Evening star., 1915-08-15

Ill states IiON nave d stSiu oue SS -
pathetic parent-a collective
q father. it might be said-to
chasten them when they are bad, to praise
them when they are good and to counsei
them when they are perpIexed or in
trouble.
Justice Harlan. who smoked fve-cent
cigars twhen not engaged with other
forms of tobacco1. played golf, taught
Bible class every Sunday morning rooe
In street cars and spoke to any one
who spoke to him. said. twenty-five
wears ago. in a decision which he de-
livered in the Supreme Court, that the
American business man needed to have
regulator of. the character here de-
scribed.
Full inuformation. he declared
"necessarv as q basis of intelligent
hesitation by Congress upo"
the subject of interstate commerce
cannot be obtained nor can the Fuies
established for the regulation Oh SUI"
commerce be efficiently enforced othei
wise than through the instrumentahts
of an administrative body represehtihs
the whole country, always Watchiul oi
the general interest and charged with
the duty not only of obtaining the re-
quired information. but OF comPellihs,
by all lawful methods. ooeoiehce W
such rules
After more than two decades OF Va
grant discussion Congress eleven
months ago, created the federal trace
commission. 1t is composed OF hNe
members, and is the stern and sympa-
thetic collective father that is travel
ing from city to city at TINS lilie,
uarentallv meeting with merchants and
70 q
TO get and to hold the world S mar
kets.
The sherman antitrust law was ne"
when Justice Harlan, with unerrins
common sense pointed out that rules
for the regulation of business coulo
not be established. nor their ooeolehce
enforced when esta blished, unless tne
national government were preclsely
informed in respect to business. But
nothing was done, except to go after
business with tomahaWk ana sea
ing knife. -
Six wears later Senator Francis h.
Newlands repeated the Harlan sugges-
tion Time passed and in 1908 Phlian-
der c. Knox. Attorney Genera. nous
he had been Andrew Carnegie @ per
sonal counsel and had made Slsu"'" d
wear as a corporation lawyer, informed
a committee of the Senate that COM
mission ought to be created to aid IN
carrying out the sherman ia" pN oo
tanning information. by examining WI
nesses. including the managers OF DIG
husiness and by sending for the
books and documents of the so,calleo
trusts. The official attitude all the
while was growing more belligerent
In the years that followed bills were
introduced in both houses of Congress
authorizing independent commissions
to scrutinze and regulate all corpora
tions except banks and railroads, ell
gagged in interstate commerce.
Finally, January 30. 1914. President
Wilson urged that an interstate traoe
commission be established as an m
dispensable instrument of information
and publicity, as a clearing mouse III
the facts by which both the pubic ano
the managers Of great business unoeI-
takines shall be guided. and as an in
strumentality for doing justice TO ousi-
ness when the processes OF the couits
or the natural forces of correction ou.
side the courts are inadequate 10 au
lust the remedy to the wrong in a way
that will meet all the equities ana
circumstances of the case ,s
So Congress. both OF It's oranGhes
working and comforting together
enacted the law of September 26, 1914,
whereby Ave commissioners, no more
than three of whom can belong 10 tne
same political party. became tne stic resI
lators the stern but sympatnetic
collective father. as has been sald-o1
the business men in the United States.
The commi ssioners, however, nave no
control over bankers or transportatioh-
lists: their functions being only opera
tive, perhaps, with merchants anu
manufacturers.
Clubbing has terrorized and even
crippled the country's commerce.
Manufacturers have said; Explain the
law in plain language and we snaIi
obey it." In the meantime. in tortu-
osity and at great cost, they have been
taken from court to court, while law
yers disagreed and judges reversed one
another. Hereafter, when they are IN
doubt, they can privately tax the,r
difficulties over with the reaera, Si trace aae
commission. Promiscuous clubbing mas
been halted - for the present. at all
events. How the new policy will work
out has yet to be tested.
The trade commission, like the inter-
state commerce commission, which has
jurisdiction over the railroads. is an
Independent body. 1t was created by
Congress- and is accountable to Con-
gress and not to any member OF the
cabinet The commi ssioners are ap-
pointed by the President for term OF
seven years with the advice and con-
sent of the Senate meaningless
clause, ordinarily-andt the annual sal
AIRY of each is $4,000.
Their expenses are paid when they
travel. The salary of their secretary
is $1,000 Each commissioner, besides.
has his own clerk. One hundred and
fifty men and women-economists,s stat
isticians, lawyers, stenographers and
T. 49, III =