Evening journal., 1914-04-01

The special. committee appointed by
the Chamber of Commerce to report
on trust legislation urges that action
on the trust bills be deferred to an
other session of Congress, so that
Congress may have an opportunity Of
securing the opinions of representa-
tive business men the country over
Enactment of the bills in their pres
ent form in the opinion of the COM
mittee, would restrain lawful business
and have a disastrous effect on enter
prise.
The committee charged with the
work of preparing the report was
composed of John Clafiin, the dry
goods merchant and president of the
chamber; Eugenius II. Outerbridge,
pantasote manufacturer, chairman Of
the committee; William Sloan, car
pet manufacturer; Howard c. Smith,
dealer I'm commercial credits; Samuel
w. Fairchild, drug manufacturer;
William McCarroll, formerly Public
Service Commissioner and leather
manufacturer; Algernon S. Frissell,
banker, and Charles II. Warren and
Edward l.. Rogers.
In beginning its report the commit
tee cites from the Constitution of
Peace" and says that the spirit of
the bills is opposed to the Presidents
utterances. Exception is taken to
the seeming implication that all cor
porate form of enterprise is neces-
sarily under the suspicion of being
conducted in contravention of law
and public welfare"
tfTf hrefnpcc man NJ aoffft f1str
do not generally resent and protest
against such implications" it is de-
clared, they will be considered 20
have tacitly admitted them"
The remainder Of the report fol-
lows
There are three fundamental types
of law affecting industrial life-legis-
lative law, moral law and economic
law.
"None of these types of law is i'm
mutable. On the contrary, all are
changing
Legislative law is enacted, amend
ed, repealed and re-enacted.
Moral law, at least in its aspect as
the expression of the conscience OF
the people, changes with the ad-
vancement of civilization and the in
fuence of ethical and religious cul-
ture.
Economic law, the product OF
economic forces springing from we
know not where, is the most inevita-
BILE, as it is the most irresistible OF
all law.
1T, too, is certainly changing
with the progress of invention anc
science in the arts and industries
with the development of transporta.
tion and intercommunication, witt
the productive energy of new peo-
pies and countries, and not even all
those who are in daily touch with tn,
administration of business affairs ar,
always sensible to the changing cur
rents and the overwhelming power o.
/ economic law and necessity, which
like time and tides, wait for no man
'The shores Of the sea of com
merce are strewn with the wrecks o
nations, corporations, firms and in
/ dividuals which have failed to appre
hend the trend and force of its cur
rents and to adjust their affair
/ thereto.
Let us not forget that statutor.
law, If incompatible with or too in
! flexible to be co-ordinated with thl
/ changing elements of economic force
will either be oyerbOrne by economi
law and necessity, or else will tren,
to restrain, if not to destroy, indus
trial progress.
"A survey of the history of tn,
remarkable industrial and business
development of this country indicate
that its achievements have been, il
the main, due to the initiative, ener
F. gy, enterprise and bold courage of al
immense number of individual
breathing and operating in the fire
air of untrammeled opportunity, II
which alone true genius can worl
and survive.