The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-12-28
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
BY ]. E. Jones

dormant for many years until the
Roosevelt administration decided to
enforce its provisions. Then came
what the law meant. The StanGtld
Oil Company was ~"dissolved,' and the
tobacco trust was "annihilated." For
a brief period ~monopolies and trusts
were regarded as enemies to the pub
lie welfare. The lex number on the
reel found the Federal Government
regulating big business through a Blu
reau Of Corporations which was en-
larged in the earlier days of the Will
son administration and merged into
the newly created Federal Trade Com
mission. After many arduous years
this Commission has settled down to
an enforcement of laws and regula-
tons which seek to prevent unfair
competition. The Commission has is
sued hundreds of complaints, and de-
cided many cases, wherein they have
defined unfair competition and "un-
fair trade" Little attempt is any
longer made to disturb ~monopOlies
or trusts, but strenuous efforts are
made to direct the name of their
dealings with the public. Last year
Congress passed the Packers and
S~tockyards Control Act, and under it's
provisions the Secretary of Agricul-
definite methods by which business
shall be carried on between the pack
erS and the stOckyards n the pro
ducers. In several cases there has
been a sharp conflict between the
Federal Government and the packing
interests, but the outcome in each in
stance gives ground for an optimistic
view Of the situation because amicable
adjustments have as a rule been
reached, owing no doubt to the fact
that the business interests of the
country, including the packers, have
grown to respect the position of the
Government, and to recognize it's
right to lay down specific rules for
their regulation and control. Until
rather recently the packers were
among the most tempeStouS kickerS
with which the Government had to
deal. Everything that was done in
Washington was resented as IAN in
reference" with their self-ordained
rights. They hired the best lawyers
in the country and stood by them
when they fought the Federal Trade
Commission and other Government
Bureaus and Departments. No doubt
the packers have seen the error Of
their way, and they appear to have
found out that if they behave them
selves that there is little difficulty in
getting along with the Federal Gov
eminent.
Two of the Chicago big five" meat
packers have proposed to merge their
businesses. They have laid their
plans before the Agricultural Depart
ment and the Department Of Justice;
and in urn the Secretaries of these
branches of the Government have been
in consultation with the President.
There has been no secrecy about the
merger, and Congress has known all
about it. A few years ago all the anti
trust and %anti-legal machinery of the
Government would have been turned
loose to prevent this merger. Today
the only question that has been raised
has concerned the details Of the plan,
in order to make sure that the policies
with rnfaTpnnn To similar fnpFOnTS
have been adhered to. No one seems
particularly concerned about the mer-
ger being a move in the direction OF
further monopoly of the packer inter
ests. The ordinary practices Of fair
trade" constitute the Federal interest
which seeks to find out whether or not
the public rights are being abridged
by the new merger in any wy. The
"dissoiutiOn of the Standard OIL Com
pany has gotten to be a good deal OF
a joke in the public mind. Most PEG.
pie believe that the big five" Chicago
packers are rs thick as peas ir a pod.
The tobacco trust is generally sup
posed to have q stronger grip upon
the flow of nicotine than before it was
"dissolved." If anything has come
out Of the resulting better understand
ing of the aims of big business, and
the rights of the Government to inter
enc or i~ntercede, the whole thing re-
solves itself, in the last analysis, into
an undertaking upon the part of the
Government to a regulation of the
behavior and honesty of all classes OF
citizens who conduct business. The
size Of the institution seems to be 4
matter Of very minor concern, and
Uncle Sam has retired from the field
as a trust buster. In his new role he
specializes on the question of behavior.
1t doesn't take the American public
long to adopt the new sciences, as it
proved by the ready acceptance of
radio which in a few months has been
pressed into service to carry on a ire
mendous amount Of overseas commun-
i~cation, while at the same time its
broadcasting features have made it
possible for people in most isolated