Although the Sherman Antitrust Act was already in place to prevent monopolies, it was not at all effective. TR filed a lawsuit against Northern Securities Company. The Northern Securities Company was a railroad company owned by wealthy entrepreneur JP Morgan. In 1904 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against J.P. Morgan and his company was shut down (Miller Center, sec. 5). Millercenter.org states that “the High Court's action was a major victory for the administration and put the business community on edge to note that, although this was a Republican administration, it would not give free rein to businesses to operate without regard for the public welfare” (section 5). While the case was pending in 1903, Roosevelt passed the Elkins Act which would put an end to railroad companies giving shipping discounts to companies of their choice. Large companies shipped goods for a large sum, less than smaller companies could have done. This act was not very effective, so Roosevelt passed the Hepburn Act in 1996. The Hepburn Act strengthened the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), which allowed the ICC to regulate shipping rates on railroads. TR believed that big business was essential to a maturing economy and saw no need to get rid of it (Miller Center, sec. 5). He wanted to break the bad faith in American business. During his tenure he would file forty-three lawsuits against major corporations. These clothes