democratic par
ty, now in full possession of all
branches of the government, by this
bill intended to make private mo-
nopoly both Improbable and danger
Gus.
when the Clayton bill was first
written il was a raging lion with a
mouth full of teeth. 1t has degen-
Grated to tabby cat with soft gums,
a plaintive new and an anaemic ap-
pearance. 1t is a sort of legislative
apology to the trusts, delivered hat
In hand and accompanied by asssur-
aDces that no discourtesy is in
tended
THE purpose of this legislation
was to redeem the Democratic plat
form pledge against trusts and mo-
popolies. AS it has come to us from
the conferences, from every section
has been drawn the last fang and
claw which by any possibility might
draw even a drop of blood from the
veins of monopoly. So far as trust
legislation is concerned it has been
rendered absolutely valueless.
1.-THE bill as it came to us from
conference cut off from use as evil
dence the testimony and judgments
rendered in the SO great trust cases
which have been heretofore decided
against the trusts. These cases en-
brace such important suits as the
Standard Oil case, American Tobac-
co case, Joint Traffic Association
case, Northern Securities case, the
Lumber Co. case, the Harvester
Trust case and many others"
Senator Reed then furnished a
complete list of the trust cases, and
said:
Broadly speaking these cover the
tire field of trust litigation. These
trusts are still in existence. Yet after
the Government has gone to the ex-
pense of collating the evidence, of
proving case, and of obtaining
judgment, this bill provides that the
evidence, judgments and records can
not be used against any one of the
already convicted criminals.
'Oh, this is "A great antitrust Con
gress! Compared with the Congress
that put upon the books the Sherman
act, We appear as would a lot of wet
nurses in comparison with soldiers
on the field of battle, arm in hand
Il believe this bill is "a betrayal
of the Democratic party. 1t is an alb |
solute facing about by our party. We |
march now to the rear where we
promised the country an advance to !
the front. We are playing the hypo- /
critic. We came here sounding our
symbals, girding up our lions, burn /
jshing our weapons. We said to all |
the world: When this great Demo
cratic host shall assemble and bear 1
down upon the citadels of greed and |
plumber, then you will see how honest
hearts will hew a clean path for the /
common people to tread
But now, having marched up the /
hill 10 the heroic voices of the bugles
of war, we are sitting down by the /
camp fire and tuning our ears to the /
seductive notes OF Home, Sweet /
Home. Some of us will hear from .
home, The people are hypnotized
now, some of them. But | have never
seen a fraud put Of on the American
people that at the end Of ten days
there was not somebody in every
community who knew about il and
at the end Of six months everyone
In the country knew OF it.
You may strike out the criminal
clauses in this bill, but ! say 10 you
hat the aroused conscience or ire
A m orioap manila will Jop,aDI +t,fr ]