The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-06-29

The Minnesota antitrust law. enacted at
the recent session of the legislature, is to be
tested in the courts, and the first corpora
tion upon which IL will be tried is the
United States Milling company, the flour.
mill syndicate organized through the efforts
Of Thomas Mcintyre.
The case is to be brought by the attorney
general who will have the legal assistance
OF w. S. Dwinneil, Minneapolis. who, as a
competent attorney and the framer of the
law, is probably the man best qualified for
the task. The test is to be made, SO it is
said, at the suggestion of W. G. Edgar, pub
Usher OF the Northwestern Miller, who ia
deeply interested in the affair." having fought
the schemes of Mr.. Mcintyre from the be-
ginning.
This legal contest will be one of the most
important ever brought before the courts of
this state, viewing it either from the busi-
ness or political standpoint. The business
point of view is undoubtedly Of greatest inn
portance, and the outcome of the city and
state, inasmuch as great deal Of their own
future welfare will be determined with the
disposition of the case
will be remembered that while the
milling trust organized by Mr.. Me- tyre
1alled to secure many of the mills of inn
portance located in this city, they did sue
ceed in buying three small mills from the
Minneapolis Flour Manufacturing Company
as well as the big Imperial mill, at Duluth.
since that transaction was closed the milling
people OF the city and state have awakened
TO the fact that perhaps the small purchases
mace were enough to satisfy the United
states Milling Company, inasmuch as the
new corp'rs tinn could, possessing mills in
this city and state. use the words Minne-
apolls and Minnesota in branding the flour
manu1actured by them, and it is equally
plain that in case the United States Milling
company wished to do SO, there would be
nothing to prevent it from putting upon the
market large quantity of flour thus
branded, which had been manufactured in
otner states, ana which perhaps had never
Deen inside the limits of the state
This would destroy at one blow that for
which the millers OF Minneapolis have been
ngntlng for great many years. and would
nu!lify the results of recent court de-
cls1ons In favor Of the Minneapolis millers.
Wnlcn were obtained only after the expeh-
dlture or great many thousands of dollars.
AT the present time the simple fact that
Hour bears the word Minneapolis or Minne-
sofa. is sufficient to give it a high standing
IN tne market, and according the manufact-
urers have no difficulty in disposing of their
entire product. With the new trust DOS
sibiy flooding the market with q spurious
article, perhaps greatly inferior, it is plain
TO be seen that Minnesota -four would there
aIter De considered no better than any
other, and the loss to Minneapo people
would be accordingly heavy
THE POLITICAL RESULT
foltlcally, the outcome will have much
to do in the coming campaign. The law
under which the prosecution is to be inau-
gurated was passed by a Republican legis-
lature, and after caucus of the Republican
senator's Lad carefully considered the matter
and concluded to undertake the task.
The opposition had charged that the law
was passed merely as a blind-and that it's
originators at no time intended that it
should be effective
Nothing is better understood by the pub
lie than the fact that it is almost impos-
sible to frame perfect law of this kind,
and it will therefore not be surprising IL
the courts should rule against the state in
this particular case, but even defeat would
be better in the long run than inaction II
the court passes upon the act adversely 1t
Will give the next legislature pointers which
will be valuable in framing future attempts
of the same kind.
It is not yet known in what particular
manner the action will be commenced but
1t is quite certain that the United States
Milling Company will be attacked as a
trust. Under the law Of the state all trusts
organized after the passage Of the act, and
the United States company is one OF those
which come under this category are not to
be allowed to begin business in this state
or to establish any agency here. They
cannot even acquire property in the state,
and any accounts owing any such trust are
declared void and uncollectable
The crime OF entering into any such
agreement is made a felony and punish
able by fine of not less than $500, nor
more than $1,000 or Imprisonment for not
less than three. nor more than five years.
The outcome will be awaited with great
interest by the people of the state, and
while there are many men OF high legal
attainment who do not hesitate to declare
that it will be impossible to convict the
United States Milling Co. under the provis-
ions of this law, there are also num-
Der who pin their faith in it's effective
ness
The argument will be made against the
United States company that it tends toward
monopoly, and in order to prove this 1t Is
not necessary to show that the new cor
poration increased the price of the COM
modify manufactured by it. All that is
necessary is to show that 1t has the power
to do so.
We would like to look square into the