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About Will Maupin's weekly. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1911-1912 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1911)
THAT STANDARD OIL DECISION The decision of the supreme court in the Standard Oil case does not mean -anything worth while to the people of this country. The court holds that the com pany is a monopoly in restraint of trade. That everybody knew. The court declares that the conporation must be dissolved inside of six months. That is a joke. The corporation will dissolve, of course and immediately reorganize. Then it will continue the same old game of grab, may be under a different name, but with the same captains of finance in control and manipulating things in the same old way. The court holds that "corporations whose contracts are not reasonably re strictive of competition" are not affected by the decision. No pointer, however, is given as to what is "unreasonably restric tive of competition." The court itself gives the Standard Oil company a hint as to how it may evade the Sherman anti trust law. Let the Standard Oil com pany dissolve and return to the former plan of a lot of corporations, each con trolled by men who are controlled by the Standard Oil octopus. Then, "if the vari ous pipe lines, owned by different cor porations, determined, in the public in terest, so to combine as to make a con tinuous pipe line. SUCH AGREEMENT OK COMBINATION WOULD NOT BE REPUGNANT TO THE ACT." The quotation is from the court's decision. The Standard- Oil company may now proceed to purge itself by reorganization, after which it may proceed about its busi ness as before. Instead of being a great victory for the people, the court's deci sion in effect makes a rope of sand out of the Sherman anti-trust law. It gives, to all intents and purposes, judicial sanc tion to the claim that there are "good trusts" and "bad trusts," but fails to en lighten us as to which are good and which are bad. It says the Standard Oil com pany has been guilty of violating the Slier man anti-trust law, but it inflicts no pun ishment. The only violations of the Sher man anti-trust law that are punished by line or sentence to imprisonment are i t hose committed by men who organize f o the protection of their lives and indus trial welfare. Violations in the interest of the dollar are passed over with orders not to do it again. Any popular rejoicing that has been done over the decision of the court in this case has been premature. The decision has merely given the administration a further excuse for pressing for the fed eral incorporation law about the most dangerous menace to popular rights and state control of state internal affairs ever fronting the people. SANBORN'S KNOCK-OUT DECISION If the decision of Federal Judge San born in the railway rate cases stands, it will mean that the states will be deprived of even ..the privilege of controlling rates within their own borders. Judge San lorn holds that state legislation affecting rates are reflected in interstate rates, thus affecting commerce between the states, and consequently violating the provisions of the federal constitution. Of course a state ma3r not attempt to regu late interstate rates, and if in attempting to regulate races within the state races, the end of regulation by state railway commisisons is in sight. It is all delightfully simple, and delightfully pleasing to the railroad corporations. Just as soon as the supreme court sus tains the Sanborn decision our state urilway commissioners will become mere ly a species of sub-limated clerk. All they will have to do will be to make changes requested by the railroads, -quubs 8uir)9S pui? spiSiaij Suijissi?D bles about station facilities. The rail roads spent millions in lobbying against the laws creating state railway commis sions and giving the commissioners power to perform some real service for the people. With a stroke of hi pen Judge Sanborn has done for the railroads what any army of lobbyists failed to accomplish. Just as the people were priding themselves that they had subdued the railroad corporations and made them the servants and not the mas ters of the public, along comes a federal judge appointed for life and responsible to nobody, not even God, and upsets the reform work of a generation. It may be that in the future the people will wake up to the menace of a federal judiciary appointed for life, responsible to no authority and wielding powers not dreamed of by the framers of the consti tution and the founders of the republic, and not even dared by czar or emperor. DELIGHTING THE PEOPLE The "Lincoln Boosters' " special train is carrying joy into the interior. There are many good entertainers aboard the train, and at every stop of sufficient length the populace is given a treat. One of the delightfully entertainining fea tures provided by the "Boosters" is the music of the Fairbury band. The band men are always ready, and are always giving the people the best they have in their repetory. This means that no bet ter band music has been heard by the people living in the territory covered by the special train, for the Fairbury band has no equal among the bands in the west. With splendid band music, several male quartetes, more than one elocution ist of merit and pretty souvenirs galore, the people within reaching distance of the "Booster Special" . are having the treat of-their lives. PRINTING There is nothing in the Printing Line we cannot do and do well COLOR WORK That is a Specialty with this Printery. See our samples PRICES Doubtless you can get cheaper printing elsewhere. You can not get good printing cheaper. And cheap printing is dear at any price. We do the best, and aim to make a fair profit. SEND FOR US When you have a job you want done well and quickly, phone us and we will be there in a minute with sample and price. WAGEWORKER PRINTERY Publishers of Will Maupin's Weekly 1705 "0" STREET AUTO 2748