LAD#31: Wilson's Fourteen Points

Summarize.

Delivered by President Wilson to Congress on January 8th, 1918, the speech begins by answering the European powers and assuring the country that the Great War was being fought for moral reasons and as the war to end all wars, to create a world fit and safe to live in. Wilson then gives his fourteen points, or the United States' idea of how to create world peace. Briefly;

1: Public diplomacy and negotiations.

2: Absolute freedom of the seas.

3: Removal of economic barriers and creation of equality in trade.

4: Reductions by all nations of their armies to the lowest point consistent with public safety.

5: Adjustment of colonial claims to the interests of both the inhabitants of the colonies and the colonial powers.

6: Russian independence and evacuation of it's territory by other powers.

7: Evacuation and restoration of Belgium as independent.

8: Evacuation of France and the return of the Alsace-Lorraine territory to France.

9: Readjustment of Italian borders.

10: Independence of multiple nationalities in Austria-Hungary.

11: Evacuation of the Balkan states and allowance for them to be independent along lines of established nationality.

12: Protection of minority states in Turkey and free passage through the Dardanelles by all nations.

13: Independence for Poland, including free access to the sea.

14: A "League of Nations" should be formed to allow security for large and small powers alike.

Wilson concludes his speech by encouraging that all powers must act as one to allow safety and peace throughout the world. He also urges not to harshly punish Germany, but to allow it to remain among the world powers. 

LAD#30: Schenck vs United States

Summarize.

During WW1, Schenck mailed to draftees a circular suggesting the draft was a monstrous wrong motivated by the capitalist system, and urged the draftees not to submit to intimidation but instead advised peaceful action against it. Schenck was charged with conspiracy by attempting to cause insubordination in the military and obstructing recruitment.

The case decided unanimously that Schenck was not protected by the first amendment in this situation, because it was during wartime and every interpretation of an act depends on the circumstances. In this circumstance, judge Holmes said that free speech was only protected so far as it did not present a "clear and present danger".

LAD#27: Clayton Anti-Trust Act

Summarize.
The Act finally did what the Sherman Antitrust Act could and did not. The Act outlaws price discrimination that lessens competition or tends to create a monopoly, sales if it may lessen competition, mergers and acquisitions that may lessen competition. It also prevents any person from being the director of more than one competing corporation that would violate the act by merging.

Section 7 of the Act defines a holding company as one whose primary purpose is to hold stocks of other companies and outlaws it. It also requires a company to notify the government should it be thinking about a merger or acquisition of another company.

The difference between the Clayton and the Sherman antitrust acts is that the Clayton act made sure that it could not be used against union activities. Section 6 exempts labor unions and agricultural organizations from the provisions in the act.