A historian would first look at the reliability of a source - when it was published and what was happening at the time (context), who wrote it and their qualifications, any bias the author may hold, whether author sources corroborate the source, whether the author has used references, whether the source provides evidence, who the source is representative of and whether the source provides a balanced perspective
I believe that the most fitting answer for this question would be prosecuting "trusts," or monopolies, that were in violation of the federal Anti-Trust law. During the Progressive Era, or 1900 to 1917, trust-busting efforts were very prevalent. Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson were especially adamant about trust-busting. Hope this helps.
