The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-12
PROGRESS|VES LAY
THEIR TRUST VIEWS
BEFORE COMMITTEE
Conference Centers Upon
Improvement of the
Interstate Commerce
Commission

Washington, February 11.-While Sena-
| tors of the interstate commerce commit
| tee We're comforting with President Wilson
today on the antitrust legislative pro-
| gramme, progressive party leaders in and
| out of Congress were- explaining their
views on the. handling of the trust prob
lem TO House committees.
The conference AZ the White House,
arranged at the request of Senator New
lands, chairman of the interstate COM
merce committee, centered upon improve
ment of the interstate trade commission
bill as drafted by the House judiciary
subcommittee. Interest was added to the
meeting by assurances of cooperation
with the democrats by republican, men,
bers of the committee Senators oliver
and Lippitt participated in the discussion,
having been urged by Chairman New
lands to draft amendments to the trade
commission bill, which would act as a
safeguard against unnecessary publicity
concerning corporations innocent of any
violations of law.
The committee plans to complete it's re-
vision OF the bill next week. Provisions
to insure investigation by the proposed
trade commission 10y due process of law
will be added TO ,he bill. thus to prevent
any possibility of appeal from DEGREES on
| account of the constitutional infringe
ments.
Chief Witnesses
| Herbert Knox Smith, former United
States commissioner of corporations: Will
liam Draper Lewis of Philadelphia, dean
of the University of Pennsylvania, and
Donald II. Richberg of New York. who
joined the progressive leaders in Con-
gress in drafting antitrust and commerce
| regulation bills, We're the chief witnesses
! before both the House Interstate com
meree and Judiciary committees They
| contended for an Interstate trade COM
| merce with wider scope of authority than
proposed by the Clayton bills and for
| recognition for the necessity of a. degree
of concentration in business in the com
| ing antitrust legislation. I'VE must al
! low certain degree of concentration
| among corporations" said former Com
| missioner Smith. There should he an
automatic regulation of corporations and
| the highways should be kept open for
| competition, but there should be no at
tempt to force them to compete agaius i,
their will. We tried it, in the standard
| OH case, for instance. and did NOT s,lc
ceed, The oil monopoly now is not based
| on the concentrated control of the oi,
| wells, the oil area, but because the Sta nd
ara Oh company owns the pipe lines. the
only means of getting the oil away from
| the wells"
Smiths Contentious
Mr.. smith dwelt on his contention that a.
| trace commission would be more effective
IN dealing with corporations than the de-
partihent OF justice of the courts. s.
ihere wtre several other witnesses
| representative Metz of New York a
manufacturer and importer, protested
against any sweeping prohibition of price
iiNing SO far as it might affect articles
covered under trade marks He said n
would drive out of business MANY retail
u,ussis's ana merely help the syndicate
| stores, mail order houses, depart,nent
stores and takers If there were an in
ihhlpition against the manufacturers fix
ing the prices at which the goods should
! be sold at retail.
Evan L. Minahan of Green Bay. Wis
, speaking in the Independent oil iobbers
interest, criticized certain features of the
pending bills.