St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-19
THE RoBBER TRUST.

If the statute of Minnesota which
makes it an Offense to organize and
continue a combine to regulate the price
of coal or other commodity is constitu
tional, the coal trust is criminal band,
and it only remains for the authorities
to proceed against the members under
the law.
The head OF the trust is in the East.
and Minnesota is only one of the arms
of the great octopus. The design of the
creature is a masterpiece, and strlk-
ing example of the pernicious power
within reach OF the trust tendency. The
Investigations of the legislative commit
tee seem TO disclose that one JOHN j.
RHODES, of st. Paul, is the agent of the
trust for this state; that he regulates
the price at which the fuel shall be
sold; that not an ounce of anthracite
can enter Minnesota except through the
Northwestern Fuel company; that every
other wholesale company must secure
its supply through this company; that
every retailer in the state who receives
coal must join the combine and sell coal
AT the price specified by RHODES, and
that every wholesaler must pay RHODES
$500, and every retailer SIS, a season.
The copies of the letters of RHODES
which the committee secured show that
the gentleman has been kept busy to
prevent attractions of the rules,
Chapter 10 of the General Acts of 1891
reads as follows:
Section l. II any corporation organized
under the laws of this state or any other state
or country for transactlng or conducting any
kind of business III this state, or any partner
ship or individual, shall create. enter into,
become member OF, or party to, any pool,
trust agreement, combination CT confedera-
ton with any other corporation, partnership
or individual to regulate or fix the price of
oil. lumber coal, grain, -four provisions or
any other commodity or article whatever, or
shall create enter into become Il member OF
or q party to anv pool, agreement, combina-
ton, or confederation to fix or limit the
amount or quantity of any commodity or
article to be manufactured, mined. produced
or sold in this state shall be deemed guilty of
a conspiracy TO defraud. and be subject to in
dictment and punishment as provided in the
next section.
Sec. 9. Any person or corporation found
guilty OL Il klOlulOu Oh lulS act SQdll DC
punished by fine of not less than one hun
bred 600 dollars, nor to exceed five thousand
5000 dollars. and stand committed until
such fine is paid.
The provisions are clear. They have
not been declared unconstitutional, and
from the great secrecy with which the
combine has proceeded and the efforts
it makes to cover all its methods, 1t has
evidently too much faith in the validity
of the law to undertake a test of its
validity.
1t appears from the letters Of Mr..
RHODES that he notified the retailers of
the city as to what figures they might
quote in their bids to furnish the city
hall and court house with fuel. Thus
the bids which were received amounted
to nothing.
A number Of the men whose names
appeared in the list of members of the
combine have jumped up to say that the
combine is dead. But it appears from
the letters of Mr.. RHODES that the dues
paid him are for period running to
May 1. And. though the combine were
dead, those who were connected with it
should be prosecuted, to make an eX-
ample which would deter the OrganiZa-
ton of another such in the future.