Show THE TIlE BIG STICK WAVES AGAIN I r Government Opens New Monopoly Anti-Monopoly Campaign Headed by Trust Buster Robert II Jackson Revives Favorite American Political Custom By JOSEPH W. W La LaBINE DINE BINE The Big Stick is being waved once more in Washington this time to an accompaniment of sound and fury that makes the trust trust busters busters in the lusty days of 1900 and 1910 seem like so many ing baa sheep by comparison Today's down cracking is pretty much the same old game only the terminology the the amplification and the size of the field are different Trust was the cry almost ex ex- elusively In the old days day now we business hear monopolies big combines princes of privilege and sixty American families mentioned In the same breath A generation ago the trust anti-trust campaigns campaign were fought In the courts at comparatively small political meetings and In the press Today they are fought In large measure over the radio with some of the stirring stir governments government's ablest fire-eaters fire ring up millions of people in a long parade of special broadcasts In addition the current attack advances ad vances at one time in a vast number number num num- ber bet of directions that would have i amazed and confounded the old old- timers but which are characteristic of the tremendously Increased scale cale of operation which the nation has come to accept from Its government government government govern govern- ment in recent years Monopolies were originally scheduled scheduled sched sched- tiled to have been dealt with by the special session of con congress cress which closed just before Christmas But when It became evident that protracted protracted pro pro- protracted wrangling gling was to keep even the wages hours bill the live tive reorganization bill or any other of the must legislation for which I Ithe the special session was called from being enacted the monopoly antimonopoly drive was switched post-haste post from the legislative chambers to the broadcasting studios Assistant Attorney Attorney At At- torney General Robert pronounced Jackson and Secretary of the Interior Harold L. L Ickes were the Nos 1 and 2 cheer leaders At this writing Jackson Is rumored about to become United States solicitor general What these two and the President have said ald has been so widely heard and read that even the remotest hamlet is already familiar with it But what is the government govern ment actually doing not doing not saying saying saying-in in inthis this renewal of the old familiar war against trusts Seek New Laws The administration If U again demanding de mand manding 11 that congress pass laws such as that requiring the federal li licensing Ii 11 tensing censing o of corporations which will strengthen the campaign against big business and monopoly President Roosevelt Is seeking the operation co of heads of cf large corporations corporations cor toward a planned economy economy economy econ econ- omy which may mayor or may not remove remove remove re re- re- re move some of the alleged evils And the trust anti division of ot the tha Department of Justice has 29 antitrust antitrust anti anti- trust cases pending determination by the federal courts These Thee are the evidence on the record of what the government Is actually do do- ing tog Their scope cope defies history to produce a precedent Four Acts In 10 Effect The Sherman ani trust anti trust law of 1890 remains still sun the most Important important tant Cant of the rules under which the battle Is being fought but there are three others The Clayton trust anti-trust act of 1914 the Federal Trade Commission Commission Commission Com Com- mission act of 1914 and the Robin Robin- son Patman ton Patman law of 1938 1936 to protect small maU business men from chain competition Now the administration tion lion seeks more As A. Robert H. H Jackson himself has said The trust anti law Is I. an American Invention It has haa served two noble American purposes It has kept the mushroom growth of American industry from killing itself Itself it It- self and severely Injuring the people people peo peo- pie in the period of Its growing pains and end it has provided excellent excellent excel excel- I lent campaign material for ambitious ambitious ambitious ambi ambi- politicians Trust busting as the national political polItical political po po- po- po sport died at the opening of the World war From the time the Sherman act was passed until the close dose of the first Wilson administration administration administration adminis adminis- there Utere were a little over suits instituted by the government Seven under Benjamin Harrison eight under Grover Cleveland three under William McKInley four forty under Theodore Roosevelt both administrations administrations ad ad- ministrations minIstration 37 under William Howard Taft and 18 under Woodrow Wilson Then the thunder died down for a decade and a half hatt Inconsistent Policy Now since Ince President Roosevelt first took office In 1933 there have been 47 suits and more than half haU of them are still pending The interim interim in in- between the two eras of trust trust- busting brought out oft certain Inconsistencies inconsistencies incon incon- In the federal attitude which the administration Is determined determined deter deter- mined to deer up Jackson speaking speaking speak speak- ing tog before the Georgia Bar association association tion last Ma May 28 28 pointed out what he termed one of the most obvious conflicts In our policy when he be declared de ela Glared red While the nation has forbidden monopoly by one set of laws It has haa been creating them by another Patent laws valuable as they ma may maybe maybe be in some ome respects often olten father monopoly Unless we are prepared to reconsider the conditions upon which we will extend patent protection protection pro pro- protection we can have no consistent monopoly antimonopoly