The Washington herald., 1915-04-02
Questions Before the Trade Commission.

1t seems to have escaped general notice that
the last Congress only appropriated for the work
OF the new Trade Commission $4,000 more than
the amount annually appropriated in previous
years for the Bureau of Corporations, whose duties
the Trade Commission is to take over. This is
barely enough to dcfray the additional expense
neccsStated by the salaries of the members OF the
commission. 1t is said that there is not ever
enough to pay for the requisite number of new
stenographcrs. The commission, although its
work is supposed to cover a much larger field
than that of the Bureau OF Corporations, really
do no more than the Bureau of Corporations did
1t, indeed, it can do as much; and there those
who say that this limitation of the work of the
commission due to spite the part of Rep
resentative Fitzgerald, the chairman of the Appro-
priations Committee of the House. who has had
many differences with President Wilson.
We do not believe that there is any ground~for
this criticism SO far Representative Fitzgerald
is concerned. 1t is we'll known that Mr. Fitz-
gerald has been sincerely devoted 70 economy and
that he has cndeavorcd to keep down the appro-
priations by Congress so far as he possibly could
do He undoubtedly thought that the money
appropriated for the old Bureau of Corporations
was amply sufficient for this purpose and it is
probable that he and the members of the Appropria-
tons Committee did not sec any especial need for
a larger appropriation for this purpose at the
present time. If the members of the Trade Com
mission wise they will not sulk over the mat
ter, but they will spend the next year in taking
careful survey of the trade situation and in en-
deavoring to find out precisely what work the
commission wisely perform. There is no
doubt that the law providing for the Trade Com
mission was drawn in very vague and general
terms. No one knows exactly what the law means.
I,1;- .1oJ eel
just where the functions of the Department of
Justice end and those of the Trade Commission
begin. good deal of experimentation and prac-
teal adjustment will be required to settle this one
difficulty. There is also great danger whether if
the Trade Commission started in to bother or
any wide scale with trade and industry it would
not find its work conflicting with that Of the Inter-
state Commerce Commission. The latter body is
OF course, to confne itself to the trans
portation business But trade and industry in the
country are inextrcably interviewer with trans
portation problems and the members of the two
bodies will have all they do to avoid treading
on each others toes with their supervising and
-egulating of business matters.
Beyond all this the fact has become plain that |
he public is beginning to look askance at all the
schemes which have been so popular in recent
years for regulating and supervising business The
ever to restrict business operations by govern |
ncnt interference has passed 1t is felt that the |
ailroads and similar public utility services should
still be kept under the general control OF an au-
horty representing the interest of the people, blu.
he notion is gaining Roadway that there has been
90 much interference with business by the gov
or in other words that business has been |
overregulated. Public opinion concerning these
matters often changes Some years ago the Com
nercc Court established in response to pub |
lie demand therefor what was supposed to be |
such; but after short period it found that the
public had for the court and wanted to see |
done away with. 1t hard to secure the pas
'age OF bill repeating the legislation creating the
court, but public sentiment was appeased by the !
allure OF Congress to appropriate money for the
;ourt's support. In the end the tribunal was abol-
shed. The lesson of this is that there must be
genuine, iorceful public sentiment in favor of all
Institutions OF this kind. Let friends on the |
lcw Trade Commission take warning.