The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-22
NO ATTEMPT TO RUSH
MEASURES UNDULY
Chairmen of Committees Favor Ex-
haustive Hearings on Proposed
Regulations = To Reduce
"Debatable Ground"

mittees, to be considered as working basis
for full discussion in open hearings.
That there would be no attempt to un-
duly rush trust regulation measures was
asserted positively on all sides, the Pres
ident having assured Senator Newlands,
chairman of the interstate commerce COM
mittee; Representative Clayton, chairman
of the judiciary committee, and Represen-
tative Adamson, chairman of the inter-
state and foreign commerce committee,
that he was in full accord with the pur-
pose to hold exhaustive hearings.
Present Bills Today
Representative Clayton announced to-
night that such of the five bills as have
been prepared tentatively by his subcom-
mittee would be laid before democratic
members of the judiciary committee to-
morrow and made public as soon as pos
sible. He thought it probable that some
of them might be introduced tomorrow.
The questions of hearings will be taken
up Immediately by the committee major
ity, the purpose being to begin them when
the tentative legislation programme fin
ally has been outlined.
Senator Newlands today introduced a
resolution which would authorize his COM
mittee to hold hearings and to sit during
sessions of the House, IL necessary, to
expedite the sounding of opinion on the
trust question. The senator talked with
the President early in the day.
Confer With Wilson
Representative Adamson and members
of the committee when will have juris-
diction over the bills to create an inter
state trade commission and to provide fed
eral regulation of railroad securities to-
,ftrl,t ra11 at for
conference with the President. Repre-
sentative Adamson expects to call
meeting of the committee within a few
days.
1t was stated from an authoritative
source that of the five bills under con-
sideration, the measure requiring the
deepest thought and which will be of
greatest importance in the minds of many,
is that which will include Sherman law
definitions. defining specifically what con-
sttutes conspiracy in restraint of trade.
That is the measure proposed to reduce
the "debatable ground" suggested by
President Wilson, as surrounding the
Sherman law.
Among the suggestions being made the
committee as TO the meaning which should
be given restraints under the law are the
following:
Attempts to restrain or prevent in any
manner any vendee from purchasing any
article from another, or using any article
obtained from some other person, whether
such an attempt be made by an agree
ment, provision expressed or implied, or
be made by condition in the sale against
such purchase or by imposing any re-
striction upon the use of the article sold,
or by making in the price any restriction
forbidding the purchaser from dealing in
such an article made by some other per-
son.
Attempts to restrain or prevent compete
tion by making discrimination in the price
or other terms based upon whether the
vendee purchases articles of particular
quantity or aggregate price.
Attempts to prevent restrain COM
petition either by refusing to supply to
any other person requiring the same, any
article sold. or by consenting to supply
the same only on terms or conditions in
some respect less favorable than accord
ed another person. by supplying or offer
ing to supply to any person doing busi-
ness in any particular territory articles
sold by him upon terms or conditions in
any respect more favorable than are ac-
corded to other customers; by making any
contract or arrangement under which a
purchaser shall not sell any article in
which he deals to certain persons or class
of persons or to those doing business in
certain districts or territory; by supply
out charge or below cost of production
and distribution.
Spying Upon Business
Other acts which may be laid down as
violations of the sherman law include
spying upon the business of a competitor,
obtaining information concerning his busi-
ness through bribery, and fixing an un-
reasonably high price upon some raw
material required for producing a COM
petitive article.
All of these definitions have been SUBJ
mittcd to the House and Senate commit
tees and are under consideration for In
corporation in the proposed Sherman law
MS bill
ology suggested to the commit
injection with the feature of the
islation to make 1t possible for.
Is to institute suits for relief
naged by monopolists was as
aAnF rson who shall be injured in
yuziness or property or shall be
threatened with such injury. by any other
person or corporation by reason of any
thing forbidden or declared to be unlaw
ful by this act may bring suit in equity
in any district court of the United States
in tha district In which the defendant
resides or is found to prevent ana re-
strain violations ur this act.
May Protect Interests
Whenever suit has leen instituted under
section four Of the Sherman law, any
person who shall be injul ed in his bus-
ness or property, or threatened with such
injury by the defendants in said suit,
or any of them, by reason of anything
forbidden or declared to he unlawful in
this act and any state of the United
States. may at any time intervene in said
suit to protect his interests; or, if the
intervenor be a state, the interests of
the citizens of such state and any per-
son interested or any state, may after
final decree in said suit petition said
court for protection or redress in case
of any violation of said decree, and the
court shall have power to take such ac-
tion may be appropriate in the
premises.
Representative Adamson arranged today
for the cooperation of the Interstate
commerce commission in framing the bill
to give the commission power to supervise