The Washington herald., 1914-07-30
President Warned Of Danger.

The President yesterday received delegation o
business men and discussed with them business iegis
laton which the Senate has spent many days in de-
batting and upon which it is still far from agreement
These men should have given their views long ago
to the Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce.
They should be invited there now, with Others be-
cause they have in their possession information
which the Senate must have to enable it to act intel
ligent1y on bills now before it especially the Clayton
bill and the trade commission bill.
The Presidents callers were apparently friendly
to his administration and he is reported to have
promised to transmit their views to the Senate COM
mittee. Why should their views go to the Senate
by way of the White House? The mission in Wash
ngton of these representatives of great organizations
of wholesale dealers of the Eastern cities had to
do with legislation, and they should have gone with
their views and their information to the haS of legis
Iation where Senators are gropng for safe and
sane way extrcate the trade commission bill from
tsngle of absurd and dangerous provisions. Per-
haps the information which these men brought to
Washington and to the White House instead of to
the Capitol comes too late but when the President
considers the views of the business who visited
him yesterday in connection with the debate in the
Senate on Tuesday in which Mr. Sutherland, Mr.
Newlands, and Mr.. Colt took part, it may be that
he will use his great influence with the Senate to
call halt on the Clayton bill and the trade commits
sion bill, so that fresh start may be made with
sufficient knowledge of the subject to make intelligent
action possible OF course, the business men should
have been heard long ago. but they were not given
the opportunity; nevertheless their warning has been
sounded in time to avert the danger if prompt steps
are taken.
The Presidents visitors complained of the injury
which the Clayton bill threatens to nfict on the
smaller merchants the very class which the measure
is supposed to benefit and protect Surely their views
should be given consideration. In the Senate,
Tuesday, Mr.. Sutherland pointed out the danger in
section OF the trade commission BILL with,its vague
prohibition of unfair competition" and the debate
which followed showed plainly the tange the Senate
is in and suggested similar condition of the nations
business if the is enacted in its present FORM
81 merely want to know" said Mr. Colt, what the
business men of this country think of this phrase
unfair competition which is new in the sense in
think of it and how they going to meet it if it is
into law
Now is the time to answer Mr.. Colts question,
instead of in the courts two or three years hence
after business has struggled with it. eventually to be
halted by prosecution. The majority will
heavy load of responsibility if, as it bent on
doing it forces passage of the bill in its present form
Senator Sutherland after pleading for the right of
the business man to know what the Clayton bill and
the trades commission bill contain suggested the only
way to avoid the danger of giving industry and COM
merce another setback when he said:
The fair thing and the wise thing would be to take
these three bills or at least two of them the so-caed
Clayton bill and the unfair competition BILL and refer
them back to the Committees the Judiciary and
Interstate Commerce to act jointly them and then
for Congress to adjourn and go home and let this
whole question be thrashed by those committees
let these provisions be reconcied let these bills be
dovetailed together so that they will be harmonious
one with the other and that these many provisions
which | predict will be incapable of enforcement or,
rather will be enforced or will be enforced arb
trarily will be held invalid by the courts, may be
eliminated
If the President has not learned from his recent
talks with business that Mr.. Sutherland was
voicng the view of the country they have not been
frank with him.