William Howard Taft
By: Ariel Jun
Our Superhero: The Trust Buster
"It is time to not trust, but be more efficient."
Evil Nemesis Monopolian
What crimes has he done? He has...
1) Violated anti-trust laws
2) Used company size to exclude competition
3) Associated with abusive practices
4) Motivated the enactment of the Sherman Act of 1890
5) Participated in unfair practices such as regulating prices
Why is he called the Monopolian?
The Monopolian is known for many companies establishing a monopoly. They have excluded all competition to regulate prices and at one point, more influential than the government. Because of their monopoly, they are known as the Monopolian.
Don't forget about the Sidekick Ida Tarbell!
Ida Tarbell is known as a muckraker, one who exposes the truth about a topic and cleans the "mud" lies from society. Tarbell wrote "History of the Standard Oil Company" and exposed unfair practices of the Standard Oil Company, which had eventually led to the US breaking monopolistic companies. Tarbell had dug into the Rockefeller's' family oil monopoly and uncovered unfair business practice.
And how has our superhero defeated the Monopolian?
William Howard Taft, The Trust Buster, was often criticized for back tracking on the Roosevelt reforms. Taft had however, broke up more than 90 trusts in one term (99 in total). Taft had filed lawsuits against monopolistic companies such as the Standard Oil Company and the American Tobacco Company.