Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-01-29
TRADE
COMMISSION IS
CRITICIZED BY
COLUMBIA HEAD
President Nicholas Murray
Butler Says It MiScon-
Strued Its Proper Duties
and Prosecuted Business.
INDUSTRIAL KINGS
BRANDED CRIMINALS
Says People Who Have La
bored 10 Reduce Produc,
ton Cost Find Themselves
Suddenly Brought to Book
rny sosslno JousnAL SPECIAL LEASED w,ssl

thN hoaNINo JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED ~iREl
Philadelphia, Jan. 2S.--An attack
on the federal trade commission
was made before the Philadelphia
Chamber Of Commerce by Nicholas
Murray Butler, president of Co
lumbia university and an aspirant
for the republican nomination for
president.
Discussing the necessity of
clearing away uncertainties in pub
lie policy that hamper business, he
said:
I'VE have at the present time a
federal trade commission appointed
pursuant to the provisions CT a sat
ute which might easily be SO adj
ministered as to do great good,
The federal trade commission has,
however, utterly misconstrued it's
proper functions and has preferred
to persecute business rather than
to protect and develop it. Ihn
cheaply won applause which Is
sure to follow the violent denun-
citation of somebody or something
for an alleged wrong has been pre-
ferred to the much more solid ana
lasting approval of an intelligent
people that would follow upon con-
structive acts which should indicate
how the business of the country
might be better and more wisely
developed.
''It is little short of pathetic, af-
ter some of the best brains in the
nation have organized and set on
foot a great industrial undertaking
which engages the cooperation of
thousands of men and women, re-
duces the cost of production of
some staple article, and begins TO
extend American trade into new
lands, to find them summarlly
brought to book as criminals by
the attorney general of the United
States or by the United States dis
trict attorney in some judicial dis
trict.
'"rhe course of wisdom and of
progress would be for the commits
sion to hear the plans of those who
propose to develop an undertaking
of this sort; to point out in advance
what would be considered Unfair
business practices and what would
not; to indicate the line where mo-
nopoly would be held to begin, and
which therefore must not be
crossed; and then to send the new
undertaking on its way with the
full knowledge and cooperation of
the federal trade commission, with
which, thereafter, the undertaking
should stand in the closest possible
relations"
Such policy by the commission,
DR.. Butler said, would simply re-
peat in the field of industry the
precise policy which the govern
ment has followed with extraordi-
nary success in the case of national
banks.
Besides policy as to what might |
be done without prosecution under |
the Sherman law or clayton act, he !
added, business was confronted |
with uncertainty as TO labor. To |
remove this he suggested the estab-
lishment at Washington Of a com
mission on industrial relations to |
represent the public alone, which |
should make findings and recon-
mendations in labor disputes. The
doors of this commission, he raid,
should be open to wage workers,
employers, or to any body of in
dividual citizens or to the attorney
general of the United States
Arguing that public opinion
would be sufficient to enforce the
commissions recommendation, he
said, the United States supreme
court could not enforce its DEGREES
against a state, but nevertheless
such decisions had been obeyed,
and that the rules of international
law except in time of war had wide
application.
He expressed warning note
against the building up of "huGe /
political machines in order 10 main
tain and increase the points Of con-
tact between government and busi-
ness"
''The unchecked development of
such tendercy," he said, would
in time completely alter the Amer
lean form of government and revo-
lutionizs American business. 1t is
perfectly easy by following such a
course as outlined to transfer
democracy into an autocracy of Of
flee holders and inspectors. Nomi-
nally this autocracy would repre-
sci and carry out the wish of the
people. but actually it would he
tyranny of an office holding
c,ass.