policy Most conspicuous example of this line of reasoning is the Aluminum Company of America against which the government had bad filed suit a month before the Jackson speech and which had so frequently been sued by the government without any conviction having been obtained that It has hat come to be known as 81 Public Whipping Boy No 1 I for forthe forthe forthe the trustbusters trust The company actually does manufacture manufacture manufacture manu manu- facture all aU of the virgin aluminum Ingot In the country today but explains explains explains ex ex- plains the Ute only reason there is le no other firm producing virgin alumInum aluminum alum alum- mum Is the enormous capital investment Investment investment In in- vestment required to make it on a large scale cale The electrolytic process Invented In 1888 1886 by Charles Martin Hall Han made maae it possible for the company to reduce the price of aluminum from 8 3 a pound to 20 cents despite continually rising production costs COlts but it is an expensive process The company now has bas such uch a head start that no group of Investors has been willing to risk the capital necessary to set et up a competing business Paradoxically the same govern govern- Sen Ellison D D. D Smith of South Car Carolina Una shows how hot he be hurled AmerIca AmerIcas Americas Amer ica's Ica Sixty the the book which Inspired Secretary Ickes' Ickes recen recent t monopolies to attack attack to the senate floor during a heated discussion Sen Josiah Bailey of North Carolina tare gave the he book Its Ita lint hit heave to the floor Door Robert n. n Jackson center Is the busy director of 01 the he governments government's trust bustier forces He lIe carries carrie the double burden of 01 prosecuting the he governments government's trust anti suits alts In 10 New York federal courts and of campaigning for lor the governorship of the same came state lIe He 1 ts Is shown here with Rep lip William P. P Connery Jr left and Supreme Court Justice Justice Jus Jus- tice Hugo lIuro L. L Black before Black was named to 10 the high bleb bench ment now prosecuting It protected the Hall patents until the they ran out In 1909 Monopoly c charges arge against the Ethyl Gasoline corporation Earl C. C Webb and John Coard Taylor also grow out of the manner maMer In which the government protects patents on vital Inventions New York Headquarters Jackson as head of the anti anti- antitrust antitrust trust division has 20 new assistants costing to help him wield the war club dub and has opened offices of Aces In the NewYork New York Federal Courts building for the big drive Western stern Union and Postal Telegraph systems systems are due to be tried there And he recently succeeded In obtaining permission to sue the Aluminum company already operating under the consent decree of a Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsyl Pennsyl- vania vanla federal court in New York where he Is slated to run for governor governor gover gover- nor this year An idea of the variety and scope of other federal trust anti cases eases pending in the courts s may be gleaned from a brief summary of a handful of them Jackson swears that the Party Dress Guild Inc is restraining Interstate in interstate in In- trade In women's and misses misses' party dresses dresse Monopolies are apparently making it something of a task for size odd ladies ladle to get out at all even to parties for he be also charges the Size Half Dress 4 1 W 1 La Sen William E. E Borah of Idaho Is 11 the dean dian of trust trustbusters Now with Senator Ol of Texas he be seeks leeks a federal law licensing corporations cor cor- as a curb on monopoly Guild Inc with restraining Interstate interstate Inter Inter- state tate trade in women's and misses misses' size half dresses dresse The Protective Fur Dressers Dressers' corporation corporation cor cor- he says Is 11 skinning the public as II well as the more sprightly world of rabbits by restraining and monopolizing trade in rabbit skins Local No of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Teamster Chauffeurs Chauffeurs feurs Stablemen and Helpers Helper of America is I. charged with restrain restrain- restraining restraining ing lag the fruit trade the United Sea SeaFood SeaFood SeaFood Food Workers with tying up the salt laU water fish business and the Dairymen's Association Ltd with fixing Axing fIxIn the price of milk In Honolulu OH oil Defendants Several oil on company officials recently recently re re- re- re convicted at Madison Wis on charges charge of conspiring to restrain gasoline trade are m making plans to appeal the verdict The trust anti division may have to fight filM an appeal from tram the Interstate Interstate Interstate Inter Inter- state Circuit Inc on a decision which agreed that the organization tion was setting minimum admit admit- admission admission sion afoa charges charge for second-run second moving pictures and ald prohibiting the use we of them on en feature double-feature programs program Federal Investigations are being made of cf suspected monopolies Inthe In Inthe inthe the rubber cement milk and window window win win- dow products Industries A federal fed eral oral grand jury In Milwaukee Wis was Investigating monopoly charges automobile finance companies com pantos linked with Ford Chrysler and General Motors Motor but the court dismissed the grand jury urr without hearing its report much to the chagrin of the Department of Justice More will probably be heard on this score core Which of cf these suits will be won by the government which may mal be dropped and which won by the defendants defendants defendants de de- of course remains to be seen leen The record for the first era of trust busting up to a time Urne shortly short short- ly 11 before th the war was 42 43 persons Imprisoned 1338 1333 fined and decrees de de- crees secured In civil proceedings c O Western N wip p r Union |