The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-07-03
National Trade Commission.

BUSINESS men are generally in favor
Of d national trade commission which
will assist along reasonable lines in
the Interpretation and enforcement: of
the Sherman law. The Chicago Assoc
citation OF Commerce has prepared
and recommended a bill along this line,
providing fora commission with pow
ers Similar to those exercised by the
Interstate Commerce Commission
over the railroads except as to rates.
No court will consider in advance
whether a proposed contract or bust
ness transaction would violate the
law. The business man can only en-
ploy lawyers to guess at It, and take
his chances, Of going to Jail II the
courts decide differently. The best
teatugessof the Chicago bill provinces
for submitting contracts or. practices
in advance to the proposed commits
sion, subject at all times to an appeal
to the courts for final Interpretation.
We would find out, through. such a
commission, what is legal and what
iB not.
This is a vastly different proposi-
ton from the Russian" commission
proposed in the bill now pending at
Washington. Our national constitll,
ton says: The right of the people to
be secure in their persons, houses, pa
pers and effects, against unreasonable
searches and seizures, shall not be
violated" The proposed bill defes
the. constitution by creating, a rowing
Political commission which will 60
Sround-the country spryipg into every
.hodv,r Affairs cabin o yin1ofi0ne ~ kt a
law, mistakes of business. men, or
mistakes Of their legal advisers, which
can be used as a basis for prosecuting
somebody. 1t would place the busi-
ness. Of the country. in the control Of
On inquisition, without offering any
help to find out what is legal and
What is not, except by putting men in
Jail for their mistakes.
This is Russian procedure which
is entirely foreign to republican
form OF government 1t would place
the business of the country under. the
control Of a political bureau. Rus
siaA has come to grief in a. financial
panic, now in progress in that coun-
try, as a result of too much of this
policy
Russia has gone further than any
modern nation in schemes to regulate
business. The railroads are owned
and operated by bureau OF the gov
eminent. The beet sugar industry,
bne Of the most important manufac-
turing industries in that country, has
been controlled for years by a govern
tEent bureau, which fixes the price and
the amount OF sugar that each factory
can sell. Russia has the dearest and
poorest sugar in the world, as wellsas
The poorest commercial railway ser
Vice. The liquor business has been
carried on for years as government
monopoly and drunkenness has In:
creased to such an extent that the
system has become a national scan
9al. The minister, Count Witte,
Who established this government mon
6poly, Is now leading. an agitation
against it. ~ =,
The climax, which brought on the
present panic, has come through new
laws to regulate corporations, and
aehetnes for regulating the grain bus
mess. and the export trade. We had
quite an agitation in this country
AxtE years ago against men of for
seIgn birth, which we now call the
know nothing party. In Russia
tAis idea has been Carried further, into
actual Legislation which requires that
tie V6lcers- or managers ofscorpora.
tons must be Russians of the ortho-
DIX fafth!r 70 .,s IN; -. So.
I'VE no longer mix religion WITH our