The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-02-09
Continued from wednesday Morning.
Power 10 Destroy, But Not to
RfduIate


From the STANDPOINT OF giving com.
pete control TO the national govern.
ment over big corporations engaged in
interstate commerce. II would be i'm
possible TO OveTestimate the impoTt.
ance OF the Northern Securities deci-
sion and Of the decisions afterward
rendered In line with IL in connection
with the other trusts whose dissulu-
/ ton was ordered. The success of the
Northern Securities case definitely IS.
tablishcd the power OF the government
10 deal with all great corporations.
without this success the national gov
eminent must have remained IN the
impotence 10 which II had been re-
duced by the knight decision as re.
CARDS the most important of its in
tcrnal functions But our success I'm
establishing the power Of the national
government 10 curb monopOlies did
not establish the right method OF ex-
ercising that power. We had gained
the power. We had not devised the
proper method Of exercising g..
Monopolies can. although In rather
cumbrOus fashion. be broken up By
lawsuits. Great business cOmbina
tons. however, cannot possibly BE-
made useful instead OF nOxiOus indus
trial agencies merely BY lawsuits. and
especially by lawsuits supposed 10 be
carried ON for their destruction and
rot for their control and regulation.
at once BEGAN 10 urge upon Congress
tho need OF laws experimenting the
Anti Trust law-for this law struck
60 all big business. good and bad alike
and. as the event proved. was wholly
inefficient Boo checking bad big bust
ness and set was "a constant threat
against decent business men. ! strong
IN urged the inauguration OF a system
81 throuRhg0ing and drastic govern.
mont regulation and control over all
big business combinations engaged in
Interstate industry
Control Resisted.
Here ] was able 20 accowpii4 80 only
small par ~ What 7 desired 20 ac-
compllsh. ! was opposed both by the
foolish radicals who desired 10 break
20 all biz business with the impossi-
bic ideal Of returning 10 mid nine
tcerth century Industrial conditions.
and also by The great privileged in
forests tlcwsCivss. WHO used these
ordinarily bur sometimes NOT on
tirpiy well meaning stood pigeon
progressive" TO- further their own
cause. Tho worst rcpres cr'ativcs oI
bic business encouraged the Oufcrv
Tor the total abolition ~ big bust
ness. because they knew that they
could not De hurt in this way. and
that such an OutCry distracted the
NNNf Il| IfNIN VI NIIf' INNN'NIf IIU.N NNI' IfNia
" efficient method ~ controlling
and supervising them In just but
mastery fashion. which was adyo-
Gated By the can" eoufativns cf
reform. However. We succeeded In
making o. good h.sfrn 0r hy securing
fhr rassa.c Of Jaw creating the
DEPARTMENT Of CONN srCe and labor.
ard With it the erection % the bureau
az corporations Tho first head OF
Tho department NJ commerce and
labor was Mr Cortolyou later fccrc-
fary ~ DO treasury Tie was sue.
coeded by Mr. oscar Sfraus The
first head az tho bureau 81 corpora
tions was Mr Garfield. who was sue
cecded by Mr. Herbert Knox smith
No four better public servants from
Tho standpoint o. the people a. n
whole could have been found
ln standard OIL company took tho
lead ln opposing all this legislation