Those who opposed the provisions of the sherman antitrust act believed that success in business depended on

Those who opposed the provisions of the Sherman Antitrust Act believed that success in business depended on help from big companies (most likely). This would apply to people who believed that big companies and big names should be able to decide what goes on in the business and markets which stem from business as well as being able to enforce agreements, because they have the most power, whether they obtained this through proper or corrupt means.