Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1919-09-01

sound principle Of law that congress
has power to regulate their business
Judgment and fair play must be ex.
crciScd. to the end that attempted
remedies may not prove disastrous &c
legitimate interests. There is not Il
man in congress whom the Frceman
Journal would trust in this matter to
Il greater extent that it is willing to
trust Senator Kenyon and we believe
that is the prevailing sentiment
throughout Iowa.
]. Ogden Armour of the packing in
dustry, has taken occasion to write the
Freeman-Journal letter ancnt the
bill in question. He says:
Whose concern is it that congress
is considering legislation that will re-
strict the meat packers from compct-
ing in the general food field and put
them under complete domination of
some government official?
"Of course. our concern is appar-
cnt: it hardly need be said that we
will protest emphatically against such
Legislation. We believe that others,
too, will protest, because, under the
Moses Amendment TO the Kenyon Bill
the Act becomes applicable to all in
terstate business. which means that
the baneful effects of this proposed
legislation will not be confined to the
packing industry. If need be. we will
make this fight alone. but we are writ
ing to record this thought:
This proposed legislation affects
every kind of business because it sets
a precedent inimical to enterprise in
all fields. 1t puts business under the
heel of bureaucracy and the logical
result would be Il return to the medic
val practice of craft and guild domina
tion. which kept initiative in a
straight jacket.
when it comes to pass that Il bust
ness can exist only by leave of some
official holding temporary office and
not necessarily conversant with the
business involved. then industrial and
commercial progress in this country
will cease.
law, eliminate competition at the hands
of the meat packers, as is the intent of
pending legislation. then there is no
logical reason why the tailor could not
in a similar way stop the sale of
clothes at department stores: or why
automobile distributors could not pre-
vent wholesale grocers from handling
accessories or why cigar stores could
not stop the sale of tobacco by drug
giSts: or. in your own case, why the
fiction magazines should not make it
Illegal for newspapers to print serials.
1T will be terrible blow to Amer
lean business when congress begins
deciding for the firm or individual
what legitimate activity he may or may |
not engage in.
"Of similar significance is the pro-
posul to take away from the meat |
packers their refrigerator cars.--not |
because of any misuse of them. but
simply because all firms do not operate
their own. 1t is as though Il law were
passed which compelled you. the owner
Of a modern press, TO make it common
property. because someone desired to
with you for business, but
was not possessed of proper mechanical
equipment.
I'VE do not aver that such foolish
avs will ever be enacted. but they are
10 more foolish or unjust than the
law to license packers, limit
heir activities and take away from
hem that portion of their equipment
which others would like to use
J. Ogden Armour.