The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-06
THE YEAR IN THE
DEPAR TMENT OF JUSTICE
Attorney General Griggs Submits His
Annual Report-Federal Laws
and the Trusts.

Washington, Dec. 5-Attorney Cen
eral Grisgs, in his annual report to con-
gress, reviews the work OF the depart
ment OF justice during the year and
then says that application is OCCASION
ally made to the department to have
legal proceedings brought in the name
of the United States against corpora
tons or combinations of companies
that are alleged to be engaged In form
Ing or maintaining monopolies or
agreements in restraint of trade or
competition.
Such action" the attorney general
says, can be maintained only when
the offense comes within the scope OF
the federal statute. The only federal
law against combinations in restraint
OF trade Is contained in the so-called
Sherman act Of July 2, 1890.
1T will be observed that this statute
is directed only against combinations
or monopolies in restraint of trade or
commerce among the several states or
with foreign nations. II does not pre-
tend to go into other branches of bust
ness or commerce or attempt in any
way to interfere with those transac-
tons which are carried on exclusively
within the confines Of state, or which
do not amount to what. under the de-
cisions of the United States supreme
court, is understood by the term in
terState commerce..
1.-The federal government has no con-
stitutional rights to supervise, direct
or interfere with the transaction of or
binary business by the people of the
several states unless such business re-
lates directly. and not incidentally, to
interstate commerce, and such has been
the decision of the supreme court o.
the United States"
The attorney general discusses this
subject at some length, quoting freely
from the decisions of the cour. GUS
tanning his position, and in conclusion
says.
TN all cases where the facts pre-
sented to the attorney general, capable
of legal proof, have established salts
factorily such an agreemen. or COM
bination in restraint If interstate COM
merce as is contemplated by the Sher-
man act, legal proceedings have been
taken in the name of the United States,
either to dissolve the combination or to
punish the offenders by Indictment
On the subject Of judicial salaries, the
attorney general says:
TT is not an uncommon thing to find
a lawyer appearing before the United
States courts in a case where his fee for
one argument exceeds the annual sal
airy of the judge. The judges of the
United States supreme court and the
circuit and district courts are made
quateiy compensated. The same is true
of those Of. the court of claims.
THE courts of the United States are
everywhere in the civinzed world held
in the very highest repute, yet their
judges are paid smaller salaries than
are allowed by the states TO state
judges in very many jurisdictions. I
believe that an increase Of the salary
of the chief justice and associate JUS
tices of the supreme court to $4,000 a
year, of the circuit Judges to $4,000 and
the district judges to $500 year would
be a simple measure of justice and APP
proved by every just-minded citizen"
On the subject of Alaska the attor-
ney general says:
1.-THE administration of affairs in AL
aska, and especially the administration
OF Justice through the courts and court
officers, is not satisfactory. The GRIM
inal business of Alaska has doubled
within the year and the civil business
has multiplied four times over. Com
| plants of the inadeduacy OF the pro-
vision for maintaining law and order
and enforcing the criminal statutes
are universal. AT present there is only
and one district attorney for this whole
vast extent of territory, who are not
| able to dispose of one-tenth of the
| business presented"
He urges upon the congress the nee
| essity OF providing for the appointment
| Of an additional district judge. an adj
| ditional United States district attor-
ney and marshal and that the territory
be divided into two districts. He rec
| on1mends that the salary of the district
attorney or the district attorneys, II
| two are provided, be fixed at $1,000 a
year