Organized Labor Demands Repeal of the Sherman Act
| Author | Matthew Woll |
| Published date | 01 January 1930 |
| Date | 01 January 1930 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/000271623014700124 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
185
Organized
Labor
Demands
Repeal
of
the
Sherman
Act
By
MATTHEW
WOLL
President,
Union
Labor
Life
Insurance
Company;
Vice-President,
American
Federation
of
Labor,
Washington,
District
of
Columbia
REPEAL
or
modification
of
the
anti-combination
and
anti-con-
spiracy
provisions
of
existing
laws,
specifically
of
the
Sherman
and
the
Clayton
Acts,
is
regarded
by
American
organized
labor
as
a
national
necessity
in
the
interest
of
progress,
freedom,
justice
and
democracy.
Under
each
of
these
four
heads
the
repeal
or
modifi-
cation
of
these archaic
and
oppressive
laws
is
warranted
and
essential.
&dquo;THERE
OUGHT
To
BE
A
LAW&dquo;
We
go
back
to
a
time
far
different
from
the
present
to
find
the
inspiration
that
brought
into
being
what
we
popularly
call
anti-trust
laws.
It
was
a
time
of
fear.
A
great
new
power
was
growing
up
in
the
nation.
A
new
force
was
coming
into
being.
A
money
Goliath
was
rising
up
and
stalking
through
the
land.
Little
business
men,
manufacturers
and
distributors
were
being
slain
with
ruthless
might.
They
sought
a
pebble
to
fit
their
sling,
having
no
mind
for
more
modern
weapons.
They
sought
law
to
save
them
from
a
basic
economic
change.
The
cry
of
the
ages,
&dquo;there
ought
to
be
a
law,&dquo;
sprang
to
their
lips;
and
lo,
there
came
a
law.
The
law
remains,
a
strange
anomaly
of
medievalism
in
a
day
of
scientific
miracles,
as
out
of
harmony
as
is
the
ox-cart
beside
the
fleet
and
shining
product
of
our
finest
motor
manu-
facturer,
as
dangerous
as
the
old
oaken
bucket
in
comparison
to
the
modern
water
supply
plant.
With
the
coming
of
the
trust
the
corporation
came
into
its
own.
The
corporation
is
a
creation
of
the
state.
Upon
that
created
entity
certain
powers
are
conferred.
Harnessing
power
to
shafts
brought
the
motive
force
for
running
the
mechanical
division
of
modern
industry.
Harness-
ing
money
power
through
the
corpora-
tion
brought
the
might
to
operate
the
financial
division.
The
trust
was
the
signal
that
mass
production,
mass
distribution
and
mass
consumption
was
upon
us.
The
great
and
fearsome
tank
had
come
to
roll
over
the
infantry
and
the
infantry,
in
fright,
fought
back
with
the
weapons
nearest at
hand,
lacking
time
to
bring
imagination
into
play
or
to
center
intelligence
upon
the
problem
through
the
slow
process
of
analysis.
Blunders
were
made.
Anti-
trust
laws
were
enacted.
It
was
made
a
conspiracy
to
restrain
interstate
trade.
lVlanifestly,
the
Federal
Government
could
not
act
against
the
restraint
of
trade
within
a
single
state,
but
it
could
and
did
step
in
to
prevent
conspirators
from
operating
across
state
boundaries.
State
boundaries
have
been
the
in-
spiration
of
a
great
many
legislative
monstrosities,
as
well
as
some
good
things.
But
this
time
we
got
a
monstrosity.
If
the
object
sought
seemed
good,
the
ends
achieved
have been
distinctly
negative.
Who
is
there
that
has
the
hardihood
to
contend
that
conspiracies
in
restraint
of
trade
have
ceased?
Clearly,
the
Sherman
Law
was
intended
as
an
instrument
for
the
slaughter
of
trusts,
the
assumption
at
the
time
having
been
that
the
trusts
were
evil
things,
come
to
prey
upon
a
helpless
people-
helpless
except
for
the
Sherman
Law.
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