The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-06-13
George w. Perkins Talks
On the Sherman Law
Shows Where and Why 1t Has Failed and Tells What He
Believes Is the Proper Remedy

has falled, why II mas Ialled ana the
remedy. In part he said:
FIRST INSTALLMENT.
take II that We are all agreed that
at the time the Sherman law was passed
there was a crying need for legislation
against the evils that We're rapidly de-
velopng in the American business world
and that there was ground for the ap-
prehension of the people regarding the
far-reaching harmful effects Of those evil
tendencies.
Business men were acquiring power to
an extent that had previously been I'M
known. and in many instances they were
using that power for their own personal
profit and ACKNOWLEDGMENT and to the
detrment and injury of their fellow-men
They were practicing secrctive business
methods and were beating down COM
petitors. forcing them to choose between
bankruptcy or entering a combination on
terms that were very unfair. This was
| clearly the tendency of the times. and
| legislation to check and prevent II was
| imperative.
| With this most desirable end In view
the Sherman law was passed in 1880. The
| object of the legislators was commend
| able: the results attained have been
llamentablr for no intelligent, thoughtful
man can look back over the intervening
twenty-five years and conscientiously say
that the Law that was passed was the kind
| Of law that should have been enacted
TO achieNe the rel"rihs so siea'! "eeueu'
During THESE twenty -"Ne
nave continue" 1" aIiuie Po" g,
extent niue hreamed OF "heh 'he ''he'
! man la" was passed. ana ne s
10 Use IL Tor t''h own seh'Sh p"'P
ana 10 IN" hetrimeht OF the Pn"ic
| fare Evil practices in business have been
persistently followed that have been most
| DANA GinC in their effects on the public
"eilare ana most oehehCiH' III 'h,ii "
| cuhiary reward 10 i" "'"i iu,"i', ~
/ tnis mas poem Gazing piac" WITH inc "he'
man law on the DOCKS
| mat inc sherman la" mas oeeh IAN
ure from 'he "e2ihhihs Is proven ny the
events 'h"t nav occurreu sihce IT'S paS
sage. IN the IirSt piace, '"r h,in"et
OF Years u was Practlca'iy nehd .ft'er'
i'"' me '"'s ,i'''t ,''e "i eah,%ati"Il vi '"'
W. a.S '',I ", ad
-, I.,r
| l 49, 80, .,
; 49,, 80 ~ 49, 49,,
1,.; ;.,i 1,,. =; ,,,o
! p.,. .;.., h -,
: 49,, 80, 80 ;,'si,,, -. -
~ 80, ;.,,,.o,.I i,, A,
~ go ,i,,a e. nonar,,na,,, -, Co,,,
$50 md Ioho. ~ ~" hii.hod and
I a;,.o,, ,,,,,.ar % ir,.,.,;,,,,o o.. I,-ro d,
! dus,r;.I INCOME p,oeiJan. pnosoraI,
usad ,b;e d.n.rt,,or, for s,,cb irvos,iya
tions ana declarod HE b.1iof tho, ,horo
we're good and had trus.s and said that
! h. nronosed 70 b,;r,, s,Iitr ,gaips, what
/ he called bad trusts.' and NOT against
wbs no termed good +rusts +" The no
rartment of Commerce and Labor nur-
sued its Investigations and made various
reports In MANY addresses and messages
! Roosevelt declared his belief that largo
industrial corporations had come to stay.
/ but that their affairs must he SO admin
| istered that they would he a benefit and
This condi,fon .xistod who, M TOT,
w,s no,,ina,ad Co., 49, pros;Io w.
| r,a,for,,, 81, nbich 10 u,o, ,,o,,;,,a,,, o,,,
/ t.i,ad Mr. Poosoyo,,. ,.ior.s 90, ,ha ,,,,
question which ,.re a~nrossad In , miami.
| Of tho Taft nIatforr,.
/ ..Trus,s TIL pon,,hIicar p,r,,. rassod
tho Sba,m,, ,rti.trust low o,.or Dor,o.
/ cr,,;c onnosi,io, ,rd arro,.ad :, .f,ar
| Dep,ocr,,ic deraEc,ior I, hoe hoen n
wholesome instrument for good in the
hands Of a wise and fearless .dninistra-
, tior Ru, exnsrionce has shown that
i,S effectiveness can no c,renp,bcro1 and
its real objects hett.r attained ny such
amendments as will give ia the Federal
government greater SUPERVISION and con-
troll over and secure greater nubIicity in
III. manapement of that class of Corpora-
tions epraped in interstate commerce
having mower and onportunity 70 effect
monopo,ies
A few weeks later Mr. Rrysn was
nominated on the Democratic pIstform.
the trus, nlapk of which among other
things declared for a policy that would
nrohibit the control or n ..manufac
or trading corporstion engaged in inter-
state commerce" of moro than 70 per
cent of me total amount of any product
consumed in the United States"
D,;u.,
The Presidential campaign of 1913 FOL
lowed and the widely different views OF
the Republican and Democratic parties
on the trust question. as represented ny
these two pianks. were vigorously de-
bated throughout the country. Probably
the greatest and most effective speech OF
that entire campaign was Gov. Hughes
speech at Youngstown. Ohio. wherein h"
utterly demolished Bryan's 70 per cent
theory and pointed out the absolute cha
os that would follow in business if any
such measure of right and wrong or ef-
ficiency were set up.
The planks went to the voters of the
country and the Republican plank was
adopted by an overwhelming vote. The
Taft administration entered office. but in
place of making any determined. per
sistent effort to have its plank enacted
into law 1t allowed matters to drift I'M
til decisions in the Standard Oil and To-
bacco cases were handed down by the
Supreme Court. Then Mr.. Taft and his
associates deliberately and completely