Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-12-13
SHERMAN LAW, TERRA GOTTA AND COAL

violation of the Sherman antitrust law and the other four
indictments found have been dismissed, a few remarks on
this Sherman law and the terra Gotta business as compared
with the coal business, for instance, might not be amiss.
In the first place, the Sherman law is about thirty years
old. What might have seemed like a crime in business
methods thirty years ago may be looked upon in an altogether
different light at the present time. 1t is a notorious fact that
there is hardly any line of business where the Sherman act Is
not now being violated. The old ~cut-throat policy which drove
so many industries and business houses into bankruptcy no
longer exists. These are days of big business. A business to
compete in a large way has got to be big. 1t was Theodore
\aoosevelt who tried o-distinguish between the good and the
bad trusts. He was ridiculed when he did it, but time has
indicated the stand he took.
But the Sherman law does not discriminate between
good and bad combinations. All are classed alike and should
the law be strictly enforced, as there seems to be an effort 10
do now. the iails would be filled with our prominent business
men and manufacturers.
The Sherman law, if it is to be enforced, should be
amended so as to be brought up to date. To allow unre-
stricted combinations in any line of business would be dan
eerous. of course. There must be some regulation. But
modern business methods must not be impeded by any act of
thirty years ago.
The terra Gotta men were indicted largely on the
ground that they were partly responsible for the present
house shortage. They were charged with forming a combl-
nation to restrain trade and boost prices. Perth Amboy being
one of the centers of the terra Gotta industry, will be sur
prised at such a charge'as this.
II is well known in this vicinity that the terra Gotta
business has not been very prosperous in recent years. 1t IS
well known that the attempt made eight or ten wears ago to
form a terra Gotta trust utterly failed. While several OF the
plants entered into the proposed combine, enough refused
to do so to upset the plan and, incidentally, those who stayed
out came near running those who went in The trade had
hardly recovered from the fight that developed In the busl-
mess as a result of that effort to combine when the war broke
pSxsnd the terra Gotta industry was shot to pieces.
An through the war when other industries were making
their millions by manufacturing war materials many of the
terra Gotta plants in this vicinity were shut down completely.
One or two managed to maintain a semblance of operation
through a contract with the government to manufacture
clay .bombs' used for training purposes, but this was a mere
bagatelle compared with the legitimate terra Gotta business
that had been utterly ruined.
The thousands of terra Gotta workers in this vicinity
can testify to the slack times and lack of work in this line of
industry all through the war and since the armistice was
signed. as well. If there has been any agreement between
the different terra Gotta concerns it certainly has not protted
tbey very much for the terra Gotta business hereabouts has
been considered anything but prosperous for some time
past. In fact, that is about the last industry that would have
been thought of here as being the object of an attack by the
government.
= We cannot but contrast this action against the terra
Gotta men with the way the coal operators have been allowed
to have everything their own way so long. The terra Gotta
men are accused of being one of the hindrances in the way
Of home building and therefore, it is claimed, they should
be punished. But how few people there are affected by the
price of terra Gotta as compared with the number of people
affected by the price of coal?
Investigation after INTERCHANGEABLE is about as far
as the government ever gets in the matter of coal-has
shown the rankest kind of dealings with the public. The
Mackay Commission, which is now once more investigating
he coal situation in New Jersey, has again exposed the work.
ings of this nefarious combine 1t is only a repetition of the
Testimony of previous Investigations yet there is no district
attorney willing, apparently, to take up the cause of the
public in this regard The poor who buy their coal by the
bucket are paying in some nearby cities at the rate of $50
a ton for coal. Yet the government will go after an industry
like the terra Gotta business, struggling to get on its feet once
more after the blight of the war when it was shut down
c~ompletely, while the coalbarons keep up their brazen de-
fiance.
It is not denied that there is an organization of terra
Gotta ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS line of business does not have
its organization these days? But knowing the heads of these
Industries and being more or less acquainted with some OF
the problems that they have had to contend with in recent
wears, the people here cannot believe that any organization
that may have been formed has existed for any other purpose
than to advance the industry in every legitimate way, work
ing IN friendly competition rather than using the old cut
throat methods that once was so disastrous to all lines of
business.
Government officials are to be commended in their eff
forts to protect the public in every way, but why should they
concentrate their activities on the comparatively small and
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