The Sherman Antitrust Act: A Case Study

DiLorenzo believed the Sherman Antitrust act was “ Protectionist at its roots” (pg141). The government was using this so that incompetent businesses would be protected. According to Dilorenzo there was no proof that monopolies were hurting the country. In fact , there was a deflation during the late 19th century , prices were decreasing which would benefit consumers . The Sherman Act support came from less competitive firms that wanted to break up their more successful rivals. An example Dilorenzo gave was cotton farms. They were upset that jute was being used to cover cotton bales instead of cotton. They petition government to restrain jute farmers. Small firms had more power than the big ones, because if big firms had as much power as Yellow