Evening star., 1914-01-20
but also by Independent suggestion,
necessary.
Punishment for individuals.

-
Inasmuch as our object and the spirit
Of our action in these matters is to meet
business half way in its processes OF SELL
correction and disturb its legitimate
course as little as possible. we ought 10
see to it, and the judgment of practlcal
and sagacious men of affairs everywhere
would applaud us If we did see to It, tnat
penalties and punishments should 1aI,
not upon business itself, to its CONFUSION
and interruption. but upon the individuals
who use the instrumentalities of business
to do things which public policy anu
sound business practice condemn. Every
act of business is done at the command
or upon the initiative of some ascertain
able person group of persons. Ihese
should be held individually responsible
and the punishment should fall upon
them, not upon the business organlLatlo1
of which they make Illegal use. 1t snono
he one of the main objects of our leels-
lation to divest such persons of their
corporate cloak and deal with them as
with those who do not represent eheif
corporations, but merely by deliberate m
tention break the law. Business men the
country through would. / am sure. ap
plaud us if we were to take enectual
steps to see that the officers and directors
of great business bodies were prevented
from bringing them and the business oi
the country into disrepute and danger.
Other questions remain when VIII
need very thoughtful and pracucai
treatment. Enterprises, In these noa
are oftentimes interlocked, not by be-
ing under the control of the same direc-
tors, but by the fact that the greater
part of their corporate stock IS owned
by a single person or group of persons
who are in some way intimately relateo
in interest We are agreed, take IT,
that holding companies should be pro-
hibited. but what OF the controinng pri
nf irdi VII actual
!y cooperative groups of individuals;
Shall the private owners of capital
stock be suffered to be themselves IN
effect holding companies! we DO not
wish. 1 suppose, to forbid the purchase
Of stocks by any person who pleases to
buy them in such quantities as he can
afford or in any way arbitrarily TO limit
the sale Of stock to bona fide nSa purcnasff IS
stock, when their voting power in sew
eraI companies which ought to be in
dependent of one another would constl-
tute actual control, to make eleetioh nm IN
right to vote? This question 1 venture
for your consideration. ..
Evidence Available for Suits.
There is another matter in which i'm
perative considerations of justice and fair
play suggest thoughtful remedial action
Not only do many of the combinations ef-
fected or sought to be effected in the in
dustrial world work an injustice upon the
public in general; they also directly and
seriously injure the individuals who are
put out of business in one unfair way or
another by the many dislodging and eX-
terminating forces of combination. 1 hope
that we shall agree in giving private in
dividuals who claim to have been injured
by these processes the right to found their
suits for redress upon the facts and
judgments proved and entered in suits
by the government where the gov
ernment has upon its own lniatlve
sued the combinations complained of
and won it's suit. and that the statute of
| limitations shall be suffered to run
against such litigants only from the date
of the conclusion of the governments ac-
ton. 1t is not fair that the private liti-
CANT should be obliged to set up and es-
tablish again the facts which the govern
ment has proved. He cannot afford. he
has not the power, to make use Of such