The Washington herald., 1918-06-24
HOWE.
SHOEMAKER
Holland Mentions Death Of
the Great Or
ganizer.

organization OF the United Shoe Ma
chinery Company. Mr.. Howe's voca-
ton was not that Of a business man
pure and simple. He was a MEM
ber for many years of the leading
law firm in Boston, which was ex-
clnsively occupied with matters
which related to patents.
The firm gained a nationwide rep.
utation as patent lawyers. and each
Of the three partners accumulated
q large fortune. This was made pos
stble by reason OF the fact that the
firm was retained in some very i'm
portant patent litigation and patent
solicitation involving large sums OF
money.
PRESUMABLY ii was due to his ex-
perience as a patent lawyer and to
his professional association with q
group Of men who proposed organ
king shoe machinery company that
he was named one of the five original
Promoters of a corporation which be,
came one Of the largest American
industries and which has for some
years been much in the public eye
by reason Of the attempt of the De.
partment of Justice at Washington
70 secure. through the decision ol
the Supreme Court, the disruption OF
the organization on the ground that
II had established a monopoly in re.
)sraint OF trade.
Mr.. Howe. while not widely known
to the public. was OF high reputa.
ton among professional men and In
certain business circles. At the be.
ginning of his career after he was
graduated from Yale. he set an ex-
ample worthy OF imita ton by, young
men who desire to get along in life.
He was received as an apprentice
workman in one of the large manu-
featuring plants at worchester
Massachusetts. In that capacity he
mastered the details of the manu-
Dfacture OF important industrial
commodities, so that he was well
fortified. as he in fact hoped to be-
for undertaking the profession OF
n patent lawyer.
After he finished what might be
called a kindergarten course or ar
apprenticeship IN the WorchesteI
industry plant. he with two others
established at Boston a firm which
early gained recognition as a very
able and successful association OF
patent lawyers.
Following President winsIow
After several years of litigation
in the federal courts the Supreme
Court decided a few months age
that this corporation was not q
monopoly. The decision was not
unanimous, and one of those who il
associated prominently with the
corporation said when he learned
that the majority opinion was Sc
cured by only one vote, We wor
but by the skin of our teeth"
President Winslow, who gained
somewhat sensational reputation
as a fighter as we'll as a successful
business organizer. did not live
long enough to know that the su-
PEeme court had decided that the
corporation was not a monopoly in
n restraint of trade. Mr.. Winslow
died a few months before the decis.
ion was handed down.
Now only a few weeks after the
| corporation has been sustained by
! the supreme court, Mr.. Howe has
passed away.
L. He was i heavy investor in
United shoe Machinery stock and
it is believed that a considerable
part Of tke large fortune which he
left is represented by shares in thi,
corporation.
still on Anxious Seat
Although the Supreme Court ha.
decided by a narrow margin that the
United States Shoe Machinery cor.
| poration is not monopoly estab.
lished in restraint of trade, never.
theless the victory is not entirely
satisfactory. There remains a deci.
sion upon the case brought by tn,
shoe manufacturers of st. Loui.
against the United Shoe MACHINERY
Company. and should that decision
be in favor OF the st. Louis people
1t may tend considerably to impair
1.-THE prestige and market contro
(which now characterize the United
Shoe Machinery Company.
1t is an interesting historic fact
that 1t was Boston capital and Bos-
ton ability which established tht
shoe manufacturing industry of st
Louis many years ago. Now that
industry is one of the leading in.
dustries Of st. Louis and that city
with Boston substantially controls
the shoe manufacturin industry OF
the United States.
William CIaflin, who w9~ in ib,
early fOrties a shoe manufacture,
in little town out OF Boston. fI1r.
nished the capital and brought into
association with himself another
who was also of the CIafiin name
with Intent to establish a shoe man.
ufacturing industry in st. Louis
This was done because Mr.. Chafir
was persuaded that st. Louis was
to become the most important COM
mercial metropolis upon the Missfs.
sippi. commanding much of the
great trade which originated in the
Southwest.
He looked confidently forward tc
the growth OF st. Louis. Years after
ward he was accustomed to sneak
with some proper pride of the growth
OF the shoe manufa cturing industry
in ST. Louis. feeling that he could
take some share in the prestige. He
afterwards served as governor OF
Massachusetts, and for several years
chiefly in the administration of Pres.
fdents Hayes and Arthur, he req
resented one OF the Massachusetts
! districts in the Lower House Of Con-
gress.
While thus serving he was accus-
TONED to speak occasionally to rep
resentatiyes in Congress from ST.
NLouis of the wonderful DEVELOPMENT
OF the shoe manufacturing in st.
Louis. whereby that city was tax
ing equal rank with Boston.
The United Shoe Machinery Conn
pany was not organized until after
the death OF Governor Clafiin. Its